As we all know, on October 1, 2017 the mass shooting in Las Vegas shocked the country and left many without parents, siblings, spouses, and friends. The local hospitals in Las Vegas were packed with injured and dying civilians. I researched an article featured on the New York Terms by Sheri Fink where she explained the chaos that erupted at the Las Vegas Hospital Trauma Center. One nurse, Toni Mullen drove 110 miles to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada once she heard the news of the tragic event. As she entered the hospital, she was faced with the task of helping the countless number of civilians with gunshot wounds. Mullen’s hospital was not the only hospital in the Vegas area that was filled with victims of the attack. At Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center 180 victims of the attack filled hospital beds by Monday morning. Each patient had to be “sorted in the lobby of the emergency room on a scale of one to five, with one being the most critical, a system used daily”. After reading this article I not only felt extreme sorrow for the victims but I also began to question how the healthcare administrators at these trauma sites dealt with the situation.
In class, we learn about administrators roles in the hospital and we discuss the day to day problems administrators face including billing or communicating better with physicians but, we often forget that hospitals can face situations like the after effects of a mass shooting. The physicians and nurses play the most important role of saving the lives of victims but the administrators also play a role. Administrators had to make sure gurneys and wheelchairs were available for the victims when they arrived and helping physicians decide which of the victims were needed to be helped first. A mass shooting should not be a problem in 2017, but sadly events like the Las Vegas shooting keep occurring in our country. It is up to our government to fix the gun policy but until then, it is up to physicians, nurses, and administrators to help save as many lives as possible.
Here is the article from the New York Times
Eileen's Journey Through Health Care 
We all have a role in a masscal. It might be getting wheel chairs or pushing gurneys if you’re an administrator. Masscals don’t have to be created by madmen. Bad weather, accidents, all sorts of problems can lead to a situation that overwhelms the healthcare system’s normal functioning.
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We have a saying in the Army that goes “a great plan rarely survives first contact.” Meaning, when the bullets start flying, no matter how great the plan, it rarely gets followed when the you-know-what hits the fan. No matter how well you plan, an event normally never perfectly follows a script, right?
It takes training and discipline in the infantry to survive enemy contact and win a conflict. But, the lessons learned from the ground fighters is applicable, really, to anyone working in virtually any setting that faces a crisis. Administrators can prove their worth in a MASCAL or crisis by demonstrating agility. Knowing their job – and the jobs of the folks that work for them – can prove to be invaluable. You never know where or how you will be needed. Trying your best to be prepared is what will increase chances of success. Thanks!
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