Gun violence is a public health crisis that’s rightly portrayed as negative for shooting victims, but it’s also important to focus on others who are impacted indirectly. Treating victims of gun violence has long-term negative effects for clinicians, such as flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and nightmares.
The role health care workers play in treating victims of gun violence is often overlooked. All health care professionals, especially emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, are particularly vulnerable to having symptoms of secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization. Health care workers’ exposure to graphic injuries and emotional trauma intensifies the workload and challenges associated with an already demanding position.
It may be assumed that the brunt of the impact is taken on by emergency room clinicians. However, there are other victims, such as frontline workers or EMS personnel who experience similar trauma. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs), doctors, police and firefighters are affected similarly through nightmares, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms…