This post is written by guest writer and MEPN student Kelsey Marckstadt
The Eric Paredes Save A Life Foundation is an organization based in San Diego that is spreading the awareness of sudden cardiac arrest in our youth. Through education and action, the parents of Eric Paredes are influencing families, educators, elected officials and the medical community to recognize the incidence of youth sudden cardiac arrest/death (SCA/D) and the importance of preventative heart screenings. They have a vison of exposing sudden cardiac arrest as an overlooked health risk affecting young people, leading to mandatory cardiac screenings and the required placement of AED’s in schools and youth centers.
Every few months there is a Save A Life event that is organized at a local high school here in San Diego where we screen teens for cardiac abnormalities. It gives nursing students great experience in working with teenagers and children ranging from the ages of twelve to eighteen years and also with young adults up to the age of twenty-five.
Nursing students are primarily assigned to the EKG room where they are in charge of placing leads and performing the 12-lead EKG. Other stations include the questionnaire table where nursing students obtain a history on each person being screened and a hands-only CPR station where volunteers teach teens and family members the importance of acting fast in a medical emergency.
University of San Diego School of Nursing has been bringing student volunteers to participate at these screenings for many years. It has easily become my favorite event to attend in the community. As the 2018-2019 student nurse recruiter from USD, I encourage everyone to participate at the next event to see for yourself how rewarding it is.
Come kick off the beginning of fall semester on August 26th at the next Save A Life screening!!
Interested in volunteering?
Please send me an e-mail at: kmarckstadt@sandiego.edu
