What the heck is a trauma registrar, anyway?

Once upon a time even my guest asked that question. After starting a career in nursing in 1987, Stefanie Arp became a trauma nurse specialist in 2001. And quickly became tasked with the responsibilities of trauma coordinator, a position she knew very little about but found herself immersed in, whether she wanted to or not.

Trauma registry opened up a new world of data abstraction, quality improvement, trauma center designation, high-pressure American College of Surgeons site surveys, and much more, including medical coding and the use of trauma activation codes. And opened Arp’s eyes (and now, mine) to an under the radar profession that plays a huge impact on patient outcomes and organizational quality.

We get into all of that on today’s Off the Record, covering: