Three nurses in the emergency department at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune have earned the trauma certified registered nurse certification.

It’s part of that readiness mission both locally and abroad.

Every second matters in the hospital’s emergency department. 

Each one could be the difference between life and death in a traumatic situation.

That is why the three nurses earned their trauma certifications, which makes them part of an elite group of nurses across the nation.

“It just tells you that they went through the extra steps to actually validate that they truly have the necessary skills and the expertise to take care of you at the peak levels of what they should be doing,” said Lt. Cmdr. David McDonald, department head of the transfer center. 

The trauma certification is part of the overall readiness mission at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune.

What they’re learning here, even just the basic skills, assessments and interventions for someone who is acutely injured, they can apply that in theater,” said Kylee Cisneros, division officer for the NMCCL emergency department. 

The American College of Surgeons certified the medical center as a Level III trauma center back in February of this year.

It is waiting on final designation from the state.