Amy Tipton firmly believes that God puts us where we need to be when we need to be there. In Tipton’s case, her nursing skills will be there, too.
"You never know when you'll have to step up and do what you're trained to do," said Tipton, RN, BSN, CCRN, assistant nurse manager for acute and intensive care at WellStar Paulding Hospital in Dallas.
A few years ago, Tipton was at her daughter’s softball game when an elderly gentleman keeled over.
“People were yelling for help and it never crossed my mind not to go,” said Tipton, 45. “It didn’t really surprise me that when I saw the severity of the situation, my nursing skill just kicked in.”
Dick Hagman had suffered a heart attack, so Tipton administered CPR, while a paramedic — who was also there to watch the game — hooked up an automated external defibrillator. They administered advanced life support until an ambulance arrived.
“We resuscitated him, but he wasn’t responding well,” Tipton said.
Tipton knew the situation would be touch and go. She kept in touch with Hagman’s wife, Patricia, through his critical care days and several surgeries.
“I learned that they had not been married very long and she felt that this was not his time to go. She believes that I saved his life,” Tipton said.
Today, Tipton counts the Hagmans as good friends.
“I know that if I ever needed them, they’d be a phone call away, yet if it hadn’t been for us being in the same place at the same time, our paths would probably have never crossed,” she said.
Treating someone outside the comfort zone of a hospital “was scary and stressful,” but Tipton showed grace under pressure.
“A nurse’s natural response is to be helpful,” she said.
Tipton has always been a people person and was called early to the caring and compassion she saw in nursing.
“I never thought of anything else I wanted to do,” she said. “Nurses are placed in people’s lives when they are most vulnerable, and they use their knowledge and skills to make a difference.”
During her 25-year career, Tipton believes nursing has improved with a renewed focus on patient-centered care and evidence-based practice.
“I’ve always been inquisitive and stubborn, and those traits have stood me well in nursing,” Tipton said. “I want to know why and then what we can do about it.”
She loves using critical-thinking skills to see what her unit can do differently or better. Yet, when making rounds with the staff, Tipton will often take the time to sit with patients and their families.
“As a nurse manager, I’m in the middle of both worlds, but I love what I do and where I am,” she said. “I know I’m helping.”
