Trauma: Life in the ER

The wealthy and prestigious image of Los Angeles is a stark contrast to the reality of daily life at King Drew Medical Center in South Central LA. Dedicated doctors treat a never-ending stream of patients struggling to survive on the streets.

The Hawaiian Islands offer serenity and beauty but with certain risks. At Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, a woman is treated after being dragged by surf across sharp lava rock.

The University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque is the only facility of its kind in the state and sees the reckless traditions of the Wild West continue.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center mirrors the contrasts of its home city, Memphis. A traditional Southern town, Memphis has become a hub for digital technology, but when tragedy strikes, families close ranks in support.

The staff at St. Vincent's emergency room in New York is as unusual as their patients, but this eclectic and talented group can handle any curve thrown at them by the city that never sleeps.

On the charmed island of Hawaii, no one expects to end up in the trauma bay of the Queen's Medical Center. The dedicated professionals of Queen's, from the trauma surgeon to the ER nurse, are committed to the Center's mission to "serve all the people."

In the open spaces of New Mexico, the University Hospital in Albuquerque is the only level-one trauma unit for 400 miles. Depending heavily on the Air Rescue Unit, the staff treats patients who have traveled great distances on the edge of survival.

Doctors at the Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis treat some unique patients and injuries, including a woman who plunges a butcher knife into her chest while peeling potatoes and a tattooed teen who spits out a metal stud that pierced his tongue.