How Trauma Program Managers Build Their Networks
Sometimes the most useful TPM network is the person who can not only send the spreadsheet, but can also tell you, "You got this."
Trauma program leader Miranda found that kind of support during ACS re-verification.
We can text each other and say, 'Hey, how's your day going? How was your site visit? You know, you got this, girl. You can, you can get through it.'
That is the core of useful TPM networking: practical help plus encouragement from someone who understands the work.
What TPMs Are Sharing
TPM peer support often shows up in specific, practical ways:
- site visit and re-verification prep
- loop closure questions
- documentation habits
- guideline examples
- policies and templates
- transfer-time processes
- spreadsheets and tracking tools
1. Support During ACS Re-verification
Miranda's current focus is ACS re-verification.
Miranda put it this way: "My current big focus is ACS re-verification," she said. "You have to be continuously preparing for your ACS site visit."
I can send her a text right now if I needed to, and if she had any resources that would help me, she would be sending them by email.
"She's supporting me on my re-verification," Miranda said about a peer she met through the Trauma TEAMS scholarship.
The support is not abstract. It saves time, shares proven approaches, and helps a tough moment feel more manageable.
2. Loop Closure and Guideline Questions
Miranda has a go-to text group for quick questions.
I'm going to build this new guideline. Do you guys care to share what you're doing?
How do you guys best track loop closure.
A peer who has already solved the problem can help you move faster.
3. Templates, Policies, and Tracking Tools
Trauma program leader and Trauma TEAMS scholarship recipient Sarah Hines summed up the core of it succinctly:
Templates, policies.
This is the kind of practical back-and-forth TPMs rely on: sharing templates, tools, and examples they can adapt.
We've actually shared some spreadsheets that she uses, and I've shared what I use. So we're able to compare what we're doing and actually help each other out.
That is not just collecting contacts. It is getting access to working examples instead of starting from scratch.
4. Education, Review Experience, and Lived Examples
Trauma program leader and Trauma TEAMS scholarship recipient Sharon Rigney pointed to another kind of value:
Information pertaining to education classes (TNCC, ENPC, ATCN, etc.), ACS review experiences, etc.
A peer who has already gone through a review, a class, or a process change can help shorten your learning curve.
Advice that Makes It Work
The strongest networks grow through consistent follow-up, specific questions, and mutual support.
1. Show Up Consistently
Trauma program leader and Trauma TEAMS scholarship recipient Courtney Caton put it plainly:
My biggest piece of advice is to show up consistently.
One meeting does not usually create much value. Repeated presence builds trust, shared knowledge, and stronger connections over time.
2. Ask Specific Questions and Share Something Back
Ask the question. Send the email. Share the template back.
Trauma program leader and Trauma TEAMS scholarship recipient Mallory Cash said:
There is no need to reinvent the wheel; often, someone has already faced a similar challenge and can offer valuable insight or resources.
That is why specific asks work so well. They make it easy for another TPM to respond with something useful.
3. Start Small
If you want to build a stronger TPM network, start here:
- Go to the state, district, or regional meeting.
- Follow up with one person afterward.
- Ask a specific question.
- Offer something useful back.
- Look for peers in similar hospital settings.
- Keep showing up before you need help.
Sarah's advice is practical:
Try to attend an in person event at least once a year and reach out to others in similar sized hospitals.
Courtney added:
If your state has a Trauma Program Manager group, get involved and stay involved. And if it doesn't - consider starting one.
That is how many useful networks grow: one meeting, one question, one follow-up.
4. Remember It Can Be More Than Technical Help
The practical side matters. Spreadsheets, policies, templates, and site visit advice all help.
But Miranda's story shows the human side too. TPMs carry a lot, and a peer who understands the pressure can help during a tough stretch.
Courtney described it this way:
Relationships built over time, through genuine connection and mutual support, are the ones you can rely on when a real challenge arises.
That is the goal: not a huge contact list, but a few real relationships you can rely on.
TPM Networking Opportunities
1. Meet in Classes
Courses are not just about what you learn. It's also about who you meet.
Mallory Cash said trauma-focused courses have been "especially beneficial in expanding my professional network."
A class can become the first place you meet someone solving the same problems.
2. Online Connections
A useful network does not always start in person.
Online groups, forums, webinars, and email lists help keep the conversation going when travel is not realistic.
Sarah said, "E-mail and webinars are preferred."
For Sharon Rigney: "Email is my preferred method."
3. Conferences
Conferences can help you meet people outside your usual circle and put faces with names.
For Miranda, TQIP was part of that. She said, "It was a great event and a lot of networking, and I got to meet a lot of people in trauma that I've never met."
Sarah Hines uses events to "put faces with names."
4. State Meetings
State and regional meetings can be practical places to build TPM relationships.
Miranda named them directly: "There's all trauma centers in our district, they get together and they meet quarterly," she said.
Courtney Caton described a statewide Trauma Program Manager group that meets monthly on Microsoft Teams with a standing agenda.
5. Scholarships and Cohorts
Scholarships and cohort programs can create a different kind of access.
Miranda's Trauma TEAMS scholarship experience helped connect her to peers, professional organizations, and TQIP. It also helped her build the kind of relationship this whole story started with.
Miranda said, "I was able to build a relationship with one of the TPMs through the Trauma TEAMS program."
That is the point of a good cohort: not just attending something together, but staying connected after.
That relationship also opened into a wider view of the trauma community. Through Trauma TEAMS, Miranda was able to attend TQIP and meet people doing the same work and facing the same struggles.
Events like TQIP, and spaces where ATS, TCAA, STN, and ACS are present together, create access. But the event is only the start. The real value comes when one conversation turns into the kind of relationship Miranda described: a person you can text, a resource in your inbox, and a reminder that you are not doing this alone.
Conclusion
Miranda's story shows what TPM networking can look like in real life: peers who share ideas, send resources, compare tools, and check in when the work feels heavy.
That kind of network usually does not start with a huge contact list. It grows through repeated connection, specific questions, and staying in touch after the first meeting.
If you want a practical place to expand your network, use the fun, free TPM Networking catalog.
It helps TPMs explore networking opportunities by type, role, and location, with options relevant to PI coordinators and registrars too.