The start of my ER shift yesterday was pretty slow...sat around for about 20-30 minutes with no new patients coming in. As I was staring at the computer screen, all of a sudden I saw "full arrest" pop up for Rm 3. A lady with renal failure was found unconscious without a pulse, 911 was called, and she was on the way with CPR in progress.

The attending asked me if I had done chest compressions before. "Not on a live, I mean, real person." So he told me to take charge once the patient arrived. I slapped on a pair of latex gloves and waited...I could feel my heart beating faster and harder. About 10 minutes later, the ER doors slammed open and the paramedics were wheeling the patient in...one paramedic was stradling the patient on the gurney doing CPR.

We hooked her up to the cardiac monitor and saw nothing but flatlining. The nurse pushed some epi into the IV, another nurse was bagging the patient, and I began to pound on her chest. I think I was counting out loud as I pumped, trying to remember all that I had learned for CPR...I recalled the teachers telling us to push the sternum down pretty hard, even if it meant having to break some ribs.

"'Crack!' There goes one rib," I thought to myself. The sweat began to bead on my brow after 5 minutes of non-stop compression. Then the ER attending told me to stop for a sec. I looked up at the monitor and saw a rhythm resembling V-tac...5 seconds later it converted to sinus tachy. Nurses confirmed strong pulses in multiple extremities. "Good job Joe!" one of the residents said.

As I am approaching the last few days of med school, it is so gratifying to know that the education I received these past 4 years has made a difference for at least one person. Thanks Lord for your grace