From CPR to nursing
Freshman Halle Bluhm has already faced both fixing scraped knees and saving lives during her time in the medical field.
By Greta Wilson
Halle Bluhm’s main concern was keeping the man alive. Bluhm, 18, kneeled on the gurney, pushing down 2 inches into the man’s chest as the other emergency responders pushed them into a lab to examine his heart.
One year later, Bluhm spends her time drawing diagrams of the lungs while studying for anatomy tests in CC125. Her pre-nursing major friends made an Instagram account to document how crazy they can feel while learning the different functions of the human body. A freshman pre-nursing major with biology and psychology minors, Bluhm is working towards becoming an emergency room or pediatrics intensive care unit nurse, two intense jobs in the field.
“I fell in love with the adrenaline rush and never having the same day,” Bluhm said.
Before coming to Bethel, Bluhm attended Central Lakes College in Brainerd as a PSEO student. She earned a Certified Nursing Assistant. In the fall of 2022, at 17, Bluhm took Emergency Medical Technician classes. She says she was the first woman and youngest person to graduate from the relatively new program.
“We were proud of each experience she gained and we were excited to hear and see God work through her as she served as a CNA and cared for people as an EMT in training.” Jenn Bluhm, her mother
While enrolled, Bluhm spent eight hour mornings working as a CNA at Whitefish at the Lakes senior living in Crosslake, MN. She would then go to Century Lakes College from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. to take EMT classes. Once she began training in the ambulances, she worked 12 hours on and then 12 hours off.
“We were proud of each experience she gained and we were excited to hear and see God work through her as she served as a CNA and cared for people as an EMT in training,” her mom Jenn Bluhm said. “There were many situations, specifically during [COVID-19], where we worried about her big heart. As patients in her care passed and she held their hands or hugged their loved ones it wore on Halle’s heart. But she found strength in knowing she was doing what God had planned for her.”
During the spring of her senior year, Bluhm learned to drive the ambulance, provide care in the back and navigate to assist the emergency responders. She couldn’t carve out time to study for the final EMT certification because she was going to work as a lifeguard for the summer and starting her school year at Bethel right after that. Because she did not get the final EMT certification, she is classified as an emergency responder and is protected to provide care if necessary under the Good Samaritan law.
“She’s very persistent. You tell her to take a break and she’s like ‘five more minutes.’ Five minutes can turn into five hours. She’s very passionate about what she does.” –Ruth Otto, friend and pre-nursing major
During this time, Bluhm helped with chores around her parent’s house in Breezy Point, doing the dishes and laundry. She cared for her highlander cow, Kenzie, and the many other animals at home: dairy and beef cows, dogs, cat, ducks and chickens.
“She’s very persistent,” friend and fellow freshman pre-nursing major Ruth Otto said. “You tell her to take a break and she’s like ‘five more minutes.’ Five minutes can turn into five hours. She’s very passionate about what she does.”
Bluhm has used her healthcare skills while working at Trout Lake Camps throughout the summer. She began lifeguarding in 2021 and was the head lifeguard for two summers. While lifeguarding Big Trout Lake, Bluhm helped kids of all ages with cut toes and skinned knees. She also drove boats with tubes in tow, taught kids how to swim and stood on a dock watching to make sure nobody drowned. At both the beginning and end of the summer, she and the other lifeguards walked with weights on the bottom of the lake to anchor inflatables. This upcoming summer, she will be able to utilize her nursing skills by being the nursing assistant the whole summer.
Last summer, she was awarded a $2,000 Trout-Bethel Scholarship, which doubles each year that she returns to both Bethel and Trout. This money provided her financial stability while she is the first in the family to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree.
“I’m excited to obviously save lives [when I’m a nurse] but also to be able to share the love of Christ in people’s worst days,” Bluhm said.
