Two University of Mary senior nursing students from Bismarck used some of their newly learned skills to help a 70-year-old woman who lost consciousness on a flight from Florida to the capital city.
Gracie Zottnick and Josh Sipes, who are dating, in early January were on their way home from a Christmas break trip to Orlando.
“An announcement sounded overhead,” Sipes said. “I couldn’t really hear it over my movie, so I did not think much of it right away. My mom looked over at the both of us and said, ‘They are asking for medical personnel down the aisle.’"
Zottnick and Sipes then noticed flight attendants carrying oxygen tanks down the aisle toward the woman.
"(We) looked at each other and asked, ‘You ready?’ and then headed down in that direction," Sipes said, adding that “It felt like an immediate adrenaline rush and like a switch flipped."
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A respiratory therapist and a registered nurse on the plane also came to the aid of the woman, who was suffering from low blood sugar. The students helped take vitals and administer oxygen, and helped the woman drink orange juice when she regained consciousness.
Zottnick said she initially "was a bit in shock" that the situation was happening. But “I think that the basics of nursing ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation) kicked in when we responded,” she said.
Zottnick, Sipes and the other medical volunteers stayed with the woman until the plane landed in Bismarck and emergency responders came aboard to take over.
“The (airplane) crew gave an announcement overhead and thanked the ‘medical team’ for responding to the medical emergency," Sipes said. "As we were walking back to our seats, people were clapping, patting us on our backs, and telling us thank you for doing what we do.”