Not all patient care technicians have the chance to save someone’s life, but Sir Edward Potier-Jones did it in his first six months on the job.
Potier-Jones was working as a sitter in the Emergency Department at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital when his patient began choking.
“She has Huntington’s disease, so she has trouble controlling her muscles,” he said. “She started coughing and reaching for her throat, which are classic signs of choking. So I started with back slaps, but when I saw that wasn’t working, I did the Heimlich maneuver. I didn’t really think about it; I just reacted. I really hope she and her family are doing well now.”
The patient had been eating a cup of peaches, said Lisa Britt, B.S.N., R.N., CEN, ED director.
“Sir quickly responded to the patient’s need and sat her up in the bed with her feet hanging off the side of the bed,” she said. “He began doing the Heimlich maneuver and the patient spit out the pieces of fruit across the room. He did a great job and prevented what could have been a negative outcome.”
Potier-Jones joined the hospital in December, after first training as an emergency medical technician.
“I was originally going to be a firefighter, but they said I needed to complete EMT training first,” he said. “Throughout my clinicals, I wound up falling more and more in love with the medical side of things. So after I graduated, I applied to be a PCT.”
This may have been the first time he saved a life, but it probably won’t be the last.
“I’m trying to go to medical school,” Potier-Jones said. “I want to specialize in surgery – either cardiothoracic, trauma or transplant. I like the excitement.”
By Robin P. Loveman • Posted June 22, 2021
