Martinsburg VA nurse saves high school student

Martinsburg VA prides itself on fostering a team-like workforce that is always ready and willing to answer the call. Recently, a Team Martinsburg Nurse Anesthetist Jim Roupe was attending his son's high school football game season opener when he witnessed an emergency.

During the second quarter, a player from the opposing team fell down on the field. When he didn't get up, the coach and trainer ran out to assist, and then started desperately yelling for help.

Roupe ran down the bleachers, jumped the fence and ran to the boy's side. After assessing the situation, he quickly realized the student was in cardiac arrest.

Nurse and wife perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Roupe's wife, Jody, a cardiothoracic nurse practitioner, also responded and together they began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After two rounds of CPR, an automatic external defibrillator (AED) was brought and within seconds the student regained a spontaneous pulse. Roupe continued to monitor the young man until emergency services arrived.

The student was transferred by helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he is being treated. When asked about the incident, Roupe said, "I was in the right place at the right time."

"We are quite proud of what Jim and his wife Jody were able to do to save this young man's life," said Dr. James Regan, chief of Surgery. "It is a very sobering reminder that our VA commitment to training and keeping current our CPR skills not only can help us care for our Veterans but care for our communities as well."

Example of VA's I CARE values

No organization can succeed without values to match its mission. VA's core values define who we are as employees and focuses our minds on the mission of caring, guiding our actions toward improving the lives of others.

Better known as I CARE, these values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. They describe the facility's culture and serve as the foundation for the way VA employees provide quality service, both on and off the field of health care.

Team Martinsburg is proud of Jim Roupe for his above and beyond display of VA's Core values.

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