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Emergencies happen when we least expect them, and they require critical thinking and swift action to prevent serious complications, including long-term disability and death.

Each year, about one in five Americans is rushed to the emergency room at least once, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with nearly 140 million people in the U.S. visiting their local ER in 2022 alone. Of those visits, 18.3 million resulted in hospitalization and 2.8 million required admission to the intensive care unit.

As the need for high-quality trauma and critical care has increased in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society of Critical Care Medicine has reported a shortage of critical care practitioners, including physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists and physical therapists.

To help meet the growing need for healthcare workers in trauma and critical care across the nation, especially in the medically underserved communities of the Rio Grande Valley, the South Texas Health System Trauma and Critical Care Institute is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of critical care workers through education aimed at raising awareness of the numerous career opportunities available to provide life-saving care to patients within the hospital setting.

As part of those efforts, South Texas Health System McAllen, home to a Level I Trauma Center, hosted its first-ever “Pathways to Careers in Trauma and Critical Care” conference on Friday, May 17, 2024, hosting nearly 60 high school students with an interest in healthcare careers from Mission High School and Mission Veterans Memorial High School.

“As the largest integrated network of trauma and critical care in the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas Health System’s critical care practitioners know all too well that emergencies happen, more often than people may think! In 2023 alone, the staff in the healthcare system’s 10 emergency departments, which include six freestanding ERs, treated 231,112 patients. That’s an average of 633 ER visits a day,” said Tom Castañeda, System Director of Marketing and Public Relations, South Texas Health System. “There’s no denying the great need for critical care practitioners in our four-county region, and STHS is committed to helping meet that need. Through conferences like this one, we’re educating local students on the continuum of care provided to emergent patients in hopes of inspiring them to become tomorrow’s critical care heroes.”

Held at STHS Heart, the day-long event walked students through the process of providing trauma and critical care to patients, from their initial interactions with first responders on the scene to their arrival at the emergency room for medical attention and beyond. STHS McAllen leaders from various departments that work closely with the hospital’s ER, Level I Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center and Chest Pain Center staff, including laboratory services, pharmacy, radiology, surgery and rehabilitation. Together, they highlighted the continuum of multidisciplinary care provided to emergent patients across several hospital departments to show them how they may one day be able to help contribute to the health and well-being of the people of the Valley as critical care practitioners.

“My students have been given a taste of the medical care provided across various departments within a hospital and it’s opened their eyes to all the different career opportunities available to them,” said Katherine Deanda, Career and Technical Education Counselor, Mission High School. “A young person that wants to go into healthcare, typically thinks they must become a physician, surgeon or registered nurse; that’s what they immediately think of. But there are so many opportunities beyond those roles. And our students had the chance to hear from healthcare professionals working across specialties and learn about the educational requirements for their roles, their professional experiences in the hospital setting and what skills are required to provide medical care to patients, especially requiring trauma or critical care.”

The conference featured educational presentations and interactive demonstrations from STHS McAllen staff members, who highlighted the work they do to stabilize patients, save lives and help people recover. By discussing the life-saving work performed daily in their individual departments and discussing how they work in tandem to provide essential care, students like David Treviño, an 11th grader at Mission High School, will now be better able to consider their own career options based on their skills and interests.

In addition to the enlightening presentations, the students heard from Mission Police Department Sgt. Adrian Alejandro, a local trauma survivor who discussed the multidisciplinary care he received throughout his healing journey after sustaining a gunshot wound to his lower torso while in the line of duty on March 16, 2024.

“This conference has really broadened my mind on all the care that’s provided in a hospital. It’s definitely a lot more complex than I thought,” said Treviño, who hopes to pursue a career in physical therapy. “It’s really helped open my eyes to the various career options available to me; I honestly had no idea there were social workers in the hospital. I really enjoyed today’s conference and can’t wait to pursue a career in healthcare!”