Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin hosts Advanced Burn Life Support class

Memorial hosted its first Advanced Burn Life Support class through the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Thirteen staff members from Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin, four members of the Lufkin Fire Department, and three from Nacogdoches County EMS attended the class and are now certified in critical care of burn victims.

Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin is the only hospital within the East Texas region to offer the Advanced Burn Life Support class targeted to registered nurses, respiratory therapists, physicians and emergency personnel.

In the past two years, 235 burn victims have come through Memorial’s emergency department. Registered Nurse Stephen Bennett said, while Memorial is not a certified burn center, there is definitely a need for continuing education due to the number of patients who come to the emergency department with burns.

“This course helped to raise our awareness of critical burn patients and how to efficiently treat a patient within the first 24 hours,” Bennett said. “Most of what we see here at Memorial is first and second degree burns, but now we are more proficient in treating all types of patients suffering from burns.”

During the 8-hour course, the participants did head-to-toe assessments of “burned” mannequins. They also learned more about the transfer process to larger burn centers and initial assessment of burn victims based on the standards set by the American Burn Association.

For the past several years, instructors from UTMB-Galveston have traveled around Texas, Louisiana and Mexico teaching hospitals about proper policies and procedures when dealing with burn victims. Five instructors from the renowned burn center came to Lufkin and were highly impressed with the Memorial staff’s willingness to learn. The Advanced Burn Life Support certification through UTMB-Galveston and the Shriner’s Hospital in Galveston is good for four years.

The Memorial Volunteer Auxiliary paid for nearly all of the Memorial employees to participate.

“The Memorial administration and the Volunteer Auxiliary were instrumental in getting this program here, and we are so thankful for their support,” Bennett said.

Cutline: Thirteen staff members from Memorial Medical Center-Lufkin, four members of the Lufkin Fire Department, and three from Nacogdoches County EMS attended the class and are now certified in critical care of burn victims. Pictured are Angie Barker, RN EMT-P; Stephen Bennett, RN; Kim Finch, RN; Christine Hargis, RN; Elizabeth Hill, RN; Shawna Sitka, RN; Natalie Parrish, RN, EMT-P; Jimmy Ragsdale, EMT-P; Jeff Barker, EMT-P; Sharon Kelly, Memorial Volunteer Coordinator; Don Newland, First Vice President of the Texas Association of Healthcare Volunteers; and Gloria Gregory, Memorial Volunteer Auxiliary President.

Not pictured: Tom Bailey, RN; Marcus Coats, LVN; Richard Craig, RT; Debby Davis, RN; Sherine Boston, RN; Radha Krendl, RN; Tabatha Rogers, RN; Aleta Ross, RN; and Nathan Smith, RN EMT-P.