Inside Trauma Season: A Nurse’s View from Chicago’s Front Lines

Summer in Chicago brings sunshine, festivals—and a surge in trauma cases. In this powerful episode, we sit down with Riki Kaelin, a seasoned Trauma Nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital, one of Chicago's busiest Level 1 Trauma Centers, to talk about what really happens behind the doors of the ER during “Trauma Season.”

Riki shares what most people get wrong about trauma (hint: it's not just violence), the kinds of cases she sees during a typical summer weekend, and the intense physical and emotional preparation it takes to be on the front lines. She opens up about the highs and lows of trauma nursing, how the work has shaped her, and what she wishes the public understood about the reality of trauma care in Chicago.

Whether you're in healthcare, public policy, or just curious about what it’s like to work in one of the country’s most demanding medical environments—this conversation will stick with you.