THE STATUS OF THE TRAUMA COORDINATOR POSITION - A NATIONAL SURVEY

The trauma coordinator (TC) position is a vital link in the developmen t and operations of trauma care systems, In 1992 and 1993, the America n Trauma Society conducted a national survey of TCs to describe the ro les and characteristics of the persons who hold those positions. Of 35 4 trauma coordinators identified in 46 states, more than three-fourths were employed by large hospitals designated as trauma centers, The ty pical TC was a woman 26 to 59 years old who held at least a bachelor's degree in nursing, Although new as TCs (mean, 3 years as TCs), the re spondents averaged 14 years experience in nursing, Both full-time and part-time TCs worked longer hours than scheduled, often had supervisor y responsibilities, and generally were in the nursing administration o r the emergency department structure, Most TCs worked with computerize d trauma registries that were used routinely in quality of care review s.