What started out as a day with the family ended up being much more for NeCole Ethridge.
Ethridge, the ATI/NCLEX success coordinator at American Career College-Lynwood and a licensed vocational nurse, was returning home from a weekend outing when she pulled up to the aftermath of a car accident.
"I turned the corner and saw a silver SUV that had crashed into a wall. The nurse in me pulled over," Ethridge said. "Nurses don't sit on the sidelines. We jump into action when needed."
As she got out of her car, Ethridge's husband pointed out a man lying on the ground. As she approached, Ethridge noticed a second wrecked car down the road and an older man walking around, disoriented.
The second driver didn't speak English, but Ethridge was able to determine with her limited Spanish that he was bleeding, couldn't find his phone and had chest pains.
"Both airbags had deployed in his car," she said. "I asked him how bad the pain in his chest was and he said it was a 5 out of 10."
Before emergency crews arrived, Ethridge got the man to sit down and talked to him about what was going on.
"I couldn't help him medically but I was able to calm him down and help him be understood in such a chaotic moment, which is what he needed," Ethridge said. "You do what your training tells you to do."
Once firefighters arrived, Ethridge stepped back and let them assess the two victims. After the men had been treated and transported, Ethridge said a few of the firefighters from Station 173 came over and thanked her for helping out. Before getting back in her car, Ethridge asked if she and her daughter could take a photo with them. The firefighters eagerly agreed.
"Afterwards, my son said, 'You really are a nurse.' And I told him, 'Yes, I am,'" Ethridge said.
