Nurse Watch: Two school nurses save life of a parent in cardiac arrest
Nurse Watch is compiled in conjunction with the AHA鈥檚 American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and highlights articles of interest to nurse leaders, nursing professionals and other health care leaders. For more about AONE, visit .
Two school nurses save life of a parent in cardiac arrest
Two school nurses saved the life of a 41-year-old mother who recently suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed in the lobby of a Poughkeepsie, N.Y., junior high school, the Poughkeepsie Journal . Nurse Mary Merenda immediately began performing CPR on the woman, who wasn鈥檛 breathing. Merenda also used the school鈥檚 defibrillator and called 911. Dane Dragonetti, another school nurse, came to her aid, as did police, who treated her again with a defibrillator. The woman then began breathing and is now expected to make a full recovery.
鈥淢ary and Dawn are real, live heroes in this community," Principal Steven Shuchat said. "What happened ... was nothing short of extraordinary."
CNO retires after storied career
Donna Poduska, chief nursing officer of UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., has retired after 50 years with the organization, the Coloradoan .
Poduska saw the organization through dramatic change, including the nursing profession鈥檚 evolving from one where 鈥測ou used to do whatever the doctor told you鈥 to a more autonomous practice, Poduska told the publication.
Poduska also hired a majority of the 800 nurses on the hospital鈥檚 current staff, and helped the organization achieve Magnet status five times.
Poduska鈥檚 husband, the hospital鈥檚 infection preventionist, spent 51 years at the organization and retired alongside her.
Executive moves
St. Louis-based Ascension has Amy Wilson for the newly created role of senior vice president for clinical operations. Previously, Wilson was CNO for Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, Tenn.
Stony Brook (N.Y.) University Hospital has Julie Mirkin CNO. Mirkin was most recently vice president for care coordination at NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.