During a nurse’s career, they will be thrust, often unexpectedly, into intense and grave situations. They must learn to think critically and develop plans on a dime. they must know how to treat a patient in cardiac arrest, manage a mass-casualty situation, and in the case of Jake Loutensock, how to respond as a man lay helpless in the snow.
Jake is currently finishing his fifth semester at BYU College of Nursing and is excited to begin his career, hopefully in an intensive care unit or emergency room. He has wanted to work in medicine ever since he was a child, and after several personal experiences with great nurses who helped him through illness, he said there was a “gravitational pull” subconsciously leading him to nursing. When he isn’t studying or getting clinical experience, Jake can be found doing something active. At this time of year, he dons his skis and takes to the mountains.
On November 29th, Jake and his family decided to do some post-Thanksgiving skiing at Utah’s Snowbird ski resort. Preparing their gear, they decided to shake things up a bit and take a different route than normal. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and Jake was excited to be back on the trails. All was well as he descended the mountain until a man ahead of him wiped out. At first, Jake didn’t think anything of it. After all, falling is part of the game. However, the bloodstains on the hard, icy snow and the man’s unresponsiveness “snapped Jake into nurse mode.”
Throwing off his skis, Jake knelt over the unresponsive man, who’d crashed face-first onto snow that felt more like concrete. He directed one bystander to call 911 and Ski Patrol, then removed his gloves to check the patient’s pulse. Jake dug his fingers in, searching for the faintest rhythm. “I just couldn’t believe that he didn’t have a pulse.” Finding nothing, Jake had to face the grave reality – the man’s heart had stopped. Trusting his assessment and knowing what to do, Jake removed as many layers from the man as possible and initiated CPR.
Another man with medical training arrived to join Jake, and they worked as a team to resuscitate the man while they waited for Ski Patrol to arrive. Though it was a blur for him, Jake estimated they were doing chest compressions on the cold trail for around five minutes before more professionals came.
Jake breathed a sigh of relief after he finally detected a faint pulse, and in a flash, the poor skier was whisked away on a patrol toboggan. Jake fell back on the snow, his mind still trying to catch up to his body. In the space of a few minutes, a typical day shredding on the mountain had turned into an effort to save a man’s life, and Jake had been right in the middle of it all.
Reflecting on the experience afterward, Jake attributed his success to the amazing education BYU College of Nursing has given him. “It was chaotic and stressful,” he remarked. “Though I wasn’t totally calm, I knew I had the right set of skills.” He said he probably wouldn’t have reacted the same way two or three years ago, but working with professors, cooperating with other students, a study-abroad in India (where he practiced CPR), and other BYU-based experiences have shaped him. Indeed, it was those hours of experience and mentored learning that pushed him past his initial fear.
My nursing education at BYU, my professors, my mentors, other students, it all culminated in me being in the right place at the right time.
BYU College of Nursing has also helped Jake serve others as the Savior would, and up on that mountain, he couldn’t help but feel that he was doing Christ’s work. “This is a man who I’ve never met and who I had no affiliation with…I could’ve kept skiing, but I think I acted in a way that Christ would have,” he said with reverence.
Stopping to serve a complete stranger can be hard, but Jake acted as an instrument in the hands of the Master Healer, who knows that man perfectly. “Going Forth to Serve” doesn’t just mean international work or meticulously planned projects, it can be anywhere and anytime, and Jake knows the Lord will position him to do good.
Jake has a newfound resolve to be ready when the Lord calls. In his words, he “always wants to be prepared to help someone,” whether in a hospital or on a mountain. He wants to get as much education as possible, with plans to receive more certifications and potentially go on to a graduate program.
Ultimately, Jake wants all of his peers to realize that they can make a difference and that the difficulty and stress of learning are the very things that make someone capable. “When school is rigorous and challenging, that’s the key that makes someone ready in the needed moments,” he said.
The night of the emergency, Jake received a phone call from Snowbird staff thanking him for his efforts. He was assured that the man he’d helped save was in stable condition and would likely make a full recovery, news that let Jake breathe easy once again. He was satisfied to have played an important part in ministering to one of Heavenly Father’s children.
Jake’s experience was also publicized by ABC4 Utah, that article can be read here.