Las Vegas is the place Americans go to take chances, but those risks aren't always at the gaming tables. The University Medical Center deals with trauma victims from the streets, highways, and desert.

University Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey, is a state-of-the-art trauma center. Meet the largely local staff of this ER, learn about the influences that led them where they are, and watch them work.

Mayhem California-style is part of life at the UC Medical Center in Sacramento, California. Many of the patients were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The staff makes these situations their work.

At Charity Hospital in New Orleans, the staff are on the front lines of a brutal way of life. They treat the shot, stabbed, beaten, abused, and neglected who are brought in from the streets of "The Big Easy."

Each member of the trauma team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has their own approach to their work. Meet this diverse group--from the mentoring head of the ER to the insecure resident.

When people are injured by drunks it isn't simply an accident. At MetroHealth Hospital, 60% of traumas are alcohol related and more than half are from car crashes. See how the staff deals with their work.

Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in America. People come for work, fame and fortune, or to retire. Get an up close look at the staff and their work at the Las Vegas University Medical Center ER.

Learn what a typical day's worth of trauma cases are like at Newark's University Hospital. The common thread is that the victims are young people, vulnerable to their inexperience in many aspects of life.

At the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, learn what it takes to be an ER doctor. The skills include dealing with life and death decisions, working in controlled chaos, and handling tragedy.

Charity Hospital in New Orleans offers medical care to anyone in need. In a city known for architectural majesty and Southern sophistication, New Orleans has a lesser known face as well-one of poverty and violence.

Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the setting for family drama when victims of domestic violence are treated for life-threatening wounds.

The wealthy and prestigious image of Los Angeles is a stark contrast to the reality of daily life at King Drew Medical Center in South Central LA. Dedicated doctors treat a never-ending stream of patients struggling to survive on the streets.

The Hawaiian Islands offer serenity and beauty, but with certain risks. At Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, a woman is treated after being dragged by surf across sharp lava rock.

Detroit Receiving Hospital is under constant barrage of medical emergencies and trauma patients. The trauma team runs like a well-tuned engine, adeptly handling everything that comes through the door.

Albuquerque's University of New Mexico Hospital, the only facility of its kind in the state, sees the reckless traditions of the Wild West continue.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center mirrors the contrasts of its home city, Memphis. A traditional Southern town, Memphis has become a hub for digital technology, but when tragedy strikes, families close ranks in support.

The staff at St. Vincent's Emergency Room is as unusual as their patients are, but this eclectic and talented group can handle any curve thrown at them by the city that never sleeps.

For two female doctors at King Drew Medical Center in South Central Los Angeles, the line between professionalism and personal involvement is shattered when a crack baby and a toddler nearly drowned in a swimming pool are the patients.

On the charmed island of Hawaii, no one expects to end up in the trauma bay of the Queen's Medical Center. The dedicated professionals of Queen's, from the trauma surgeon to the ER nurse, are committed to the Center's mission to serve all people.

At Detroit Receiving Hospital, four young trauma doctors struggle to provide hope while mending damaged bodies. Their work is as much about saving a faltering city as it is about saving lives.

In the open spaces of New Mexico, University Hospital, Albuquerque is the only level one trauma unit for 400 miles. Depending heavily on the Air Rescue Unit, the staff treats patients who have traveled great distances on the edge of survival.

Doctors at the Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis treat some unique patients and injuries, including a woman who plunges a butcher knife into her chest while peeling potatoes, and a tattooed teen who spits out a metal stud that pierced his tongue.

Within an hour of Portland, Oregon, one can ski Mount Hood, surf the Oregon Coast or sail the Columbia River Gorge. But alcohol and recklessness can turn sport into nightmare, and the staff of Legacy Emanuel Hospital must pick up the pieces.

San Francisco General is the only level one trauma center in the city. The ER is almost always on total divert, meaning ambulances must take all new patients to other area hospitals. Only the critically injured remain, and it's still standing room only.

Pittsburgh is ranked the safest U.S. city, but this doesn't count the injuries that people inflict upon each other and themselves. The Allegheny General's trauma team is pushed to its limit with head injuries, brain surgery and a horse attack.