Q&A Part II: Alice Evans, trauma nurse

Alice Evans has seen a lot since she started her nursing career in the burn unit of Valley Medical Center (now University Medical Center) in 1979.

Now a clinical nurse specialist in trauma and neuro critical care, Evans is looking forward to the April 16-18 move of UMC’s Level 1 trauma, burn, pediatric and acute inpatient services to the downtown Community Regional Medical Center.

As soon as she started, she loved the academic emphasis and camaraderie. And now, that will be bigger than ever at central California’s only academic regional medical center. Here’s what Evans had to say about it:

How do you feel about this move?
I think it’s going be great. It’s difficult work right now, but I really think it’s going to be a good thing for all of us. We need to be together and we certainly need a new facility.

What are you most looking forward to about moving to the downtown Community Regional Medical Center?
I think being together with the other intensive care units so that we’re all a big happy family.

We hear a lot about UMC. Tell us, what is so special about it?
I think that the most special thing about it is the family atmosphere. I think that we’ve always functioned as one family. If one area was having a crisis, I think other areas have pulled together and helped.

It’s a team atmosphere and family atmosphere. That’s the best thing about it. And the great care we give. We can do something with nothing. There’s been a lot of times when we haven’t had what we’ve needed and we’ve pulled together. We just somehow work it out.

How will this UMC move impact what the people from UMC can do?
I think it’s a bigger family. I think that we all have to get to know each other. For a while it’s going to be difficult because people don’t know each other.

If I’m a patient coming to this bigger than ever academic regional medical center, what can I expect?
The best care available in the United States today.

What does it truly mean to be an academic regional medical center?
You can get the best care possible here. We are on the cutting edge of therapy. They infuse us constantly with new blood. We know the latest and greatest and are always striving to get there. It would be the best place to go if you’re sick or hurt.

How important does Community Regional now become to the Valley?
It’s the only Level 1 trauma center. I think it’s going to be the referral center for every other hospital.

Give me your best UMC story.
We received a young woman who had been in a horrible accident and was gravely injured. She had been in the emergency department, operating room, PACU, IR and then to the ICU. She was very unstable and more than one nurse was needed to care for her. While she was in the ICU we had staff (nurses, physicians, techs, PCAs, UCs, etc.) from all of those areas come and ask us if she or we needed anything. They all just wanted to help. That's the way UMC is and I think every person who works there is amazing. Things like this have happened many times at UMC.

This story was reported by Eddie Hughes. He can be reached at eddieh@communitymedical.org.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007