Standard resuscitation technique for drowning victims is to first clear the airways. Here the defibrillator paddles were applied first, as is clear from Jane spilling water from his mouth after the electric shock. His mouth and throat should have been cleared first, by turning his head, so he would not breathe more water into his lungs when his heart was restarted and his respiratory system started up. It only takes a couple of seconds.
The ER doctor mentions that Jane's subconscious is protecting him from recognizing Lisbon to protect himself from the pain of remembering his family's deaths. The subconscious is a theory hotly debated among psychology professionals, and not something ER doctors would normally dabble in.