In 1967, an orthopedic surgeon crashed his plane in the middle of nowhere with his family on board. He was shocked by how unprepared the local doctors were to treat his injured family. They prioritized what they could see: lacerations, open fractures; and didn't look for hidden injuries like brain trauma or internal bleeding. 

It inspired him to invent the Advanced Trauma Life Support program. 

The ATLS is only the beginning. What happens after that, is all on you. 

To be good at assessing traumas, you have to be good at dissociating. You're not looking at a person on the table. You're looking at a protocol. 

Sometimes the hardest part of working a trauma is finding yourself on the other side. Letting yourself feel. 

Mourn the lives you've lost and celebrate the lives you've saved. 

Even if it's only your own.