On March 21 and March 22, the Alliance Health Professions Club took a trip to Lincoln. We left at 6 a.m. on March 21 and came back around lunchtime the next day. Sponsors included Brian Kuhn, Tammy Griffee, and Kim Tschacher.

Upon arrival in Lincoln, our first stop was the Nebraska Heart Institute. We were given a short tour of the hospital and were given the opportunity to ask questions about cardiology, respiratory therapy, CT, and nuclear medicine.

On March 22, we visited the Bryan College of Health Sciences for Discovery Day 2016. After we got our nametags, a panel of four physicians and a nurse practitioner walked into the room and sat in front of a hundred students and teachers from all around the state. The physicians included one general surgeon, one trauma surgeon, one internal medicine doctor, and a biomedical electro physiologist. The nurse practitioner worked in women’s health. Students were given the opportunity to ask questions ranging from their favorite case, their family life, and why they chose to specialize in their respective areas.

After the physician’s panel, students went to their first breakout sessions. My first session was trauma, where we were shown a slideshow heavy with pictures of car crashes, car crash victims, and their injuries. The pictures of injuries included a firework accident, where a patient’s fingers were blown off his hand; a tractor accident, where a patient’s leg had to be amputated due to the wound being filled with manure and grass; and an attempted suicide. The presenter was a registered trauma nurse who is currently working on her nurse practitioner license.

My second breakout session was nursing, where we listened to the heartbeats of pediatric and women’s simulator dummies. We also learned how to wrap arms in order to increase blood flow and dress up in trauma gear.

My third breakout session was biomedical electronics, where we were able to use a cauterizer to cut a piece of steak and use a scope to perform “surgery” on a cantaloupe.

My final breakout session was pharmacy, where we were shown a PowerPoint presentation about pharmacy and all the different specialty areas by a fourth-year Creighton student.

All in all, it was a very fun trip and I really enjoyed it. The sponsors were amazing and every single person we shadowed was passionate about their profession and willing to teach others about it. I look forward to the next Discovery Day and future tours of NHI and Bryan Hospital!