Editor’s note: Carle Foundation Hospital is a sponsor of Chambanamoms.
Nurses keep the hospital running. If you’ve ever been to the hospital or clinic, you will have had the pleasure of working with a nurse, and we are highlighting some of the amazing nurses at Carle Foundation Hospital. More than 1,600 nurses practice at Carle in a variety of settings – all dedicated to providing exceptional patient care.
Meet our nurse-to-know, Kylee Herschberger.
Tell us about yourself and why you love working and living in #chambana.
I was born and raised in Arcola and graduated high school in 2009. I attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. During my last summer of college, I worked as a student nurse intern on the Mother Baby Inpatient Unit here at Carle. I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2013. I returned home and initially worked for one year on a medical/surgical unit at Sarah Bush Lincoln in Mattoon. I learned a great deal during that first year, but knew that my passion would always be women’s health. In 2014 I returned to Carle Foundation Hospital on the Inpatient Mother Baby unit. In 2017 I changed up my role to a combination position, where I now work once per week on the Inpatient OB unit, and 2-3 times per week at the Gynecology Clinic at Carle on Curtis. I have been married for five years and have two children. We now reside near Arthur, as my husband’s family owns a restaurant in the area. This new schedule allows me to continue doing the work I love, while still spending precious time at home with my family.
I love working at Carle for many reasons. There is always something new and exciting to learn about in this organization. The medical field is ever-changing, and it is exciting to be employed by an organization that recognizes this and promotes technological advancements. I also have the pleasure of working with some amazing co-workers, who have become dear friends over the years.
Describe your typical day at work.
A typical day at work varies depending on which location I am working at on a given day. The inpatient unit is often fast-paced and always moving. It is such a joy to care for a mother and her family as they welcome a new baby into the world. There is ample support and education to provide to these patients and families. Although I am only with them for a 12-hour shift, I love feeling as if I made a positive impact on their experiences and memories that they will look back on for years to come. Unfortunately, not every case can be the perfect outcome, and I am grateful to be able to work in an environment that offers so much support from many entities within the Carle organization. Every day I rely on our dedicated unit leaders, lactation consultants, social workers, dietary personnel, housekeeping staff, and our connected departments of Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Without all of these vital team members, we would not be able to offer the outstanding care that we do to our patients.
On the outpatient side, it can still be quite busy, just within a different environment. I may spend time talking to patients on the phone, messaging with them via MyCarle, or talking with them face-to-face in the office. We do many in-office procedures, in which I am needed to assist the provider. This work is also very rewarding, as I am able to support and comfort patients during very sensitive diagnoses or help comfort them through a difficult procedure. In this role, I am able to develop long-standing relationships with patients, as they may be returning for further testing or are returning to us yearly for well-woman exams.
What do you like most about your job? About working at Carle?
There are so many aspects of my job that are wonderful. I love the patient relationships that I am able to develop, which makes me feel as though I helped someone out during a rough time in their life. I also treasure the co-workers I have met and the relationships I have made from working side by side with them.
In my personal life, I truly value the ability to have such an ideal work-life balance. I am able to work full time, while still having days off during the week and the ability to be at home for dinner with my family most evenings. Before I had my own family, I don’t think I ever realized how much I would one day appreciate a role like Carle has afforded me.
Why did you want to become a nurse?
I always had the idea of becoming a nurse in the back of my mind, as I loved watching medical television shows and imagined working in such a fast-paced environment. More importantly, I knew I wanted to do something that would allow me to help others and feel as though I could make a positive impact on someone’s life. I am also a very realistic person, and knew that I wanted to be able to provide for myself and my future family in a role that would make me feel stable and needed. After considering various careers, nursing really seemed like it best fit me and was something that I could be proud of when I look back on my career one day.
What is something that has surprised you being a nurse?
