NOTE: Student-athletes are more than just competitors on the field; in many ways, a student-athlete's education comes in three different avenues. First the student learns in the classroom; then they learn with on-the-job training in their respective fields of study; finally, the student-athlete learns on the field of play as well to complete the cycle of attaining knowledge through their years of higher education.
This is the first installment of a brand-new series that we call "Molloy Athletes in Action." The Department of Athletics presents this series as a first-person account of Molloy student-athletes in their respective fields doing incredible things that will enhance their knowledge and better their understanding of their studies going forward. These are first-person accounts straight from the student-athletes that have not been edited, doctored or changed in any way, shape or form.
Kelsey Dougherty (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) is a senior and four-year defender on the Molloy College women's lacrosse team. Dougherty is also a nursing student at Molloy, and all students and faculty in the nursing department are trained in cardiopulminary resuscitation (CPR).
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KELSEY DOUGHERTY: I was in the ICU during my nursing clinical on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and a patient code was called over the loudspeaker in the hospital, which means her heart stopped beating and she was no longer breathing. The patient who was coding was on my unit, and the staff encouraged the students to watch how the healthcare team works together to bring a patient back to life. So, I went to watch what was happening from outside the patients' room, but then I was asked by the nursing staff to help out and be one of the people in rotation to give compressions, while the patient was also being oxygenated with an ambu bag and being given epinephrine by other healthcare team members.
At first, I was extremely nervous to have someone's life in my hands, however I knew that I had been working hard in school to prepare myself for moments like this and I was reassured the challenge would be worth it. So, I got my gloves on and as soon as I heard the word "switch," I jumped on the stool next to the patient and started giving as many compressions to her as I could, until I needed a relief as well from another healthcare member. I kept rotating through with about four other staff members until finally the patient was resuscitated. It was the most intimidating moment of my nursing career, but also the most rewarding one as well, to have been a part of the CPR that saved someone's life.
