The Trauma Team at Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) understands the physical and emotional hardships experienced by patients and families following injury. Our staff is here to provide specialized trauma care and to bring about recovery as fully and quickly as possible.

A team of trauma specialists will care for you or your family member at CMC. A trauma surgeon leads this team. They are devoted to the care of critically ill and injured patients.

Trauma Surgeons
Trauma surgeons at CMC are doctors specially trained in trauma surgery and critical care. An attending trauma surgeon will oversee the total care provided to you or your family member while you are a patient of Trauma Services. This doctor regularly visits patients to check on their progress and to coordinate with other members of the trauma team. Trauma surgeons are in the hospital 24 hours a day.

Trauma Residents
Residents are licensed physicians who have finished medical school and are continuing their training in a chosen specialty. They are not student doctors. They are responsible for routine patient care activities and keep the attending surgeon informed of each patient's progress. Trauma residents are in the hospital 24 hours a day.

Trauma Case Managers
Trauma case managers are nurses who coordinate the patient's plan of care with the surgeon, consultants, and other trauma team members. The case manager will work closely with you during your stay at CMC and will assist with discharge plans.

Nurses
Nurses are important members of the trauma team. With special training in trauma care, nurses provide care for trauma patients 24 hours each day. They are the link between the patient and family and other team members. Discharge planning nurses will assist with home needs.

Social Workers
Social workers provide emotional support and help patients and family members adjust to injury. They provide counseling and information regarding substance abuse, violence and crisis intervention. Social workers are also familiar with community resources, which are available to assist families during and after hospitalization. The social worker will also help coordinate home care needs.

Patient Representatives
Patient representatives are available 24 hours a day to answer questions about CMC. They can provide information on patient conditions while the trauma team is initially caring for your family member and can direct you to telephones, waiting areas and other services.

Chaplain
Chaplains are available at all times to provide emotional and spiritual support. A chaplain of your faith or an interdenominational clergyman will be called at your request. Also, a chapel is located on the third level of CMC near the cafeteria.

Consultants
Surgical Consultants
Surgical consultants are doctors who specialize in surgery, including orthopaedic surgery (bones); neurosurgery (brain and spinal cord); cardiovascular and thoracic surgery (heart, chest and blood vessels); and plastic surgery (reconstructive surgery).

Medical Consultants
Medical consultants are doctors who specialize in areas of medicine, including cardiology (heart); neurology (nervous system); nephrololgy (kidneys); and psychiatry (mental health).

Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy
These therapists specialize in assisting the patient in returning to their best level of function. Physical therapists help the patient maintain or regain body movement. Occupational therapists help with activities such as eating, dressing and bathing. Speech therapists work with language, memory and swallowing difficulties.

Respiratory Therapists
Respiratory therapists are directed by the trauma team and provide breathing support and treatments when needed by the patient.