Local medical students trade running shoes for bandage tape as they treat Bloomsday racers

May 1-Medical student Sara Hartman thought she would be running in Bloomsday this year. Instead, she is going to be treating the cuts and bruises for the runners in the 50th anniversary race.

"I was looking forward to running this year, but plans change and now I get to do something even more rewarding," said the University of Washington School of Medicine student.

A Spokane native, Hartman has a long history with the race. As a baby, she was pushed across the finish line in a stroller by her parents. She started running before medical school and completed a half -marathon last year. This year's contest would have been her first Bloomsday as an adult.

Instead, the first-year medical student will be leading her classmates staffing one of the eight medical tents dotted across the track. Each tent will provide basic first aid to runners like bandaging an injured ankle and wrapping a cut. Medical volunteers are also on the lookout for signs of dehydration or low blood sugar.

"We'll be doing a lot of wound care, washing out wounds, dressing them up, and some medication administration," she said. "We'll also be cheering on our classmates, because a lot of medical students are actually running in Bloomsday."

Fellow student Jason Paratore said he would "maybe make a quick stop" at the UW tent, but he was "going for a record pace" in Bloomsday.

There will be 12 medical students and four Gonzaga undergraduates at the tent. They will be overseen by UW professor and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center emergency medicine physician Carrie Myers.

For many students it may be among the first times they have treated real patients.

"Allowing students to get this experience is very much in line with the theme of Bloomsday. It is a community event where there's a lot of different medical providers that come from several different organizations and volunteer to provide medical care to everyone in the community," Myers said.

Gonzaga public health undergraduate Sage Price said the event will put to test her ambition to go to medical school.

"This will be my first time really interacting and giving first aid to people. I want that experience with hand-on medicine," Price said.

It is the fourth year UW medical students have staffed a tent, but the first time Gonzaga undergraduates have participated.

Bloomsday medical director Bob Lutz said Bloomsday is a great day for "baby docs" to get experience.

"They're learning about what care in the field looks like," he said. "I'm really pleased UW is on board. This is a communitywide event that is very volunteer driven. It's a great way for medical students to see how they can serve as leaders as they move on in their medical careers."

Lutz calls the range of volunteers in the tents "a kind of medical jack of all trades" providing the same basic first aid. All tents provide the same services, but some are anticipated to have the most injuries.

The tent staffed by UW medical students is the second tent in the race, located at the corner or Government Way and River RidgeBoulevard, near Riverside Memorial Park. The most intense medical episodes typically occur near the end of the race, where the tents are staffed by Providence and CHAS physicians.

"At the top of Doomsday Hill when people start seeing the finish line, they're really pushing it," said Lutz. "Historically that's where we have the most pickups. Because people are excited.

"Their water may have run out, they may not have been hydrated well enough and they are pushing themselves really hard and pushing themselves too hard."

When medical emergencies occur near the finish line, medical services are nearby. Emergencies that occur out on the track can take longer to address, which is why it is important to have so many medical tents throughout the race that can coordinate with EMS, he added.

The most important thing to remember in the race is to stay hydrated, said Providence St. Luke's physician Frank Jackson, who is heading one of the tents.

"Make sure that you're listening to your body and not overdoing it, pacing yourself. It's such an exciting event that it's easy for people to overdo it, and so just really listening to their bodies," Jackson said.

Kaiser Permanente pediatrician Tanisha Morton wants parents allowing their children to participate in the event to take breaks.

"Tell your kids to pay attention to their bodies," she said. "You can be tired, but it shouldn't hurt. If kids are running, they should take a break every 15 minutes."

Ahead of the annual event, Kaiser Permanente sent video to approximately 70 elementary schools in the area about how children should prepare for the race.

Lutz hopes to avoid any medical emergencies this year but worries there may be more inexperienced runners on the track who push past their limits.

"I keep my fingers crossed," Lutz said.

"I do hope that Bloomsday achieves their 50,000 participant goal. But because it is the 50th anniversary, I do wonder if we'll see people out there that may not have been participating in the past. And if they've not participated in the past, they may not know what to expect and how to stay safe."

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