Shawn Hetrick
December 2021
Shawn
Hetrick
,
ASN, RN
Emergency Department
Indiana University Health Morgan
Martinsville
,
IN
United States

 

 

 

This patient had been placed on hospice and was going home to be with his family and did not have much time left. Shawn knew that we had to find a way to get this patient on his way home.
IU Health Morgan received a call from an ambulance crew that was transporting a patient on bi-pap from Indianapolis to Southern Indiana and was running out of oxygen and would be passing our facility and asked if we could help. They arrived in our ambulance bay, and Shawn greeted them with two O2 tanks; however, the patient was over breathing and using quite a bit of oxygen, and two tanks were not going to get him where he was going. The ambulance crew had contacted their supervisor about their need for O2, and it was going to be an hour to get a new tank to them. She reached out to our Facilities Supervisor to assess how much oxygen we had on hand to supply what was needed to get this patient to their destination. Our ED medic also reached out to local EMS to see if they could fill or provide O2 for this ambulance, and they arrived within minutes to assess what was needed. Our Facilities Supervisor then called back to say that we had a large tank available that would supply enough oxygen, and all, including the patient, felt relief. The patient asked Shawn, who had climbed in the back of the ambulance to help, if he was “going to make it.” She assured him that he was and that she would get him oxygen. As the tank was being retrieved, however, the ventilator failed. We had to then bring the patient in and assume care with our ventilator. During this time, Shawn learned that this patient had been placed on hospice and was going home to be with his family and did not have much time left. She knew that we had to find a way to get this patient on his way home. Once the patient was brought into the ED and placed on our ventilator, the ambulance crew continued to search for a ventilator. Their supervisor arrived with an additional oxygen tank without realizing that the ventilator had failed. The patient was afraid that he would not make it home in time. All we needed was a ventilator and oxygen. Shawn reached out to local EMS, explained the situation, and asked if they could help get this patient a ventilator and transport him home. They arrived with a brand-new ventilator and said their medic would ride with the ambulance crew to take this patient home. Shawn’s compassion was heart-warming and inspiring. It is moments like this that humble us, exhibit our values, and reflect why we chose these professions.