10 Questions with Betsy Henderson
As Cape Cod Hospital marks one year as a Level III trauma center, trauma program manager Betsy Henderson reflects on building the program, the power of teamwork and delivering high-level care close to home.
At 20 years old, Betsy Henderson never hesitated to run into burning buildings.
“I was a full-time firefighter for 15 years,” says Henderson. “It was a job I really loved.” While intense, the experience taught her how to help people in urgent moments, solve problems quickly and stay steady under pressure.
Today, those instincts show up in a different setting—Cape Cod Hospital—where Betsy serves as trauma program manager, guiding a program focused on delivering timely, coordinated care during high-acuity emergencies. “You have to be adaptable; you have to solve problems and you have to do an assessment in a very short time,” says Betsy. “And you have to commit to a decision and go with it.”
This month marks one year since Cape Cod Hospital received its official designation as a Level III trauma center, providing 24/7 high-level critical care for patients with moderate to severe injuries, including rapid assessment, surgical intervention and intensive care close to home.
When she’s not at work, Betsy Henderson loves hanging out with her dogs, chocolate lab Tesla and black lab Shelby.
Betsy stepped into her current role at a pivotal time. She arrived in early June 2024, and within weeks, the trauma program was in full preparation mode for verification. “I had to jump in, learn what we already had, identify the gaps, and prepare the application for our site visit, which had to be completed by the end of August.”
It was a tight turnaround, but she believes the urgency actually brought people together faster—and ultimately became one of the program’s strengths. “We all had to meet and just say, ‘We don’t have time to get to know each other. We have to do this.’”
Her background spans decades of high-acuity care. “I’ve been a nurse for over 25 years, mostly at Level 1 centers in Boston, and I’ve always stayed within the realm of emergency nursing, burn nursing and forensic nursing.”
She’s drawn to trauma because it’s never static—and because it touches so many parts of the hospital. “I love that there’s no two days that are alike,” she says, describing trauma’s “halo effect,” where teams collaborate across service lines (the emergency department, radiology, ICU, OR and beyond) and throughout the patient journey.
A typical day for Betsy blends clinical presence with program operations. Identifying trauma patients isn’t automated, so Betsy and her team manually review admissions and charts on a daily basis—and then follow patients from admission through discharge, looking for opportunities to improve systems and strengthen care. She supports staff in real time when trauma alerts arrive, and she helps lead monthly trauma peer review multidisciplinary meetings to ask the most important question: How do we make sure the next patient has an even better outcome?
We recently caught up with Betsy at Cape Cod Hospital to reflect on the first year of the Level III trauma program, how it felt to see the trauma center highway signs go up and a few surprising things colleagues might not know about her.
1. What excites you most about the future of the trauma program, as it continues to grow?
This is truly one of the most exciting jobs because no two days are alike. The engagement, enthusiasm and dedication of people across the hospital—including senior leadership—are amazing. The sky is the limit. If someone brings forward an idea that could benefit the trauma program or our patients, we research it together and go for it.
2. How did you feel when the Cape Cod Hospital/Trauma Center highway signs were installed on Route 6?
These signs are an acknowledgement of everyone’s hard work and dedication. For our community, these signs represent a commitment to providing high-quality, lifesaving care close to home. They also symbolize strength, preparedness and investment in the people who live, work and travel to Cape Cod.
3. What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I was a firefighter in Norwell, and later in Stoughton, and I went to nursing school at Northeastern University and paramedic school—all at the same time. I never slept but it was worth the effort. I also hold a graduate degree in biomedical forensic science (like “CSI” on TV).
4. What was your first-ever job, and what did it teach you?
In high school during the summer, I worked at a restaurant on a lake in Bridgton, Maine. It was awesome. I was part of the wait staff, and I made ice cream. That job taught me the value of teamwork. Everybody had value, and you had to find what their strengths is and support it.
5. How do you unwind after a long day?
I hang out with my labs, Tesla and Shelby.
6. Do you have a hobby?
I love baking, especially all sorts of cakes.
7. Coffee or tea?
Tea.
8. Favorite book?
I love “The Great Gatsby.”
9. Best advice you’ve ever received?
You can’t fix everything in one day. The best thing you can do is to make it better than yesterday. I try to make sure I am helpful to someone each day. In trauma care, I try to make things a little bit better or easier for somebody else.
10. If you had a completely free day on the Cape, how would you spend it?
I have a huge bucket list, including going to the Mass Maritime Museum, Nantucket, Mayflower Beach and Four Seas Ice Cream. I have to act like I never lived in Massachusetts and explore the Cape more!
