Fall 2015 Perspectives

COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES • 25 “With Pike’s Peak as a backdrop, the citizens of Colorado Springs aren’t shy about telling visitors what makes their community so special,” said Saul Gonzalez, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly ’s correspon- dent. “There’s the U.S. Olympic Training Center; the U.S. Air Force Academy; historic neighborhoods with fine old homes; and lots of ways to enjoy a healthy, outdoor lifestyle. However, Colorado Springs is also known for something else—as an epicenter of evangelical faith and activism.” Amid the many Christian organizations found sprinkled over the landscape of Colorado Springs, 2012 alumna Melissa James, M.M.S., PA-C, found her way to the Dream Centers of Colorado Springs, which is where she chose to invest the skills and training she gained at the NSU Orlando Campus. Throughout El Paso County, 40,000 are without medical care, which is why the Dream Centers of Colorado Springs strives to meet the medical, physical, and spiritual needs of an overwhelmingly underserved population. “It’s a privilege to come to a place where not only are needs being met free of charge, but the people are treated with respect and love,” said James. n students to witness both the tre- mendous talent and dedication of the emergency response teams and supporting personnel. In addition, the students were exposed to a side of health care not witnessed by all health care providers. By being allowed to empathize with trauma victims and face the suffer- ing that can accompany emergency situations, students found them- selves mulling over the caliber of health care they would eventually provide to their patients. “It was such a great opportunity to vol- unteer as a victim,” said Shaunte Yates. “Having worked in the ER for so many years as a scribe prior to school, I’m learning how to treat and take care of patients. But you don’t really know what it is like from the patient’s perspective. “I gained more of an understanding of what a patient, or even a family member of a patient, goes through in an emergency situation,” she added. “There is panic, fear, and also pain if injured. You feel disoriented and overwhelmed, so the EMS teams become your lifeline until you get to the hospital and the hospital takes over. I think this experience will help me to better treat my patients in the future by helping me under- stand the emotional toll a trauma- tizing experience has on a patient.” Later in April, a number of students participated in a live simulation event in collaboration with the First Response Training Group in Orlando. Assuming the roles of emergency health care providers, the students worked alongside doc- tors, nurses, and paramedics in a busy emergency-room setting, adding the component of inter- professional education to their NSU educational experience. Ryan confirmed these experiences provided the students with a unique view of health care as seen from the perspective of both patient and provider. “It will serve as a reminder that the practice of medicine is not only a science, but that it is also an art,” she explained. “Both are essen- tial parts of the unwritten social contract that exists between health care providers and those they serve.” n Class of 2012 Alumna Follows Her Dream BY IRIS M. REYNOLDS, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT