Expert Spotlight: Healthcare Professional and Backcountry Skier – Andrea Daniels
EXPERT PROFILE
From the Operating Room to the Mountains
- Expert name: Andrea Daniels
- Affiliation: Healthcare Professional, Leave No Trace, Colorado Mountain Club, American Hiking Society
- Occupation:Certified Surgical Cleaning Technician
- Location: Bishop, CA
- Date joined ExpertVoice: 2018
Meet Andrea Daniels, a T-CSCT, avid backcountry skier and contributor to the Leave No Trace program. Now, if you're like me, you probably have no idea what a T-CSCT is. Let's break it down, a CSCT is a Certified Surgical Cleaning Technician. They are technicians that cleans places like operation rooms, limiting the possibility of infection. Now the "T" in T-CSCT, means that Andrea is not only a certified technician, she is also certified to train others. We're highlighting Andrea to ask her some questions about backcountry safety during this time, life as a healthcare worker and more.
ExpertVoice:
Andrea, give us a quick introduction about yourself.
Andrea Daniels:
My name is Andrea Daniels and I live in Bishop, CA. I work for the Northern Inyo Healthcare District as an Environmental Services Coordinator. I have been employed with NIH for nearly 20 years. I am a T-CSCT at NIH. I’m a certified trainer of OR cleaning and infection control.
ExpertVoice:
Do you have any suggestions for skiers and snowboarders this season?
Andrea Daniels:
Yes I do, be avalanche smart. I know many will go to the backcountry and most need to be educated if they never have done it before. Take an avalanche course, carry proper equipment, carry a beacon and first aid. Most of all have fun but be alert. Things could go very wrong in seconds.
ExpertVoice:
Tell us more about the Leave No Trace Program? What have you been doing with the program?
Andrea Daniels:
I believe in Leave No Trace, they are a group who provide education, research and initiatives so everyone can venture outdoors can help protect and enjoy our areas responsibly. At least 60K people have been trained in LNT in 12 months. 235K Children learned LNT in the last year and 15.5 reached with LNT educational annually. Epic numbers!
What I have been doing with the program is donating for sure. Right now Lake Tahoe is a hot spot for liter, pet waste and wildlife impacts. There were so many uneducated people coming to camp and recreate in that area and they really left a mess. That happened in Bishop. I have been passing on my knowledge to others online or in person the ethics of LNT and I would like to become a master educator in the future. I also try to hep pick up trash left behind either in the community or in the backcountry promoting pack it in and pack out more.
With over a million experts on ExpertVoice, like Andrea, each expert is unique and brings their individual experience and expertise. You can check out Andrea's profile here, she's certified in over 130 brands and has shared more than 60 product recommendations on ExpertVoice. You can also learn more about other experts, ExpertVoice features and more on our blog.