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Coe student-athlete parlays learning into action

Sometimes when people go through instruction they never think they’ll actually apply what they’re being taught.

That wasn’t the case for Jason Taylor-Ohmes, a junior athletic training student and member of the wrestling team at Coe College.

On August 18, the Coe men’s and women’s soccer teams reported to campus for preseason training. During the teams’ initial dinner, one of the men’s players began choking while eating. Fortunately, he happened to be sitting next to Taylor-Ohmes.

“I asked him a question, and he didn’t respond,” Taylor-Ohmes said. “I looked over, and he started coughing and turning blue.”

Taylor-Ohmes didn’t hesitate, instructing the player to stand up. Taylor-Ohmes removed the chair and began administering standing abdominal thrusts until the obstruction was cleared.

It was a procedure he had learned only days earlier.

“We had our athletic training students return last week to do some organizational stuff and get ready for our upcoming fall season,” said Shaun McCarthy, the head athletic trainer at Coe. “One of things I cover as a CPR instructor is CPR, AED and foreign-body airway obstruction management.

“It wasn’t two days later when Jason had to do a foreign-body airway obstruction revival on one of our student-athletes.”

“I didn't think I'd get to perform it, especially right after we were taught,” Taylor-Ohmes said. “It was good preparation.”

Taylor-Ohmes said it took about eight repetitions to clear the airway. The student-athlete was able begin practice the following day and experienced no complications as a result of the obstruction episode.

McCarthy said Taylor-Ohmes is the sixth person he has taught who has saved someone’s life with CPR or a foreign-body obstructed airway procedure.

“It probably happens more frequently away from the athletic training setting with family or friends,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s pretty important for people to learn these things.”

Watch a video interview with Taylor Ohmes here.