Risk, Reality and Responsibility with the PARTY Program
Last term, our Year 11 and Year 12 Human Biology students went on the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) excursion to Royal Perth Hospital. This program aims to expose young people to risky behaviours that can cause death or injury, with Year 11 student Ella Bowlin (11 Moynihan) writing each step of the experience:
"We first had a presentation from the nurses who run the PARTY program at Royal Perth Hospital. They spoke about accidents and injuries caused by risk-taking, with a focus on road-related trauma. We learned about the various factors that contribute to injury severity and how to reduce the risk of fatal outcomes, like how wearing your seatbelt correctly can reduce the chance of severe injury or death in a crash by 50%. We also tried on "drunk goggles," which mimic how vision is affected at different blood alcohol levels, showing us what it would be like to drive under the influence. Then a paramedic spoke about how they respond to emergency calls, and we practised first aid using the D.R.S.A.B.C.D. method.
After that, a German trauma surgeon gave a presentation on different types of trauma injuries and how they're ranked in hospital. This was my favourite part of the day! I learned so much new information and even got to see some gory injury images and rank them myself. We then toured the Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). In the ED, we went into a simulation room where the doctor had some of us scrub up and treat a fake patient, just like they would in real life.
Later, the physiotherapists explained the recovery process for spinal injuries, and we tried on different braces and used wheelchairs, which are much harder to manoeuvre than you'd expect. To finish, Amy Scott from the Paraplegic Benefit Fund spoke on her personal experience about how road trauma impacts not just the injured person, but also their family, friends, pets and even the doctors, nurses and first responders involved in their care.
Overall, the experience was incredibly engaging and eye-opening, at times confronting, but it taught me so much about hospital procedures and how our decisions can affect so many others. I'd recommend the PARTY program to everyone.
And, if there's one thing you should take away: NEVER ride an e-scooter!"
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