Tracking traumas is her job

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Every day, Tracy Spitzer tracks heartbreaking statistics.

Heartbreaking because every statistic represents an injured child.

Car accidents, lawnmower injuries, gunshot wounds, child abuse and accidental falls are just a few.

Kids with traumatic injuries arrive daily at Riley Hospital for Children, and it is Spitzer’s job to track those patients to provide an overall picture of how they move through the emergency department, the pediatric intensive care unit and other areas within the hospital.

Spitzer, a veteran of IU Health, is Riley’s new trauma program manager, working with Dr. Matthew Landman, trauma medical director, to continuously improve Riley’s trauma response and reporting protocols to maintain the hospital’s Level 1 pediatric trauma center verification. Riley has maintained that distinction since 1993.

Riley’s overall trauma numbers are rising, according to data provided by Spitzer. In 2024, Riley treated 2,165 patients for injuries. That compares to 2,078 in 2023 and 1,855 in 2022. The most common traumas Riley sees are falls (from furniture, windows, playground equipment and stairs), vehicle crashes, children being struck by something other than a vehicle (blow darts or fireworks, for example), ATV/bicycle accidents and sports injuries.

Trauma 1 injuries are the most serious, requiring a rapid response time and 24-hour critical care services. As mentioned above, these injuries can stem from car crashes, blunt-force trauma, burns, gunshots and serious falls. Seasonal traumas might include sledding accidents, lawnmower injuries, bicycle accidents and near-drownings.

Trauma 1 numbers at Riley over the past three years have fallen from 233 in 2022 to 197 in 2024 due to a change in reporting criteria, Spitzer said.

The average age for all traumas seen at Riley in 2024 was 7 1/2, the busiest admission day was Saturday (17.8%), and the majority of patients were male (67.18%).

Spitzer previously worked as a bedside nurse in critical care at IU Health Methodist Hospital for many years, before transitioning to the role of clinical nurse specialist. She moved over to Riley about six years ago as a clinical nurse specialist in the PICU and burn unit.

Spitzer definitely had the critical care skills, but working in the pediatric world was a big change.

“It was a scary transition, but the PICU staff was just amazing,” she said. “I have been so impressed with Riley and trauma services – coming from the adult world. You realize how sick kids really can be and how badly injured they can be.”

While she saw her share of gunshot patients at Methodist, seeing children suffering the same kind of violence is devastating.

“I never anticipated when I came to a pediatric hospital that we would have to worry about that,” she said. “It’s a trauma not only for the patient, but for the family and the community.”

There were 46 pediatric patients treated for gunshots at Riley in 2022, 57 in 2023 and 47 in 2024 (10 in the month of August alone).

Spitzer, who earned her RN degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and her master’s from IU, took on her new role in July and hit the ground running, as she and her team must prepare for the verification process through the American College of Surgeons this year.

“No pressure at all,” she joked during a conversation in the lobby of Simon Family Tower last week.

There is a lot of number crunching in her job, as well as work on policies and procedures, but there are also lots of opportunities to collaborate with other teams in the hospital, to talk with nurses about what’s working and not working, and to follow patients’ progress throughout their stay.

“There is no typical day,” Spitzer said. “That’s the fun part of the job.”

Dr. Landman said Spitzer has fully embraced her new role.

“Tracy has taken her wealth of experience from her time in the trauma program at Methodist Hospital and also as the clinical nurse specialist in the PICU and put it together to elevate the trauma program even in her short time in this new role,” he said.

“She is an invaluable partner in leading the program and will undoubtedly continue to make Riley a leader in the care of injured children.”

Currently, the trauma team is working on multiple initiatives, including video reviews of teamwork during trauma care, new electronic flowsheet documentation and fast-acting blood transfusion protocols.

While Spitzer doesn’t have any direct patient care responsibilities, she tries to respond to serious traumas that come into the ED, if only to watch the team at work and determine if any processes can be improved. She also rounds on the PICU, talking with nurses and others to keep communication lines open.

“I have enjoyed building relationships with trauma services in the rest of the hospital,” she said. “Trauma isn’t just the ED. It’s the peds ICU, it’s 9E acute care, it’s radiology, it’s nutrition and rehab services. Watching it all come together has been amazing.”

Outside the hospital, Spitzer, who has one daughter and three grandkids, enjoys rooting for Ohio State University football and watching auto racing with her partner, Paul. They have a dog (Toby) and two cats (Bob and Mango).

Photos submitted and by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org