Nursing Ph.D. student recognized on TV talk show for aiding in lifesaving in-flight emergency

Settled into his seat after takeoff on his return flight from a Diversity Nurse Anesthesia Conference in Chicago to New York in 2022, Liberty University Online Programs doctoral student Ulysses Johnson III was drifting off to sleep when loud shouts cut through the music in his headphones. A passenger was experiencing a respiratory emergency, his skin taking on a blue hue, and the flight crew was locating an AED device. Johnson knew he could help.

As a longtime nurse, including experience with cardiac ICU, he was familiar with medical emergencies, but he had never had to call upon his training thousands of feet in the air.

“Once I heard the commotion, I offered my services. The flight crew stated they had a doctor and I should take a seat, but when I looked at the passenger, I noticed that he was in distress,” Johnson said. “I didn’t feel as if they were escalating things as quickly as they should have with the current state that I saw him in. Even though I’m an advanced practice nurse (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist [CRNA]), at the end of the day, I’m a nurse first. I’m very proud of being a nurse first, and that’s what I lead with. I’m always prepared, always ready to spring into action.”

And that’s what he did. He firmly urged the flight crew to land as soon as possible and kept the man’s airway open while the doctor began administering CPR. They used the AED on the passenger twice. A trauma nurse who also happened to be aboard the flight helped give the man a rescue breath while Johnson continued compressions for five to 10 minutes. The man finally began to breathe steady enough and the plane landed back in Chicago, where an EMS vehicle took him to a hospital.

To this day, Johnson does not know the man’s name or exactly what was causing the in-flight emergency.

“It was the kind of situation where you just spring into action, and then after the dust settles, you kind of say, ‘Wow, that really just happened,’” Johnson said. “But it just goes to show that all these years of training and all these years of practicing means you can just jump in there and do what you can. I just feel that God was working through me to be at the right place at the right time.”

The experience led Johnson crossing paths with television personality Sherri Shepherd, host of ABC’s daytime talk show “Sherri,” who happened to be a passenger on the flight. Earlier this year, nearly three years after the in-air incident, Johnson happened to see Shepherd on the street in New York City, and he introduced himself as one of the medical professionals from the flight. Impressed by Johnson’s actions, Shepherd invited him to a taping of her show, and she acknowledged him in the audience during the episode’s opening on Jan. 29.

Johnson has always sought out ways he can use his medical career to impact others, particularly groups that are underrepresented in the anesthesia field.

“I have aspirations of starting a nurse anesthesia program at a historically black college or university to help bridge the gap in the number of minorities in the profession. Out of 77,000 CRNAs in the country, only 4.5 percent of that are people of color, and I don’t feel as if that’s an accurate reflection of our patient population. I’m always looking for opportunities to make a difference. I want to make sure that I can be a true vessel to help others reach their goals.”

This pursuit led him to Liberty’s Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.) – Nursing Education program, which he says will better equip him to create curriculum and programming.

“I like to teach, and I like to align myself with things that are going to make me stronger in my profession,” he said. “I wanted to be in a place where I have the tools that I need to be a very strong and productive educator, and I feel as if the cohort at Liberty really gives you classes from a curriculum development perspective. It really gives you tools that you need to be a strong and efficient professor.”

Johnson plans to complete his dissertation by this fall. He said Liberty’s online platform has helped him advance his career while balancing work and other interests that are important to him.

“I like the Christian principles that Liberty stands for, and I appreciated how Liberty is geared toward the working adult,” he said. “It has allowed me the opportunity to continue working as a nurse anesthetist and affords me the flexibility to do other things that I do, like volunteering and mentorship. It really has given me the flexibility to be able to juggle both worlds and still have a personal life on top of that.”

Liberty’s Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (Ph.D.) – Nursing Education program prepares nurses to influence their field by equipping them with the knowledge and research experience that is important to become a faculty member at a university or educator in a medical facility. Graduates could serve in hospital administration or take on roles in health policy advocacy or nursing research.