Phoebe Schmehl
February 2023
Phoebe
Schmehl
,
RN
Emergency Department
WellSpan York Hospital
York
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

I am 100% certain that this patient was able to be stabilized, and survived, due to the action that Phoebe took that day. 
I have worked with Phoebe for the past 5 years in the Emergency Room.  There are countless times that she has gone above and beyond in her day-to-day care of patients.  On this particular day, I was the Flow RN in the ED.  I received an EMS call over the radio for a 2-month-old in respiratory distress who was only 6lbs.  The primary RN was fairly new and I could tell that she was very nervous about using the Giraffe warmer.  Phoebe saw the warmer being pushed to the room and jumped in to assist without skipping a beat.  When the patient arrived, they were mottled, lethargic, had retractions, struggled to breathe, and were hypothermic.  Phoebe did not skip a beat, took charge, and sprang into action.  She helped to educate not only the new nurse about what she was doing on the Giraffe warmer, but also the family on everything she was doing in order to ease a crying mother.  She acted quickly, with ease and precision, placing the patient on O2, turning on the warmer, establishing not 1, but bilateral IVs, and obtaining bloodwork.  We were then able to start fluids and antibiotics within 30 minutes of the patient arriving at the ED.  I am 100% certain that this patient was able to be stabilized, and survived, due to the action that Phoebe took that day.  Seeing a sick child is never easy, and emotions tend to run high while caring for a baby in distress.  Phoebe remained calm and collected throughout the entire situation.  She is an example of what every nurse in the ED strives to be.