PA College Magazine - Fall 2022 - 16

EVENTS &
ALUMNI
NEWS
Amanda Canelo: Saving Lives
On and Off the Clock
By Rochelle A. Shenk
Working at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital,
alumna Amanda Canelo, RN '22 cares for patients daily as
she transitions from student to practicing nurse. But being
a nurse doesn't stop when you're off the clock.
Coming off a 12-hour shift in June, her skills were put to
the test. " My husband had picked me up and as we were
driving home, I saw a group of people gathered around
a woman lying on the ground. I had my husband pull
over and went to help. I presumed the man hovering over
the woman was a doctor, but as I helped turn her over,
I realized that wasn't the case. I was the one in charge, "
Amanda says.
" I had never even responded to a code {cardiac arrest}
and I didn't have any equipment - a stethoscope or even
a penlight. But when I saw her pupils go from large to
pinpoint, I thought I lost her and knew I had to act and
act quickly; I had to save her life. I was able to arouse
the woman and began asking questions. She murmured
about having POTS {Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia
Syndrome}. I knew about that from a previous job at an
LG Health Urgent Care. She needed fluids, and we needed
to keep her alert and cool her down. Luckily someone had
a bottle of water. She said she was scared, and I held her as
she stopped breathing once and then twice. After arousing
her again, I told her I wouldn't leave her and she had two
nurses - myself and another woman - looking out for her.
The ambulance arrived and I briefed the medics as the
woman thanked me over and over for being there. "
Amanda says she was glad she was in the right place to help
the woman. " We don't usually take that route home - it's
like I was meant to be in that place at that time. I didn't
realize until then how much I had learned in my nursing
16
PACOLLEGE.EDU
Alumni
Profile
classes. Everything felt right when I was doing it - it
showed me that I could take charge. I felt so confident
and know that in the future I could do it again. That day
removed any doubt in my mind that I was meant to be a
nurse, " she says.
It was Amanda's grandmother, a nurse in England during
World War II, who inspired her to become a nurse. She
and her husband and family moved from New York City in
2018 so Amanda could pursue her career. " I was working
a Monday through Friday 9 to 5 job in New York. There
are only a few nights or weekend nursing programs there,
and most of them were full and had a long wait list, " she
explains, " Because I was in my 30s, I didn't want to wait
any longer. After researching programs in nearby states, I
found PA College, and it sounded like the right fit for me. "
" I am forever indebted to PA College. It helped me to
show my kids that if you really want something, and
you stay consistent (especially after setbacks) you can do
anything in this life! "
Amanda is currently working in the bariatric/wound
medical surgical unit at Lancaster General Hospital
" providing patient care and making sure every patient feels
heard and seen. " She's continuing her education in our
BSN program, with plans to also earn a master's degree and
become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. " During one of my
classes, we went to Philhaven, and something about taking
care of people in a mental and behavioral health care setting
resonated with me, " Amanda says.
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PA College Magazine - Fall 2022

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