One of the goals of our eAntidote blog is to introduce you to the real poison experts who answer the phones at the Maryland Poison Center (MPC), as well as our staff members. In addition to being nurses and pharmacists, they are parents, grandparents, artists, athletes, sports fans, and more! Read the Q&A below to get to know one of our specialists: Regan Cavaliere.
Why did you go into the field of nursing?
I have always been interested in emergency medicine. I started out as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and a Wilderness First Responder (WFR.) While working in the hospital for clinicals, I was really taken with the emergency department and loved the fast pace and interesting cases. I decided that I wanted to become more involved, and nursing was the right fit for me.
How did you end up working at the poison center?
After a decade in the emergency department, I was injured while helping a patient. This resulted in me needing to look into other nursing opportunities that were not at the bedside. I was familiar with the Poison Center because they had helped to manage many of my cases over the years – such as patients with medicine overdoses, accidental and intentional exposures, kids getting into medicines, and snake and spider bites. I thought it would be a great place to continue my career.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
It’s very gratifying to be able to help someone on a call who is terrified and reassure them on what may be a very scary day. I can often ease that fear in a short amount of time whether it’s a minor exposure that we can easily manage at home, or a more serious one that we can make a plan to handle together with their local emergency department. I also spend a lot of time reassuring parents that a lot of people make common mistakes and they’re not a bad parent.
I also love that we are always learning and more deeply understanding how different toxins affect the body. There is always room to learn more about toxicology and I find it so interesting!
Why are poison centers and poison specialists like you important?
A critical part of our job is we can manage people at home for the majority of cases. This benefits both the patients and the hospitals. It helps keep the emergency room for true emergencies.
We are important for patients being managed in a healthcare facility because we have the experience and knowledge to manage and treat cases every day that are uncommon for most physicians and other health care providers. We have an extensive understanding of how medicines work in the body, work together, and don’t work together. Having the Poison Center involved in a case in a health care facility is significantly better for patient care as we manage the poisonings and antidotes and it allows the bedside hospital staff to focus on other parts of patient care.
What’s an important message you want to share about poison safety?
Even though medicines are supposed to help us feel better and stay healthy, they can be harmful if used incorrectly or by the wrong person. Store your medicines and cannabis up, away, and out of sight, just like you would other household products you consider dangerous.
The Poison Center does more than just handle poisonings. We educate people on safe use, safe storage, and prevention practices. For example, I talk to a lot of parents and caregivers about how to dose children’s medicines based on their weight instead of their age. Be sure to read the label and follow the directions.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I love to travel to concerts and scuba dive with my family and friends! My favorite places to dive are Key Largo, Cozumel and the Bahamas. As a bonus, now I’m an expert when it comes to marine envenomation.
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