Plaster, Panels & Plot Twists: Interns Explore Emergency Medicine

In the latter part of the day, interns enjoyed a welcome, high-energy break from their intensive disease lectures to partake in one of the program’s absolute favorite activities: plaster casting. This highly anticipated tradition is always a staff and student favorite because it brings interactive fun straight into the learning environment. For this exercise, our interns used their own arms and hands as the models.

Before the messy fun began, the interns recited a lighthearted, traditional oath promising to follow all instructions carefully so no one actually ended up in a real emergency room! The interns then split into pairs, taking turns carefully applying the casts to one another or experimenting on themselves. The atmosphere across the rooms was vibrant and full of energy, with music playing in each space to keep the mood upbeat while the hallways echoed with animated conversation and laughter. Once the plaster dried, we captured photos of the interns proudly showing off their new "injuries." 

The excitement of the mock injuries perfectly set the stage for a deeper look into real-world crisis response. As the day went on, our interns had the unique opportunity to transition from the plaster rooms to meet and listen to a long-standing health professional, Deputy Chief Mitchell Kannry of the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department. Serving the D.C. area for the past 22 years, Chief Kannry specializes in fire prevention, emergency management, organizational leadership, and community risk reduction.

Leading an engaging EMS panel, Chief Kannry spoke candidly with the interns about his day-to-day life as a public safety figure, the childhood experiences that drove him to pursue this field, and the intense personal anecdotes that shaped his career. He captivated the room and drew looks of pure shock and disbelief from the students as he recounted his  "decapitation story" from a severe, multi-rollover crash call on Route 295.

Beyond the adrenaline of the job, Chief Kannry emphasized a critical, often overlooked lesson for future medical professionals: the vital importance of mental health and resilience. He shared how experiencing “cryptic stress grieving” after witnessing a rigor mortis case firsthand when he was just 16 years old taught him to take his own mental well-being seriously. He reminded the interns that working within the field of emergency medicine is extremely difficult and emotionally taxing; learning to take care of oneself, even in small ways, makes a massive difference in how a provider shows up to work every day. Driven by a deep passion for mentorship and inspiring the next generation, Chief Kannry's stories of leadership, teamwork, and emergency response left a profound, lasting impact on our future healthcare leaders as they wrapped up an unforgettable day.

A nice break from lectures, interns …

As the day went on, our interns had the opportunity to meet and listen to a Deputy Chief firefighter from the Washington D.C. area, Mitchel Kannry. Mitch Kannry is a public health professional with the District of Columbia Fire and EMS department, serving for the past 22 years, and specializing in fire prevention, emergency management, organizational leadership, and community risk reduction.

Leading the EMS panel, Mitch spoke with our interns about his experiences as a public safety figure, including his day to day life, what led him to become interested and pursue a profession in this field, and personal anecdotes of experiences that especially stood out to him. Of these, his “decapitation story,” where he got a call after a crash on 295 after a car flipped over multiple times, got many looks of pure shock and disbelief. 

Mitch also highlights the importance of mental 

With his passion for mentorship and the future of tomorrow, Mitchell works hard and enjoys sharing about his experiences with leadership, teamwork, and emergency response in order to inspire students and create a larger positive impact on communities everywhere.

Responding to a he recounted his “decapitation story,” where he got a call after a crash on 295, after a car flipped over multiple times, which got many looks of pure shock. He experienced “cryptic stress grieving” after seeing a rigor mortis case for himself when he was 16 years old led him to take his mental health seriously. Working within the field of emergency medicine is extremely difficult and emotionally taxing, and taking care of oneself, even in small ways, will make a huge difference when one shows up to work every day.

In the latter part of the day, interns enjoyed a welcome break from their intensive disease lectures to partake in one of the program’s absolute favorite activities: plaster casting. This highly anticipated tradition is always a staff and student favorite because it brings high-energy, interactive fun straight into the learning environment.

Historically, plaster casting is an ancient technique that involves using a mold to create a replicated three-dimensional sculpture of an object. The original object from which the plaster can take its form can range from a face, a pregnant belly, another building, and more. Our interns used their own arms and hands as the models. 

Before the messy fun began, Team Leads walked the students through the step-by-step process of wrapping gauze and preparing the plaster. To kick things off safely, the students even recited a lighthearted, traditional oath promising to follow all instructions carefully so no one actually ended up in the emergency room!

The interns then split into pairs, taking turns carefully applying the casts to one another or experimenting on themselves. It provided a wonderfully relaxing break from the lecture hall. The atmosphere across the rooms was vibrant and full of energy, with different genres of music playing in each space to keep the mood upbeat. Team Leads floated between groups to snap photos, while the hallways echoed with animated conversation and laughter.

Once the plaster dried and the casting was complete, we captured individual and paired photos of the interns proudly showing off their new "injuries," resulting in plenty of silly poses. It is a long-standing tradition for interns to text these photos to their parents, jokingly pretending they had a little accident during the day.

If you happen to receive a sudden, alarming text featuring a cast today, please don't panic—we assure you that they are completely safe, healthy, and just having a little fun!