PHILADELPHIA, PA – An unbelievable event occurred yesterday afternoon in the Prometric MCAT computer testing center. A proctor at the testing site suddenly collapsed in the testing room during the MCAT administration.
Jeremy Towlins, a 20-year-old premedical student, rushed into action. “I didn’t even have time to think,” says Towlins. “I just immediately jumped up from my computer desk and started to evaluate the patient.” After accessing the downed patient, Towlins called for help and started his BLS protocol which he had memorized already. Towlins performed CPR and even was able to miraculously intubate the patient with several straws. He ran and was able to grab the AED, hook it up, and apply life-saving shocks to the patient who was in ventricular fibrillation. Local medics arrived several minutes later and transported the patient to Holy Cross Hospital where the patient is in stable condition thanks to Towlins. The story doesn’t end here though.
While Towlins was performing CPR, shocking the patient, and intubating him with straws, the other students in the room stayed in their little computer cubicles continuing to take the exam. “I noticed there was some commotion behind me, so I just pushed my ear plugs in a little further and blocked out my peripheral vision,” said Richard Branning who was taking the test in cubicle 3.
“I didn’t want to risk losing my one chance of getting into medical school,” said Erica Freemont in cubicle 5. “I have worked so hard to get into med school… I just couldn’t stop taking my test.”
After giving a thorough report to the local medics and physicians on the phone at Holy Cross, Towlins was denied entry back into the testing facility because “he had not signed out appropriately” when he left, which was against the test site policy. He argued with the testing administrators, who then voided his test on the spot. This eventually resulted in an automatic MCAT failure for Towlins, who was speechless upon hearing the results.
“Wow, that sucks to be him!” said another test taker, Fred Hightower. “I guess he will just have to wait another year in order to make it into medical school and treat real patients. I mean didn’t he learn anything from the Kaplan course? Rule 38, stay in your seat during any disturbance at the test center.”
