The UF Health Shands Trauma Center has been verified as a Level 1 trauma center by the Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons. This achievement recognizes the trauma team’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients.

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance as outlined by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual. The Committee of Trauma’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the prehospital phase through the rehabilitation phase.

There are five categories of verification in the program. A hospital requests the verification level assessment and an experienced trauma team conducts an on-site review.

On average, our UF Health Shands Trauma Center team sees more than 3,100 patients annually. The trauma center is staffed by five pediatric trauma surgeons, eight adult trauma surgeons, three burn surgeons and numerous emergency medicine physicians and critical care nurses. In addition, the staff includes radiologists; pharmacists; unit nurses; physical, occupational and speech therapists; social workers; case managers; and support staff.