Fall 2015 Perspectives

20 • NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY While participating in her cardiology rotation at the Memorial Medical Office Center in Hollywood, Florida, Michelle Santamaria experienced the thrill of a lifetime when she was able to save a baby’s life. At the time, Santamaria, who is a class of 2015 physician assistant student, was taking a short break to buy a cup of coffee during a typically busy day on her rotation. As she was waiting at the coffee stand, a sudden drama unfolded when a man stepped out of the nearby elevator. “He shouted, ‘Is there a doctor?’ and then hurried over to me,” said Santamaria. “The lobby was full of patients, and I guess he spotted me wearing my white coat. He asked if I was a doctor. I told him no, I’m a student and asked how I could help.” The man told her that his baby was not breathing, so Santamaria hurried over with him to a stroller, which contained a two-month-old baby whose eyes were closed. Santamaria quickly observed that the baby was not displaying chest-wall movement. “I put my finger under the baby’s nostrils and found no warm air coming from the nose. All of a sudden, the baby’s cheeks turned blue, so I immediately started chest compressions,” she said. Because the baby had a circular metal device surround- ing her head, which seemed to be holding her chin aligned, Santamaria was hesitant to give rescue breaths. “Thankfully, within 30 seconds, the bluish color dis- appeared, and the baby opened her eyes. She coughed weakly, as if she was attempting to expel something.” At this time, both a physician and nurse practitioner joined Santamaria, and the three of them rapidly wheeled the stroller to the physician’s nearby office. Physician Assistant Thinking Fast BY PAMELA JAFFEY, M.D., FCAP, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Physician Assistant Student Saves Baby FORT LAUDERDALE Michelle Santamaria, class of 2015 PA student, is shown at Memorial Regional Hospital.