Going into her final semester as a Viterbo nursing major, 2024 graduate Haleigh Zanoni had a job waiting for her in the neuro ICU at UW Health in Madison, the state’s No. 1 trauma center. Would she really be ready to handle the most intense cases imaginable right out of school?
If there was any doubt that the mentorship from her professors, the sim lab training, and her real-world experience from her internships had prepared her to handle “the worst of the worst,” Zanoni proved she was ready by saving a man’s life.
A standout at first base for the Viterbo softball team, Zanoni was at a tournament when she learned an umpire had collapsed. When she got to him, he had no pulse, his skin a blueish gray.
She knew exactly what to do.
Zanoni directed chest compressions while she retrieved an AED and successfully jolted the man’s heart back to life.
“It was a surreal moment for me, but it gave me such confidence that I was ready for just about anything,” said Zanoni, who plans to further her education to become a nurse practitioner.
Adventure Awaits Nursing Graduate Lana Yeakel
Graduation is an exciting time, as seniors get ready to begin their careers. That’s especially true for Viterbo nursing major and spring 2023 undergraduate commencement speaker Lana Yeakel, for whom an adventure of sorts awaits.