Two Miami University Nursing students credited with helping save the life of adjunct faculty member during finals week
Their instincts and training took over as they performed CPR on the unconscious man
Two Miami University Nursing students credited with helping save the life of adjunct faculty member during finals week
Two Miami University Regionals students majoring in Nursing and pre-Nursing are credited with helping save the life of an adjunct faculty member who collapsed during finals week.
Junior Reed Stewart and sophomore Brayden Osborne — who didn't know each other before the medical emergency — took turns performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the instructor of Mathematical and Physical Science outside Mosler Hall on the Hamilton campus. It happened on Dec. 11 during finals week before students left for winter break.
The man “emailed me several weeks later thanking me for what I had done and said because of me, his family was able to have Christmas with him this year,” said Stewart of Loveland, who majors in Nursing with a minor in Nutrition. “After I read that in the email, it hit me what I had done.”
The incident happened as the instructor and some of his students were about to enter Mosler Hall for an exam.
After the man collapsed, Osborne felt compelled to help as he watched Stewart perform CPR, so he offered assistance with the chest compressions before paramedics arrived.
“It was a very scary thing that day, seeing my professor so blue in the face relying on his students to save his life,” said Osborne of Brookville, Indiana.
But his pre-Nursing education gave him confidence.
“The courses I have taken at Miami so far, I would say, have definitely shaped me into who I was that day — with the knowledge I had,” Osborne said. “It gave me the courage and the strength to step in that day.”
Swift intervention
Tony Harris, president of Hamilton Professional Firefighters Local 20, said the students’ life-saving actions made a difference by “delivering what appeared to be very effective CPR” before the four-person emergency medical personnel crew arrived.
“I truly believe the good and quick CPR helped us to have a chance for a good outcome,” Harris said.
Stephanie Nicely, chair and associate professor of Nursing, said, “Reed and Brayden's heroic actions and willingness to provide immediate care epitomize the very essence of nursing. This incident underscores the vital role that nurses play in the lives of patients and families, not only in healthcare settings but in everyday life.
“Their swift intervention is a testament to their training, courage, and commitment to the nursing profession.”
Stewart: ‘This all happened so fast’
Both students said they conducted chest compressions silently to the rhythm of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, which has become a recommended timing strategy.
Connie Webb, Stewart’s supervisor in his part-time job in the mailroom and information center on the first floor of Mosler, said she is glad the students were there to help.
The program associate was on hold on the phone when she noticed a student quickly approach the automated external defibrillator (AED) and remove the machine from the wall and leave. She wasn’t sure what was going on, so she asked Stewart to call security.
As he was reaching for the phone to make the call, another employee came around the corner and said there was a man down on the ground outside.
“Reed immediately popped up out of his chair and said he could help,” recalled Webb, who phoned security and her supervisor to alert them of the situation.
Stewart said he went outside and found several students standing over the man. They were screaming for help and asking if anyone knew CPR. Stewart ran over and quickly assessed the situation: He wasn’t breathing and had no pulse.
“I knew every second his brain wasn’t getting oxygen, it would decrease his chances of survival,” said Stewart, who had asked another student to call 911 before repositioning the man on his back so he could start CPR.
“While counting the rhythms for CPR and singing ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the Bee Gees in my head, I asked the other students to tell me as much information as they knew about what happened,” he said. “At the same time, I was also relaying all the details I had gathered about the situation to 911.”
Osborne assisted with chest compressions, then Stewart switched back to doing them.
“This all happened so fast and my heart was pounding out of my chest,” Stewart said. “After several minutes of CPR, eventually I heard extremely shallow and strained breathing” from the man, “so I knew I was buying him valuable time while EMS was on its way."
Osborne: ‘I feel I made an impact’
EMS personnel took over the life-saving effort as Stewart told them what he knew. He then walked over to Webb, who had come outside.
“I gave him a great big hug and told him I was so glad he was working that day. It was meant to be,” she said. “That's a lot for someone to experience and Reed's so young, but he handled the situation beautifully.”
She added that in that moment, they weren't sure of how the man would fare. “I told Reed that between the students on campus noticing it quickly, and Reed and the other gentleman jumping into action, no matter the outcome, they can feel good knowing (he) was given the best chance possible.”
Both students called their moms afterward.
“I felt very uneasy afterward, worried if I helped or not,” Osborne said. “That night, I tried calling every hospital in Hamilton to see if he was there and stable. Sadly, I could not find him, so I just had to pray in hopes he would be OK.
“This was the biggest lesson to me in this event, as I see what nurses and paramedics go through as they deal with so many patients in distress and can’t help to wonder if what they did will even save them,” Osborne said.
“While it was very stressful, this will always be a special moment in my heart as I feel I made an impact on his life that day.”
Stewart called it the most indescribable yet fulfilling feeling he’s ever felt. “It puts a smile on my face to this day whenever I think about it.”
He has known his entire life he wanted to do something in healthcare.
“My mom is a pharmacist, so for most of my life she would teach all of these different facts about the human body. She would teach me how the body worked, how it can stop working correctly, what types of medications are used for different diseases, situations, and surgeries,” he said. “This fueled my passion and intrigue in the subject, which is why I originally majored in Pre-Med.”
Because he wanted to get into his career as soon as possible, he switched majors to Nursing.
“I loved all the different paths you could take in nursing, and that the schooling wouldn’t last for most of my 20s,” Stewart said. “The faculty in the Nursing program are much more involved in your learning as well. They know you on a first-name basis and want to see you succeed.”
Stewart was honored as a Healthcare Hero at an ice hockey game in January.
Nicely said, "As our department and division celebrate their heroic efforts, we are reminded of the invaluable contributions that nurses make to our communities every day. We couldn't be more proud of Reed and Brayden and the impact they had within our own Miami community."
