FORT SMITH, Ark. — Just over a month before she graduated on May 18 with her doctorate from the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Kylie Dunn said she was on vacation in Charleston, South Carolina with her friends when she was forced to put her medical training to use.
"We went to the booth [and] we were getting sized for the jewelry, and then a lady fell right next to me," Dr. Dunn said. "Of course, I knew it was an emergency situation, and so I just, you know, went into action."
Dr. Dunn said she began checking for a pulse, but realized there was none.
"I knew at that moment when I was unable to find a pulse that she was in cardiac arrest," Dr. Dunn said. "And so I kind of yelled for help and yelled for someone to call 911, which I found a nurse actually nearby, and she was able to come in and start helping me with chest compressions, which we did for about five to 10 minutes until emergency responders arrived on the scene."
The recent graduate said her confidence to act in such a swift manner came from the schooling she received at the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM).
"We've had a lot of simulation training as far as emergency situations go, and I think I just relied on my training from ARCOM and I think it proves that it works," Dr. Dunn said.
But, not everyone needs to be a doctor to gain this life-saving skill.
Kat DeLeon, a CPR instructor for Life Pro Safety, said everyone should become CPR certified.
"I think it should be a requirement for high school graduation because anyone can do it and you don't know when something is going to happen," DeLeon said.
Life Pro Safety provides CPR as well as other training to individuals and businesses throughout Northwest Arkansas, the River Valley, and Oklahoma. DeLeon said courses can be taken to learn techniques that can keep people alive until medical professionals arrive.
"The average response time is six to six and a half minutes," DeLeon said. "Typically, people experience brain damage within six to six and a half minutes, so performing those compressions will help keep the brain alive and the heart alive."
As for Dr. Dunn’s situation, she said she received a call from police not too long after the incident saying the woman she helped had survived.
Dr. Dunn’s vacation may have been unexpected, but she was prepared.
"I learned at that moment there's two types of people in the world," Dr. Dunn said. "One of them being the one who gets very uncomfortable in those situations and runs away, and the other being someone who's comfortable enough to act. Learning that about myself, made me a lot more confident going into residency."
Dr. Dunn said she will be completing her internal medicine residency in Texas. Afterwards, she said she looks forward to coming back to the River Valley to continue pursing her professional medical career.
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