Jan 28, 2010 9:12:52 AM

Ensign Jen Ferreira spent four years at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, scoring goals and serving up assists as a soccer player while receiving academic and military instruction -- but delivering a baby wasn't part of the curriculum.

That, however, is what Ferreira found herself doing in the aftermath of this month's earthquake in Haiti after she and other crew members on the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma arrived in a harbor near Port-au-Prince.

Ferreira's experiences were reported this week on the Coast Guard Academy Web site.

The four-year soccer letter-winner, who played her last game in late October 2008 and graduated with the academy's Class of 2009, drew upon training she had once received in an EMT course to offer basic care for wounds and broken limbs during the crew's first foray onto land – just two days after the quake.

"I witnessed many members of our crew pushing themselves outside their comfort zone to provide crucial care," she said. "Their bravery saved a lot of lives. I spent my time ashore trying to stabilize patients. I made splints and slings as well as cleaned and covered open wounds to prevent infection. Many of the injuries I saw were way beyond the level of care I'm able to provide; however, just taking the time to clean and wrap it gave these people hope."

Then, three days later, she found herself dealing with an emergency of another sort while accompanying a Navy medical team ashore. Ferreira was approached by a woman saying she was in labor.

"There were only the two doctors that day and they had a lot of patients to see, so I told (one of the doctors) I could take care of it for now and that I had previously been trained to deliver (during my EMT course)," she said.

After finding space in a storage room to provide some privacy, Ferreira and three other women prepared for the delivery, with Ferreira monitoring vital signs and coaching the first-time mom on breathing. Just before birth, Ferreira summoned a doctor, then assisted in the delivery.

The baby's mother asked Ferreira to name the infant boy, and Ferreira suggested giving him his father's name, Jeffrey.

During the next few days, Ferreira was able to shift her focus from providing medical care herself to helping prepare patients for evacuation.

"I was absolutely terrified the entire time I was over there. I acted strictly on instinct and adrenaline," she said, adding she had it had been two years since she had taken the academy's "professional rescuer" course that included first-aid training and more than five years since the EMT training.

"I don't consider myself a medical provider by any means; however, in Haiti, people were calling me Doctor."

On the soccer field at Coast Guard, Ferreira led the Bears in goals and points during her junior season, and during her senior year she became the first academy student-athlete ever to score a goal against New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference foe Wheaton (Massachusetts), a perennial national power.

Now, she can call herself a first responder, too.