UHS Trauma teaching day to feature 'nurse humorist'

How does a first-responder prepare for what will become the most challenging emergency of their career?

And what place does humor have in the lives of emergency medical professionals?

Those and similar topics will be discussed at the 31st annual Patrick E. O’Hara, MD, EMS/Emergency Medicine/Trauma Teaching Day, to be presented this weekend by UHS.

“More than 280 people have signed up so far for this, our 31st annual event,” said William J. Loller, program manager of Emergency Medical Services at UHS and chairperson of the conference. “But there’s still time to register if you want to attend. As usual, we have a great program lined up this year.”

The one-day seminar, designed for professionals who work or volunteer in the emergency medical field, will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday, March 30, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 225 Water St., in downtown Binghamton.

Terry Foster, a clinical nurse specialist in critical care at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Kentucky, will deliver the morning keynote address, “Emergency Care: The Sacred and the Profane, All Rolled into One.”

Later in the day he will speak on humor in healthcare.

Often billed as a “nurse humorist,” Mr. Foster as a clinician has lectured on a wide variety of topics at nursing seminars and conferences throughout the country.

As a humorous speaker, he has performed at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and Trump Tower in Atlantic City.

Other speakers on Saturday will be Bill Hallinan, manager of the trauma program at the University of Rochester Medical Center; Lee Burns, retired director of the New York State Department of Health’s EMS and trauma program; Aidan O’Connor, business operations manager and flight paramedic for LifeNet of New York; and William Eggleston, clinical toxicologist at the Binghamton University School of Pharmacy.

A buffet luncheon will be provided.

The conference is named in memory of Dr. O’Hara, a Greater Binghamton physician who was a nationally recognized pioneer in the field of emergency medical care.

For those wishing to attend:

For information about fees to attend, continuing education credit available and other details, and to register online, visit www.myuhsems.org, or contact Lorin Missavage at UHS at phone 763-6311 or e-mail lorin.missavage@nyuhs.org, as soon as possible.

UHS is a locally owned, not-for-profit hospital and healthcare system serving Greater Binghamton and surrounding counties. Founded in 1981, UHS provides a full range of medical, surgical, rehabilitative and long-term care services throughout New York’s Southern Tier.

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