On November 17, 2023, Patricia Hendershot, MSN, RN, attended her daughter’s middle school dance as a last-minute chaperone. However, her presence would soon prove to be lifesaving.

In the interview below, Patricia recounts how her quick action in administering CPR to a student suffering from cardiac arrest, along with the use of an AED, ultimately saved the student’s life.

Introduction

Q: Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself—your role, your background, and what inspired you to get involved in healthcare?

I have been an RN for over 13 years with a background primarily in pediatric intensive care nursing and leadership. At the time of my save story, I was working as a nurse manager of an outpatient clinic with the Chillicothe VA Medical Center. I have always been drawn to caring for, and nurturing others and first knew I wanted to be a nurse at a young age. I fell in love with nursing during elementary school, when I shadowed my aunt, who is also an RN, in her job as a mother/infant nurse during a “take your child to work day”.

The Story

Q: Can you walk us through that day? What happened, and how did you first realize someone needed help?

The evening of November 17, 2023, was my daughters first middle school dance, and she desperately wanted me to chaperone. Initially, they had enough volunteers, but while speaking with the principal about something else that day, I asked if I could help and he said “absolutely, the more the merrier”.

I was asked to float around to monitor the students and first realized there was something going on when two girls rushed into the hall off the cafeteria shouting someone had passed out towards the end of the dance. They looked worried and were pointing into the cafeteria and told me the principal was with the student.

Q: How did you respond? What steps did you take?

I quickly responded to make sure the student was ok and see if there was anything I could do. Upon arriving, I immediately began assessing the student and the scene while simultaneously asking the principal what had happened, if he knew this student and if she had any underlying medical conditions. I also made sure that someone had called 911 and asked one of the teachers to have the DJ turn off the music and to turn on the lights immediately.

I knew right away that something was very wrong and was concerned about her presentation, so I told the principal to retrieve their AED for me immediately. During this time, her pulse became thready, and she began agonal breathing, so I started CPR. I continued CPR until the AED arrived and placed the pads. The AED advised a shock, which was successfully deployed, and I resumed CPR.

I continued CPR until the fire department arrived, at which time they took over her care. As they were getting ready to insert an airway, the child began breathing and was rousing, so they transferred her to the ambulance where they continued to work to stabilize her for transport.

Q: What were the outcomes of your actions, both for the student and for you personally?

The student was transported to our local ED where she continued to improve. Once she was stabilized, she was transferred to our children’s hospital for further evaluation and care. She was discharged home the following week and was able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with her family. From all that I have been told and experienced, she has returned to her normal activities and is a thriving middle schooler! We had the opportunity to meet for the first time at a celebration of life hosted by our local hospital last winter, which was a beautiful and emotional event and was such an honor to attend.

Personally, I went through different stages immediately after the event and in the days following. The reality of what had happened hit me hard later that night and I remember replaying the events over and over, wondering if I had done all that I could. I was fortunate to be able to review what happened with the principal and our local fire department who put together a timeline of the event. This debrief of sorts helped me process what had happened by giving me reassurance and closure. It also reignited by passion in some sense, and I have become more active in volunteering at school functions and our local Community Heart Watch team.

Training and Preparation

Q: How did your training through the RQI program prepare you to respond in this situation?

My training through the RQI program prepared me for this scary situation by keeping my CPR skills honed. I firmly believe that the quarterly training we complete directly has attributed to me maintaining high-quality CPR skills, both through the scenario training and mannequin skills we complete.

Despite having been away from the bedside and patient care for over 5 years at that time, the training that RQI has afforded me was instrumental in my quick response and intervention. I strongly feel that these quarterly trainings are much more beneficial than the traditional 2-year certification reviews because it keeps the training fresh in your mind and muscle memory. I know that this made a difference in that little girl’s outcome that night.

Q: Before using RQI, what kind of CPR or emergency response training had you received? How do you think this program made a difference?

Prior to joining the VA, I worked at our local children’s hospital for 11 years, most of which I spent at as a bedside RN in the pediatric intensive care unit. The education and training I received, along with the critical thinking skills I developed during my time there were instrumental in making me the nurse, wife, mother and person that I am today.

The 6-month orientation program for new PICU RN’s that I completed consisted of class time, mock skill stations and hands on bedside care with a dedicated preceptor. I also completed pediatric advanced life support and advanced cardiac life support training during this time, which was maintained during my employment. I believe that these trainings, along with my real-life experience at the bedside and with critical situations made a difference in my reaction to the situation at the school. My experience and knowledge have honed my critical thinking skills which led me to quickly know something was wrong and gave me the confidence and ability to intervene.

Broader Impact

Q: Can you share your thoughts on the importance of AEDs in schools and the legislation supporting their use? And how this event supported that new legislation?

Immediate bystander response is crucial to the successful resuscitation and recovery of cardiac arrest patients. The placement of AEDs in all schools provides an unprecedented opportunity to increase the incidence of positive outcomes for both students and visitors.

Ohio passed House Bill 47 which was then signed by our Governor in July 2024 . The bill requires AED’s and emergency action plans for all Ohio schools. My story was presented to our legislators in support of and to advocate for action several times in the months leading up to the Bill being passed. It was a wonderful example of how drastic a difference these life saving devices truly make in a cardiac event. Had I not had access to an AED that night, the outcome could have been very different.

Q: What advice would you give to others about responding to sudden cardiac arrests or becoming CPR certified?

I encourage everyone of all ages to learn CPR. You never know when it could be needed, and we all have the power to help others. My advice to those who are passionate would be to seek training and volunteer opportunities. Since the event, I have joined the Community Heart Watch and my daughter and I have both volunteered at outreach events helping to teach hands only CPR.

To my fellow responders who might find themselves in an emergency situation, my advice is to take quick action. Don’t be afraid to step up, take control and ask others to help. This was the most terrifying situation I have ever been in, but I trusted that I knew what to do and my skills took over. I vividly remember thinking to myself, “oh my gosh, this is happening” while actively doing CPR. Even though it was scary, and I was unsure, I knew deep down that I could handle this, and you can too.

Reflections and Closing

Q: Looking back on this experience, what has stayed with you the most?

So much of that night runs through my head, even now. I remember feeling as though I had a huge adrenaline dump right after the squad left and the amount of support that was shown to me was amazing. I was most concerned with her status, and it hit me later that weekend that I needed to process what had happened too, and there were so many there to support me. I am just so, so thankful that I was there that night. You never want to think about being in this type of situation, but I am grateful for my training and experience that I was able to intervene.

It has been incredible to see the reach that our story has had to raise awareness of the importance of CPR and AED accessibility. The impact it has had on not only our village, but our larger community amazes me, and I am excited to see what other good can come from this.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience, or ways we can help create more positive outcomes in emergencies like this?

I want to recognize the other chaperones and school staff who helped intervene that night, as well as our amazing students. The other chaperones acted quickly to secure the perimeter to ensure safety and privacy while I was caring for the student, but also to protect the other children who were present. They were able to block the scene and then moved the students out of the cafeteria.

Several chaperones offered moral support and assistance. I was told later that the students were respectful and listened to directions they were given. The school staff ensured every student remained safe and accounted for and maintained crowd control with parents as they were arriving for pick up.

I think that one thing that can help after this kind of experience is a debrief for those involved, as well as the students. There are always learning opportunities and areas that can be improved upon, even in positive outcomes such as this one. I also think it is important to talk about it to help those involved cope and process the event, including bystanders.