Heather Snyder
March 2023
Heather
Snyder
,
RN
Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Cleveland
,
OH
United States
Heather never gave up, even when there was a small setback she would push forward.
Heather began her nursing career in 2018 with the grand opening of Q5, Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at the Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus. Heather has taken on an informal leadership role within the unit and has been a consistent backbone for the newer caregivers to rely on. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Heather has taken care of some of the sickest patients within the CVICU requiring ECMO support.
ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and is similar to the heart-lung bypass machine used in open heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. Heather has been a dedicated ECMO-certified caregiver for the last two years and has really stepped up in providing compassionate care during extremely difficult moments in these patients’ lives.
Throughout her nursing career, Heather has received several Caregiver Celebrations from her fellow colleagues as well as patients and their families. The recognition is as follows:
“Heather is a rockstar. She never leaves my husband alone. She is always staring at his screens and thinking. She is so positively persistent with moving forward-encouraging the team to do more. She gets stuff done- all to D’s benefit. She is also his biggest cheerleader-pushing him, encouraging him, and celebrating the wins with him!”
There is no greater compliment than this, to be seen as the cheerleader who is by your side every day ensuring you and your family that you are getting better. During another instance, Heather cared for a patient who had a rare fungal infection as well as COVID-19, both requiring ECMO support. The patient was a young mother of 4 and Heather made sure each day to ensure her that her children were doing great and to show pictures and have facetime videos once she was able to sit up and talk. Heather never gave up, even when there was a small setback she would push forward. Her positivity for recovery radiated in every shift. The family recognized the consistent and thorough carefulness that was provided by Heather, and how she never stopped looking for ways to provide the best care possible for her patients. The bond did not stop once recovery was achieved and on a follow-up visit to CCF, Heather was right by her side.
Heather embodies nursing in every facet. She is clinically in tune and sharp. She is engaging and not afraid to ask tough questions. Heather sees the human in the bed. She connects to the family and provides the spark that keeps each patient persevering on the road to recovery. Every patient and every nurse should aspire to have met Heather in their lifetime!
ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and is similar to the heart-lung bypass machine used in open heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. Heather has been a dedicated ECMO-certified caregiver for the last two years and has really stepped up in providing compassionate care during extremely difficult moments in these patients’ lives.
Throughout her nursing career, Heather has received several Caregiver Celebrations from her fellow colleagues as well as patients and their families. The recognition is as follows:
“Heather is a rockstar. She never leaves my husband alone. She is always staring at his screens and thinking. She is so positively persistent with moving forward-encouraging the team to do more. She gets stuff done- all to D’s benefit. She is also his biggest cheerleader-pushing him, encouraging him, and celebrating the wins with him!”
There is no greater compliment than this, to be seen as the cheerleader who is by your side every day ensuring you and your family that you are getting better. During another instance, Heather cared for a patient who had a rare fungal infection as well as COVID-19, both requiring ECMO support. The patient was a young mother of 4 and Heather made sure each day to ensure her that her children were doing great and to show pictures and have facetime videos once she was able to sit up and talk. Heather never gave up, even when there was a small setback she would push forward. Her positivity for recovery radiated in every shift. The family recognized the consistent and thorough carefulness that was provided by Heather, and how she never stopped looking for ways to provide the best care possible for her patients. The bond did not stop once recovery was achieved and on a follow-up visit to CCF, Heather was right by her side.
Heather embodies nursing in every facet. She is clinically in tune and sharp. She is engaging and not afraid to ask tough questions. Heather sees the human in the bed. She connects to the family and provides the spark that keeps each patient persevering on the road to recovery. Every patient and every nurse should aspire to have met Heather in their lifetime!