Stayin’ Alive through CPR

“Trauma nurse.”

“Pediatric nurse.”

“Midwife.”

“Nurse practitioner.”

High school students from the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School enthusiastically called out what type of nurse they hoped to one day become.

Lined up in the Practice Labs at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON), the students visiting the school this week were part of an after-school enrichment program, sponsored by the JHSON and coordinated by MSN: Entry into Nursing student Nikki Akinleye, to help them learn more about the dynamic and growing profession of nursing.

This week’s lesson was CPR.

With nurse instructors from the Johns Hopkins Hospital and mannequin patients, the students took turns initiating chest compressions and using automated external defibrillators to simulate what it would be like if they were ever faced with the emergency situation of saving someone’s life.

The instructors even played the classic Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive” (which has approximately 103 beats per minutes—the same rate recommended for chest compressions) to help the students feel the rhythm they would need to follow to initiate optimal blood flow.

All puns aside, the students did not take lightly the heavy responsibility of the CPR they were learning. More than 300,000 people a year experience sudden cardiac arrest outside the hospital, and these future nurses want to be prepared to step up and take action.

As final encouragement for the students, Dean Patricia Davidson stopped by the class to wish them all the best in finishing their high school careers. “We hope to see you here one day,” she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DANIELLE KRESS

As Media Relations Coordinator/Writer, Danielle connects media with the faculty and students of the school of nursing. She writes press releases, magazine articles, blog posts, emails, and more.