Medical Terminology class hosts guest speaker

It is a graphic scene. A man is rushed into the critical care unit; he had just tripped exiting his semi. The man’s right ankle has been completely dislocated, his foot dangling only by the skin. This is only one of the stories New Ulm Medical Center’s Kari Pagel shared with Mr. Nelson’s Medical Terminology class Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Kari Pagel, a patient care supervisor, was invited to guest speak in front of Medical Terminology students to inform them about her career in the medical field. She explained to them the steps she took and her motivation to becoming a nurse. She also described her regular day as a nurse at NUMC, and how her day-to-day “rarely goes according to schedule due to COVID,” Pagel said.

Pagel also shared some of her favorite equipment to use, such as a chest tube and a CAPR. She described how the chest tube works by being inserted through the chest wall and into the pleural space or outer layer of the lungs to remove air, fluid, or pus from the space. The CAPR’s use has increased due to COVID-19. The CAPR is a piece of advanced respiratory protection equipment for protection against aerosolized and airborne particulates. Pagel allowed Mr. Nelson to try it on.