Last week, two Practical Nursing students got an unexpected experience that really brought their education into perspective.
Micayla Jordan and Levi Werp are both students in the Practical Nursing program and were on their way to lunch after a simulation lab. Instructor Dawn Straley was discussing end of life content and ended up running the class about a half an hour late for the lunch break.
“The class included me discussing that in all my years of nursing, I have learned that we are often in the right place at the right time with the patients we are meant to have,” Straley said.
Since it’s close, Subway is a good lunch option for students, so Jordan headed there, and Werp soon followed.
Jordan was filling her soda when she heard what sounded like someone aspirating – trying to breathe when something is blocking the airway. She saw a man with his feet on the bench and straining.
She and Werp went to the man, put him on the floor, and started CPR chest compressions. Mouth-to-mouth CPR is no longer recommended; chest compressions alone are more effective for adults. They called 911 and took turns talking to the first responder and doing the chest compressions.
Jordan recounted how all she was focused on was the man, talking to him and trying to get him responsive. Between her and Werp, they did chest compressions for 10 minutes, during which the others in Subway crowded around, asked questions, and told them to do mouth-to-mouth.
The one thing Jordan wasn’t prepared for was the cracking of the man’s ribs as she did chest compressions. Since she’d only practiced with a simulation, it was surprising to feel that. Cracked ribs are a common side effect of CPR, and even if it’s disconcerting, you need to continue compressions.
Once the EMTs arrived, they took over and put on a defibrillator, shocked the man 2-3 times, and then used the LUCAS machine, a chest compression device that provides consistent compressions and feedback data.
The EMTs got the man responsive, and they told Jordan and Werp that he was alive because of their response. Jordan was relieved to hear after being transported to the hospital and admitted, the man was recovering.
Later in the day, their instructors got a phone call about how responsive they were.
“It was amazing to receive a phone call from one of the firefighters on scene,” said Jenny Knaack, Director of Nursing. “They asked if I would let the students know that their immediate efforts initiating CPR and calling 911 saved a man’s life, and I was honored to share the message with both Jordan and Werp and celebrate. They are fantastic students and will do amazing things in nursing.”
The impressions Jordan and Werp made on their instructors, in addition to the person in distress and everyone who interacted with them, cannot be stated enough.
“They not only addressed his physical needs but saw this person as a person and worked to care for their spiritual and emotional needs as well,” Straley added. “As a seasoned nurse myself, this is what really impacted me and impressed me so much with these students.”
Straley mentioned that afterward when talking to the students, it “reaffirmed that they were meant to be there with how all of the events needed to align…and a variance of anything would have led to a potentially very different outcome for the person.”
Jordan said that her body just took over when she saw the emergency. It wasn’t until afterward that the adrenaline caught up and she reacted to the entire experience.
“How do I know how to do this?” she recounted. “I still don’t know what the heck I’m doing, but I feel like that’s normal. For sure this has made me think I’m in the right field.”
Jordan has been in the health field since she was 15 years old, when she started working at a nursing home as an activities aid. She got her CNA and decided to go on to get her LPN here at SCTCC, and she graduates in December 2023. She plans to stay in the St. Cloud area and work as an LPN but hasn’t dismissed the idea of becoming an RN. For the present, she wants to continue working with the elderly as an LPN.