Seizures always came unexpectedly for 4-year-old Savannah Ploesser. And they will for the rest of her life. Her mom, Ashley, knew she had to do something to help. So she did what she could — she enrolled in nursing school, realizing that the skill set she would learn would help her care for her daughter.
Fast forward six years. Ploesser, now a registered nurse working on the surgery floor at hospital, earnestly described the feeling of accomplishment she felt when, just weeks ago, Savannah experienced another, more severe seizure.
“Before the ambulance arrived, I just went into complete ‘nurse mode,’ knowing exactly what I needed to do to keep her breathing and help her with the medications that would keep her out of the emergency room. By the time help arrived, I was just rattling off her symptoms and treatment so quickly that the paramedics just looked at me and asked if I was in healthcare,†Ploesser said. “I told them I was a nurse. And that’s the moment I knew I had made the right choice going to nursing school all those years ago. It was worth every breath and all the sweat and tears for that one event.â€
People are also reading…
Raising three young children — Ploesser also has two sons, 8 and 5 — made nursing school quite a challenge for the young mom.
“I struggled every single semester because of all the additional life stress,†she said. “I was working two to three shifts as a tech in the med surgery unit, I had clinicals one day a week, classes two to three days a week, and at least two hours of studying every day. The staff here at St. Luke’s were incredibly supportive through it all. My kids and my husband were ecstatic when I graduated, to say the least. I would tell any nursing student to keep persevering because there is light at the end of the tunnel and it’s absolutely wonderful.â€
Ploesser works the night shift in the same surgical unit she worked in during nursing school and she said she feels as if she’s inherited a second family consisting of her co-workers and nurse managers.
“The culture here is amazing. You can’t walk down the hallways without having someone congratulating you on a job well done or encouraging you,†she said. “It’s such an uplifting feeling. Patients, their families and guests are always making us feel so appreciated. I just love what I do and wouldn’t change it for the world.â€
The best part of nursing is that there are so many different areas to choose from in terms of helping people. “I always knew I wanted to become a nurse to help my daughter. For others, the end game might come later after doing a round of clinicals. Either way, it’s just never-ending the opportunities nurses have within this field, and at this hospital, too.â€
She said her biggest challenge at work is trying not to get too emotionally involved with a patient’s prognosis.
“All patients want an easy fix to their medical problems and in those instances where that is not possible, I have to separate myself from that a bit and realize that myself and my co-workers are doing all we can to provide the absolute best care that we can in that moment.â€
Just like she does for Savannah.
°ä±ô¾±³¦°ìÌý for more information about St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield.