Trauma care in rural New Mexico is a team effort, and the team at Artesia General Hospital just got stronger. Staff from across the hospital recently completed the Rural Trauma Team Development Course, taught on site by the trauma team from University of New Mexico Hospital, the state’s only Level I trauma center.
The course was hosted and organized by Samantha Davis, RN, AGH’s trauma coordinator, and brought UNM’s trauma educators directly to Artesia so our nurses, physicians, and support staff could train together in the same rooms where they care for patients every day.
What the Rural Trauma Team Development Course teaches
The Rural Trauma Team Development Course was developed by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma to help rural hospitals deliver a fast, organized, team-based response to injured patients using their own staff, equipment, and resources. It is built for hospitals like ours, where specialty services and transport options can be limited and every minute counts.
The training focused on the assessment, stabilization, and management of trauma patients in a rural setting. Our team practiced rapidly recognizing life-threatening injuries, starting evidence-based trauma interventions, making the most of the resources on hand, and coordinating a timely transfer to a higher level of care when a patient needs it.
Just as important, the course reinforced the habits that hold a trauma team together during a high-acuity event: clear communication, defined roles, sound clinical decision-making, and preparedness before the ambulance ever arrives.
What this means for patients in Artesia and Eddy County
Artesia is a long way from a Level I trauma center. When a crash on U.S. 285, an oilfield injury, or a fall brings someone to our Emergency Department, the first hour of care happens here. This training strengthens our ability to stabilize patients quickly, decide early whether they need to be transferred, and communicate clearly with the receiving trauma center so care continues without a gap.
The results of this kind of training are measurable. A study published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery found that rural hospitals whose teams completed the course shortened emergency department stays for transferred trauma patients by more than an hour. In trauma care, that hour matters.
Thank you to the UNM trauma team
A special thank you to the UNM Hospital trauma team for taking the time to travel to Artesia and provide this training to our staff. Bringing the course directly to a rural hospital allows a team to build confidence together, strengthen its trauma skills, and keep improving the care it provides to the patients and communities it serves.
We appreciate UNM’s partnership and its commitment to supporting rural healthcare and trauma readiness across New Mexico.
If you are a nurse, physician, or emergency medicine professional who wants to be part of a hospital that invests in its team, we would like to hear from you. Visit our careers page or learn about physician and provider recruitment at Artesia General Hospital.
In an emergency, call 911. Artesia General Hospital’s Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
