HFC nursing student’s quick actions helped protect a patient having a seizure

HFC nursing student Amanda Binz was a Presidential Scholar on a full-ride scholarship at Eastern Michigan University.

She decided to go into a field where she could impact people in a big way, and transferred to the HFC nursing program.

On her last day of clinicals at Beaumont Oakwood, Dearborn, Binz and several HFC nursing classmates gathered in the hallway, preparing to leave the floor for the last time, when a woman ran out of a patient’s room and cried for help.

“She yelled that something was wrong with the patient. Our group ran into the room and we saw the patient having a seizure,” said Binz.

With the knowledge that Binz and her classmates had just learned two weeks prior, they were able to help keep the patient safe in the moments until a nurse arrived. They surrounded the bed on all sides to provide physical padding against the railing. They maintained the patient's airway by ensuring he remained in a position where he could breathe. They ensured his bed was as low to the ground as possible to minimize risks from a possible fall.

“My classmate called out the time of the start of the seizure, and other students grabbed the crash cart, which the nurse requested when she arrived," said Binz. "We were able to give the nursing and medical teams some information about the severity of the seizure. We left the room, to provide space for the hospital team to provide medications and treatments.”

HFC Nursing program provided hands-on experience

Binz credits her HFC nursing training for her and her classmates' rapid, professional response.

“What we learned two weeks before is the reason we were able to help this patient. The knowledge we gained from our virtual simulation taught us what we should do,” said Binz. “As students, we have limited knowledge on the medical side of seizure protocols, but without having learned some techniques, we would have been unprepared to assist the patient as well as we did."

Binz reflects on the value of the program in her life. "The nursing program has prepared me to be a more active member of a healthcare team. HFC is excellent in promoting advocacy and instilling a sense of confidence in myself and my fellow students. Teaching us to do what we can and remain within the limits of our knowledge allowed my classmates and me to help this patient.”

It was a pretty straightforward situation, according to Binz. It was also the one of the first major events of her nursing career.

“I trust that there will be many more events like that, but this was the first instance where I felt confident in my assessment and understanding of a high-stress situation. It felt good,” said Binz.

“The virtual clinical scenario training involved a pediatric patient. Amanda applied what she had learned to an adult patient in the hospital. She self-reported that she was able to use the nursing interventions that she had learned in our simulation,” said HFC nursing instructor Sherri Klenczar.

“Nursing faculty delight in these successes as we see the students apply their non-conventional simulation-based learning to patients in an acute care setting,” she said. “Amanda is a great student with a bright future in the nursing profession. I am proud of her quick actions to provide excellent nursing care. Patients and their families will benefit from the care they receive from Amanda.”

From linguistics to nursing

A 2013 graduate of Sylvania Northview High School in Ohio, Binz earned a Presential Scholarship to EMU. The scholarship is EMU’s most prestigious award for first-year students, and is awarded to a small number of students. It covers full tuition, room, and board for four years, which is nearly a $100,000 value at EMU. Binz was studying Linguistics and English Language at EMU, where she was a co-founder of OneGirl, a non-profit organization that worked in underserved areas to create an after-school leadership program for young girls.

It was a good experience, but it wasn't enough to meet Binz’s aspirations. “I found that I wasn’t fulfilled in a position behind a computer or in front of a book. I needed face-to-face interaction,” she said. “I knew I wanted to help people, and nursing became the obvious choice when I learned about the variety of specialties and fields I could grow into.”

After deciding she wanted to study nursing, Binz enrolled at HFC.

“My future sister-in-law, Rachael Taurence, was a student at HFC, and she had finished the program nearly a decade ago,” she said. “I chose HFC because the program had great reviews from my sister-in-law and others. I had also heard great things about the faculty. I knew I needed a program where there was an open flow of communication and respect between faculty and students.”

Setting her sights on a graduate degree and a career as a Nurse Practitioner

Binz will earn her associate degree in nursing from HFC at the end of this year. Afterward, she plans to transfer to either to EMU or Wayne State University to pursue her bachelor’s degree in nursing. Then she plans to pursue a master’s degree in nursing practice at Wayne State. Binz already earned an associate degree in science at Owens Community College in Perrysburg, OH.

“I want to work in behavioral health. These conditions can vary from organic brain disorders, mood disorders, ADHD, schizophrenia, PTSD, to substance abuse disorders. I am still deciding what I want to do in behavioral health. My goal is to become a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) and to work in a practice that specializes in both holistic health and medical management for patients with various diseases. I hope to use evidence-based practices to create environments for healing.”