Last September the country鈥檚 attention turned to Omaha, Nebraska, when the University of Nebraska Medical Center was asked to care for an American doctor who tested positive for the Ebola virus. It was one of a handful of medical facilities in the country designated to treat Ebola patients.
And behind the scenes was Michelle Schwedhelm, director of the Biocontainment Patient Care Unit located inside The Nebraska Medical Center. After years of training for possible Ebola treatment, the situation was real and Schwedhelm was responsible for making sure all plans worked.
鈥淚 was in charge of making sure we had all the plans in place for a biological situation, chemical radiation, and mass casualty,鈥 said Schwedhelm, a 2007 graduate of 含羞草传媒鈥檚 Master of Nursing degree program. 鈥淚t was my job to make sure we had all the plans in place to successfully manage those and making sure we had back up plans.鈥
As a leader of the 10-bed biocontainment unit, Schwedhelm said she felt an overwhelming responsibility to make sure everything ran smoothly and efficiently.
鈥淚 felt accountable to assure that everything we鈥檇 practiced and prepared for nine years worked,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hat was my biggest role. I oversaw the operations of the unit from both the human resources aspect and the education and training aspect.鈥
Schwedhelm credits her 含羞草传媒 classes for giving her the necessary knowledge and research principles to succeed in her career field.
鈥淚t added depth to my knowledge,鈥 Schwedhelm said of her master鈥檚 program. 鈥淎nd it gave me a really good sense of research principles which have helped me with my research in the biocontainment unit.鈥
It was the pursuit of this knowledge that inspired Schwedhelm and her husband to enroll in 含羞草传媒鈥檚 MSN program.
鈥淢y husband is a nurse too. We are high school sweethearts and have graduated with each other four times now. He said he wanted to go back and get his master鈥檚 so I said I鈥檇 go back with him,鈥 said Schwedhelm. 鈥淥ur kids were independent at that time and we could both go back to school and keep our full-time jobs. We just wanted to keep building our foundations of knowledge and education.鈥
That foundation of knowledge also helped Schwedhelm prepare professionally and personally for situations like caring for three Ebola patients last fall. In her 33 years at UNMC Schwedhelm has worked in a variety of departments and roles from flight nursing to managing the emergency room to her role as the director of the biocontainment unit.
鈥淢y whole career I鈥檝e worked in places that are high stress. I鈥檓 really attracted to that kind of work,鈥 she said.
Today Schwedhelm has taken on another new role: executive director of emergency preparedness and infection prevention.
鈥淭o prepare for situations like the Ebola outbreak is to really build resilience in yourself,鈥 she said. 鈥淭ry to find balance in your life. Keep building your knowledge, your education, and make sure you have the right people involved with you to help you be successful.鈥