Have you ever saved someone/medically assisted someone away from work?

[briannaflavin]

Hi Everyone!

I'm writing an article for allnurses about nurses jumping into action while off the clock (and away from the workplace). I'm hoping to collect some stories from nurses who've been at the scene of a crisis or medical emergency and were able to play a role in assisting someone.

Do you have a story to share? If you'd be willing to contribute, please send your responses to: [email protected]

If you prefer to remain anonymous with your story, I can cite you by your title alone. Otherwise, please send along your name, title and company.

Thank you so much!

-Brianna Flavin

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

This is a great opportunity for our members to share their heroic stories. Don't be shy....... We really do want to have your input.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

In June I was leaving the library and I thought I would use the washroom beforehand. There was a young woman (20-25) leaning against a stall and saying, "I'm so hot."

Her breathing was irregular and I yelled at the next person coming in to call 911 and get help. I was afraid she would hit her head on the concrete, but I managed to get her to drink a few sips of water before she keeled over.

She's asking me to text her boyfriend, so I'm texting him and cradling her head in my lap. By then, security had arrived and EMS was on their way. We're cooling her off with wet paper towels and the boyfriend arrives.

No EMS yet, and she's losing consciousness. I thought she stopped breathing for a couple seconds, and her pulse was weak. She managed to perk up slightly when EMS arrived.

I think she was dehydrated. It was 85 degrees that day.

I was trying to keep her calm and awake. I thought for sure I would need to do rescue breathing or CPR. She looked terrible. Hopefully, she is ok now.

[EaglesWings21, ASN, RN]

I was at a Symphony Orchestra Tribute to the Beatles event with my mom. We were the youngest people there; everyone else looked like they belonged to the baby boomer generation. An older lady fell down the stairs and I rushed over and assessed her. She ended up being fine but I was a new nurse whose instincts just instantly kicked in.

[NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN]

I've responded several times. In all of those times I basically called 911 for the pt, once while doing CPR. Cardiogenic shock at a race, altered mental status on the side of a highway, anaphylactic shock, motor vehicle collision at highway speed, accidental toddler overdose of parents' medications... Mostly I get "can you tell me your opinion on this?" Never do I ever actually have my emergency kit with me, damn it all.

[Sour Lemon]

I saw this lady getting all excited and I was like, "Calm down, lady!" Well, she kept yelling and screaming and she was breathing kind of fast, so I punched her hard in the face and she got real quiet.

[BSN16]

A few months ago i was on a plane to hawaii and mid flight someone got really dizzy and passed out, waking up right away. The flight attendants asked if there were any nurses or doctors on board...after nobody responded i reluctantly volunteered my services. Asked the person some questions...took their hr...

I felt really uncomfortable doing this the entire time just because like who knows what it could have been???? dehydrated? Hypoglycemic? Recommended he drink some juice and munch on some crackers. He was fine for the rest of the flight lol

[OscarTheOwl]

had a frantic neighbor bang on the door with a choking child, entire airway blocked. Poor thing couldn't even cry, jugular veins horridly distended. Did the Heimlich and out came a large piece of ice. I think it was melting and dislodged itself so I don't give my self credit for that one.

I felt my nurse brain turn completely off, scared out of my mind. I'm not a big fan of emergent situations, guess I've been in the right place a time or two but hope it never happens again.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

An elderly female fell at a store where I was shopping in 2006. My mother, who had been visiting me from out of state, was with me at the store. I usually do not identify myself as a nurse in public, but my proud mother blurted, "My daughter is a nurse!"

The elderly woman had a small amount of blood trickling from her ears. I stayed with her for a few minutes until EMS arrived.

[EaglesWings21, ASN, RN]

I saw this lady getting all excited and I was like, "Calm down, lady!" Well, she kept yelling and screaming and she was breathing kind of fast, so I punched her hard in the face and she got real quiet.

Quality nursing care.

[WinterLilac]

There have been a few times I've witnessed elderly people fall. The last one was at a 90th birthday party so I should have expected someone would either have an MI, CVA or fall. The latter happened to a poor old man who had been in remission for cancer AND had fallen earlier in the month and cracked his ribs. Anyway, isn't it amazing how many people flock to the person, clucking and squawking, without being any help!? Anyway, I told everyone to step back, move the furniture away and someone to call paramedics. Nothing major but often it's the bystanders you have more trouble with!!! He was fine btw.

OP, I know you want emailed stories but this wasn't amazing enough so thought I'd share via post ;-)

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Years ago, my husband and I belonged to a church that was sort of halfway between our home and the large teaching hospital where we worked. Many of the parishioners were people we knew from work -- our own colleagues or folks who crossed our path at work. The radiologist, the infectious disease doc we frequently consulted, a nurse from the Cardiac Cath Lab, etc. Like most everyone who regularly attends a certain church, we had "our" pew, where we sat every other Sunday. There was an elderly lady in her 80s who sat in the pew in front of us with her friends. When summer came, and the ceiling fans failed to move enough air to cool the sanctuary, the woman (whose name escapes me, but it was something like "Viola" or "Violet") would get woozy towards the end of the homily. Usually, her friends would just give her a cool drink or put cool cloths on her head. But one day, Violet attended church alone.

DH and I were (perhaps unusually) interested in the homily and were giving it our full attention when all of a sudden a nurse we knew slightly from a stepdown unit stood up and VAULTED over two sets of pews to get to Violet's side, the whole time screaming "Annie, Annie are you all right?" The priest stopped talking and dozens of cellphones came out of pockets and purses. (The local 911 dispatcher told DH later that there were so many calls, they flooded the system.) Meanwhile, the young nurse continued to shake the poor old lady screaming into her face "Annie, Annie. Speak to me Annie. Do you know where you are?" Slowly, the MDs in the congregation stood up and made their way into the melee, and of course Violet's contemporaries from all over the church gathered to stand in the aisle wringing their hands. DH and I figured the situation was well-enough in hand and slid down in the pew trying to be unnoticable. The service was interrupted until the paramedics showed up and, over Violet's protests, hauled her away.

The only time I've ever "saved" anyone off duty was when my Dear Husband was shoveling fried chicken into his mouth and ranting about a the stupidity of a local politician. I was sort of tuning him out, when the ranting wound down rather abruptly and I noticed him getting up out of his chair. Then he was holding his throat in the universal "I'm choking" mime. After I Heimliched him, he was just fine. The wad of fried chicken flew out of his mouth and landed somewhere in the middle of the dining room table. It was years before I could eat fried chicken again! That was the third time (that I know about) he was Heimliched in about two years. A couple of his work colleagues came to tell me (separately, months apart) that they had saved his life when he was eating too fast and talking at the same time. Hopefully, he's learned his lesson.