Megan was witness to a community member who was involved in a motor vehicle accident in a parking lot. Megan and a physician from an outside facility were nearby and responded. The patient was pulseless when they arrived at the car. Megan and the physician performed CPR until EMS arrived. She recognized that the mechanism of injury was unlikely to be the cause of cardiac arrest, and they determined that an overdose was the likely cause (there were items within the car to indicate recent drug use). When EMS arrived they were able to report their findings. EMS administered Narcan and the patient regained a pulse several minutes later.
While this interaction was limited to one patient, the involvement of our nurses in the community in events like this is key to a positive image for nurses at Vidant Medical Center and the nursing profession as a whole. While I don't want to see events such as this occur in the community, it makes me proud to know that our team members are willing to respond when needed!