Health Care Hero: This nurse saved a woman from a bad crash. How she later helped the nurse

The Dayton Daily News is profiling the people who work hard every day to save lives and take care of us. Nominate a Health Care Hero by emailing Rebecca.Mullins@coxinc.com.

Name: Heather Cramblett

Hometown (where you live now): St.Paris

Job title: OR/SDS/PACU/CSP Manager

Where do you work: Mercy Health-Urbana Hospital

COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Describe what your day is like/what you do: My day starts at 6 a.m., rounding with staff and preparing for the busy surgery day. Throughout the day, I constantly cross-reference times and schedules, tasking to stay on schedule. I try to meet every patient and their loved ones who come to our hospital for surgical services. I complete supply inventory and develop plans to better our services to patients.

What inspired you to get into health care? My grandmother suffered a massive stroke when I was younger. I saw the amount of care that was needed. I have always enjoyed helping others. Nursing school would give me the education to understand the whys and hows behind medical issues and then evolve my knowledge of treatments and care.

Health Care Hero: ‘I became a nurse to make a difference’

What's a memorable experience you've had in health care? One of the most memorable experience I have had in the health care is not what I did but how my initial experience came back to me. I was a flight nurse. It was the end of my shift and we had many flights that night. At 7:30 a.m., we were flying back from a previous flight in Indiana, and as we were heading back to our base the call came in that there was a car crash on I-75 that needed our services. After cross checking with the crew, we took the call — one last call even though our shift was over.

As we landed on scene, the patient was being extricated. We loaded the patient in the aircraft, provided care and took the patient to the hospital to receive the surgical care and ICU care needed. Our day finally ended at the 16-hour mark. As a flight nurse, there were times you never knew the outcome of the situation. This was one I followed for a few weeks with what I thought would be not be a positive outcome.

Health Care Hero: ‘I really love my job’

Fast forward life six years and I myself was in need. My sister was in the hospital after enduring an unexpected surgery requiring extensive care. Being a nurse, I was by her side every day. After several days in the hospital I was exhausted and needed someone else to help provide my sister with care. That’s when a hospital employee came in to help. She provided my sister excellent care, giving me a break to regroup, and I felt comfortable with her helping. As we started talking, we realized she was the patient I had flown six years prior. She survived and was functioning! I was so excited I reached out to my partner that was flying with me that night and updated him. We couldn’t believe she survived. At that moment I had one of the most surreal moments in my career!

What do you want readers to know about your job right now? The nursing field has many options. I started health care as an aide while going to school and working part-time. I graduated and began my career on an advanced care floor, then ICU, then a flight nurse and now a manager of surgery. It's the evolution of the health care field. Surgery is an area where critical and precise care and understanding is implemented.

Mercy Health puts the patient at the center of everything we do. I am proud to be part of surgical care services where I can positively impact the patient experience from start to finish.