OVMC medical residents take top prize in wilderness competition
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WHEELING -- Skill, tenacity, perseverance, and a competitive desire to save lives.
That was the driving force behind the group of Ohio Valley Medical Center's Internal and Emergency Medicine residents as they worked to win the Battle of the Gorge at the 2017 West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Wilderness Medicine Rotation.
The annual two-week training, held in Fayette County, W.Va., culminated Aug. 13, with the Battle of the Gorge, where residents displayed their newly acquired survival and rescue skills.
OVMC's award-winning Emergency Medicine physician, Dr. Lisa Hrutkay, director of Wilderness Medical Rotation, started the program more than five years ago. Hrutkay says this is the third year for the OVMC resident team to participate in the event and their first to come home with the championship trophy.
"OVMC's resident Top Gun medical team's care of the patients was spot on. Their medical treatment and rescue skills were comparable to the emergency rescue squads, which is really impressive because they did this with only two days of intense on-the-scene-training," said Dr. Hrutkay. "This group of residents are competitive and determined and that's what it takes to save lives when every minute counts."
OVMC Emergency Medicine resident participant Dr. John Almeida said the Wilderness Medicine program is an amazing experience.
"This rotation gives residents and medical students the opportunity to learn about the unique challenges that are presented by outdoor activities, as well as the opportunity to learn about vertical/technical rope rescue and swift water rescue. The rotation culminates in the privilege of competing against dedicated fire and EMS professionals as we tested our newly acquired skills in intense life-like scenarios," he said.
Vincent Linberg, OVMC Emergency Medicine resident, said, "A lot of ER doctors end up being head of emergency medical teams, like Dr. Hrutkay, who is one of my mentors. She is head of Air Evac -- all the flight teams in our area. The Wilderness Medicine Rotation is key because we encounter real-life and death situations that you don?t get exposure to in any other part of medical school."
The Wilderness Medical Rotation event was opened to medical residents throughout the state of West Virginia.
Ohio Valley Medical Center, located in Wheeling, is a 200-bed, Alecto Healthcare Hospital. Its sister facility, East Ohio Regional Hospital, is located in Martins Ferry.