Trauma Surgery

Trauma Surgery Faculty

Mercy-Bergan / Creighton University Trauma service consists of three separate clinical services with an attending Surgical/Critical Care Surgeon assigned to each service for a seven-day period. Those services are Trauma, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, and Emergency General Surgery, at our Level I American College of Surgeons verified academic trauma center. In addition to the attending surgeon, each team is staffed by several APPs and junior and senior surgical residents and interns from the Creighton University General Surgery Residency program. APP staffing is 24/7 and our APPs play an integral role in assuring compliance with our practice guidelines and quality metrics. Our center strives for excellent care at every level, using a robust and well-staffed Performance Improvement program with two full time Nurse PI Coordinators, and our effectiveness is well illustrated in the results of our semi-annual Trauma Quality Improvement Program reports.

Trauma Surgery group photo in front of helicopter

Our team provides a variety of educational opportunities to all levels or providers and pre-hospital personnel, from the ATLS, ASSET, RTTDC, ATCN, TNCC, ENPC, and provide education to EMS personnel with regular case reviews and requested education for firehouse squads.

The team’s Injury and Prevention efforts are robust and classes and education offered regionally towards fall prevention, distracted driving, child seat fitting, and the American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed program.

Local research efforts are supported by a full time PhD Research Coordinator and the center regularly publishes in major trauma journals and participates in local, regional and national level multi-center studies.

Several members of the team hold regional and state leadership positions including the state Chapter President of the American College of Surgeons and the Chairman of the NE State Trauma Advisory Board, to name a few, and three members serve as site reviewers for both the NE State Trauma system as well as for the American College of Surgeons Verification Review Program.
The team accepts direct transfers and consultations for trauma patients from throughout the state and neighboring Iowa, and on occasion into both Kansas and South Dakota. Access is through the CHI Transfer center that is open 365/24/7, with direct phone access to the attending trauma surgeon.

The trauma team is also a designated center of excellence, by the Chest Wall Injury Society, and we regularly perform rib fracture stabilization procedures and accept outpatient referrals for anything having to do with rib fractures.

Likewise, the Emergency General Surgery team accepts direct transfers through the CHI Transfer Center, with the Attending Surgeon available for phone consultation 365/24/7. We specialize in gallbladder disease, appendicitis, acute surgical abdomens of all varieties, diverticulitis, and management of small bowel obstructions.