Meet Heather Tilton: A Trauma Consultant Extraordinaire

One of the first people I met after becoming a trauma consultant was Heather Tilton. A California native and experienced Level I trauma program manager, Heather quickly became one of my favorite people. She is quick-witted, perceptive, and extremely knowledgeable about all things trauma. Over the years, I've found her to be a great collaborator and someone I can always count on for an informed opinion or an ironic chuckle. Plus, she is one of the few who can actually explain the differences between policies, protocols, and guidelines!

Heather's Journey in Trauma Care

Heather's career in trauma was seeded as a teenager when her mom’s best friend got her a job as a ward clerk in the Emergency Room at Children’s Hospital Oakland. Two decades later, Heather has held almost every position possible in trauma: bedside ED nurse, performance improvement specialist, injury prevention/outreach coordinator, trauma nurse educator, and trauma program manager. She has also worked as a trauma site reviewer for Washington state, a trauma consultant for both developing and established trauma centers, and a TNCC instructor and course director. Heather is currently the Injury Prevention/Outreach Coordinator and Trauma Nurse Educator at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, a Level III trauma center in Napa, California.

Having worked at all levels of trauma centers (I, II, and III) in various capacities, Heather finds the diversity of patients and injury patterns to be what makes trauma care truly exciting. "Trauma patients span the spectrum of age, socioeconomic status, health status, and work background," Heather explained. "But in my opinion, the best part of trauma care is performance improvement because it allows for the rewarding possibility of actually fixing a problem."

Fun Facts About Heather

What do you like to do on your days off?

I am mostly at the mercy of my three children and their recreation and social endeavors.

If you had $10,000, where would you go and what would you do there?

I would go someplace warm and zone out with a trash book on the beach for a week.

If you had a magic button on your desk, what would it do?

Make it make sense.