Several years ago Erin Qualley and I were working a weekend together and we got an emergency phone call that every nurse dreads getting: "Choking Baby Being Driven to Hospital by Private Vehicle"! Nothing puts fear in a nurse's heart like this type of phone call. The baby was in our ER back door just as we'd finished calling the physician. The baby was gasping for breath and Erin was able to visualize a foreign object at the back of the throat. She called to me to get her a hemostat, a surgical instrument, which I did and she deftly removed the foreign object, which was sealing the trachea each time the baby was trying to take a breath.
Without Erin's quick thinking and skill, I believe there would have been a very different outcome for this family that day. The doctor arrived in time to see that all was well with this child and there were tears of joy all around. After being examined thoroughly by the physician, the child was discharged home.
My respect for Erin and the nursing profession grew immensely that day. That family's life was forever changed by her bravery in removing that foreign object. That's not something one is taught in nursing school. Erin saved a life that day, before my very eyes; like in slow-motion but lightning fast. She has saved many lives since then but this one was special.
I have watched Erin grow from a young nurse to a very experienced nurse. She possesses strong leadership skills and welcomes new opportunities to learn and to grow academically as well. She has my utmost respect as a professional nurse in every area I have seen her perform, including, ER, Medical floor, swingbed, and working with the terminally ill.