Your Stories: Saint Francis Injury Prevention Team Educates Local High School Students

During the Let's Not Meet By Accident program, students volunteer to be the doctor, charge nurse or patient to help them glean the full experience of being a trauma patient.

For the 2025-26 school year, Saint Francis hosted 147 teenagers in eight classes from five different local high schools. Led by Rachel Collett, BSN, RN, and Tracy Fox, RN, students are brought into the Emergency Department, including the trauma room and helipad. Kristin Fries, MSN, RN, CEN, nurse educator; Patrick Gauthier, Director of EMS; and Eric Ducat, EMS Program Coordinator, describe what happens when a patient arrives critically injured. Students volunteer to be the doctor, charge nurse or patient to help them glean the full experience of being a trauma patient.

After the trauma demonstration, students travel to CIPCI for additional education. Using “Fatal Vision” goggles, which mimic impaired driving at night, participants attempt to walk in a straight line and other activities to learn how impairment affects vision and motor skills. The students also receive Stop the Bleed certification, which teaches bystanders how to initiate care for traumatic bleeding.

The Trauma Department and Injury Prevention Team are always looking for volunteers to help teach Stop the Bleed instruction. Colleagues who have taken the course can sign up to be instructors. Please contact Tracy at TFox@TrinityHealthOfNE.org if you are interested.

Submitted by Tracy Fox, RN, Trauma and Injury Prevention Nurse Coordinator, Saint Francis Hospital.

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