Two medical residents at Las Vegas-based University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine's primary teaching hospital, were called in to treat patients injured during the Oct. 1 shooting that killed 50-plus people and injured hundreds more — three days after they became certified physicians.
Jorge Vega, MD, and Timothy Dickoot, MD — both first-year fellows — spoke to NPR about their experience during and after the shooting.
Dr. Vega said he wasn't supposed to work last Sunday evening. He received a call from his supervisor telling him there had been a mass casualty incident. When he arrived, he said the hospital's trauma unit was already filled with patients.
The surgeons said they encountered at least 30 seriously injured individuals. They said they resorted to their prior triage training to determine which patients they should treat first.
"If they were talking, you know, breathing, that was reassuring, but the quiet ones ... I remember I looked at one corner and there was a gentleman that was very quiet. There was a nurse with him and [he had] very low blood [pressure]. And I started working on him," said Dr. Vega.
Despite having been certified only three days prior to the incident, Drs. Vega and Dickoot were reportedly conducting surgeries Sunday evening, spending the entire night at the hospital.
"It was pretty emotional. There was a lot of adrenaline and there were times when you kind of held back, you know, and fought back some tears for a little bit. And then something else would happen and you'd have to go take care of a patient or go do something," Dr. Dickoot told NPR. "I got home later the next day, and I was pretty emotional. I just kind of talked to my mom and dad and that made me feel a little better … And then I got a good night's sleep and was back at it the next day."