Gayle Audenried, a registered nurse at Moab Regional Hospital, recently won an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas to attend a prestigious annual wound care conference.

Next month, from Sept. 12 to 15, the Wound Care Education Institute will host its ninth annual “Wild On Wounds” conference designed to give health care professionals the latest expertise on treating wounds. The conference also offers wound care certification and training. Wild on Wounds is scheduled to take place at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

Audenried received the most online votes for her three-minute video entry in the “Why I Want to Go to WOW2012” contest, beating out three other videos for the prize.

Audenried enlisted the help of co-workers and others to create her video, which had a “Wild West” flavor to it.

She first took her basic script outline to Jen Sadoff, the hospital’s director of marketing and community relations. Sadoff polished the script and spiced it full of cowboy-style phrases, and then shot digital footage of Audenried against the backdrop inside Moab General Store. The store’s owners allowed Audenried to utilize the establishment’s costumes and props.

After that, local art teacher Alina Murdock worked to edit the footage and give it the look and feel of an old-time movie. Nicole Williamson, a health technician at the hospital, even brought her own horse with her to the hospital so that it could be filmed while tied up in front of the building.

The end result proved to be a winning combination, and Audenried received word that she’d won the contest. The prize is valued at approximately $1,500, including program tuition, materials, travel costs, meals, and accommodations.

“It was too expensive for the hospital to be able to send me, and too expensive for me to pay for it on my own,” said Audenried. She attended the WOW conference once before, in 2009, and said the training has been invaluable.

She said the 2012 conference will provide her with up-to-date useful information that she can share with other staff members at Moab Regional Hospital.  

“I’m looking forward to receiving updated information on various kinds of wound care, and will be attending a session on arterial disease,” said Audenried, who has worked for Moab Regional Hospital and its predecessor, Allen Memorial Hospital, for a total of 14 years.

Audenried’s winning video can be viewed online by clicking on a link on the sponsoring organization’s website (www.wcei.net/wowcontest), or by going to YouTube.com and searching for “Moab Regional Hospital.”