You learn so much throughout nursing school as your prepare for your healthcare career, but you still don’t always know where you will end up working. As you get deeper into a specific path, you start to lose some of that general knowledge that you don’t use every day. The thing that always amazes me is how much the average person/patient trusts me just because I am a nurse. After working in OB/Women’s Health for the last five-plus years, I can admit that my knowledge has become quite focused on this patient population. However, that doesn’t stop a friend, family member, or patient from asking that very common question, “I know you are a nurse, so what do you think about this?” This always makes me feel so proud, yet awestruck, to see the trust that is instilled in nurses and the nursing profession as a whole.
Tell us about a memorable patient (without violating HIPAA).
I have many memories of various patients over the years. Some cases stick with you when you don’t even realize they have, and others are instances where you think you will never forget someone, but then time takes a toll. People often find out I am an OB nurse and their response is: “Oh my. That must be SO much fun.” While I do consider my job to be pretty enjoyable, there are also times when things do not go as expected.
I will always remember taking care of a patient who had a baby who was having issues with low blood glucose. This is not something that we take lightly, as we need to get this condition corrected as soon as possible, in order to ensure that the newborn does not experience any negative side effects. This particular family, like most, did not realize how critical it was and expressed a couple of times that our staff seemed a bit pushy or aggressive. After multiple attempts to correct the infant’s blood glucose, we had utilized all of the interventions that our department was able to. It came time that we had to call the NICU and talk about a higher level of care for this newborn.
As expected, this mother and her family were in a bit of shock to find out that their baby was leaving their bedside and being transferred to the NICU for further care. They were very emotional and I sat with her in an attempt to comfort her and answer any questions that may arise. I sensed that maybe they were ready for me to leave, as they were unhappy with the events of the day and my inability to keep their newborn by their side. I reported off to the oncoming nurse and headed home from that shift feeling a bit defeated.
When I returned to work the next day, I was surprised to see that I was assigned to take care of this family again. I started to question this decision, as I was afraid they would not be thrilled to see me again. The night shift nurse informed me that not only did they want me to take care of them, they expressed on multiple occasions that they were so appreciative of me and felt I had “saved their baby’s life.” While I am certain that any other nurse would have followed our protocols and intervened the same way I did, their gratefulness that day was overwhelming and really made me feel valued for the work I had done.
How has Carle supported you and your nursing career?
Carle has supported my nursing career in many ways. As I said, my first experience even working in a hospital setting came when I was a student nurse intern prior to graduating with my degree. This experience helped me to get a real glimpse into the life of a hospital nurse. I was able to experience 12-hour shifts, days and nights, and really see what my future may look like. My time there also lit the fire on my love of OB and Women’s Health.
Carle has also been a great supporter of my professional advancement. They have helped me prepare/pay for national certifications and continuing education opportunities on multiple occasions. Over the past few years, they have also provided the opportunity to climb the “ladder” through the Professional Nurse Advancement program. I have been able to advance from a Level II nurse to a Level IV nurse within the organization, as well as offer support and advice to other nurses working on these advancements.
What would you tell others considering Carle for employment?
I feel very blessed to be able to work for an organization like Carle. When you share with someone that you work for Carle, I’ve found that I usually get a similar response: “Oh wow. That is a great place.” Most everyone I know has had experience with Carle helping them or their family/friends in some way. I would tell anyone considering working at Carle that there are so many opportunities for them to explore and that they will feel a sense of pride to become part of such a well-respected organization.
Tell us about something you enjoy doing when not at work.
As you can tell, my family is very important to me. When I am not at work, I am usually out running around with my family. We love going out to eat and finding new family friendly activities in the area. When the weather is nice, we enjoy being outside playing at our country home or boating on Lake Shelbyville. My husband and I also love to travel. While our travels have changed a bit as our family has grown, we still try to visit new destinations and enjoy time away as much as possible.
Check out our first Carle Nurse to Know, Crystal Griest, and our second, Aja Bozarth.
Carle Foundation Hospital and Carle Physician Group are celebrating their third Magnet designation for superior nursing care – a standard only 8 percent of hospitals in the United States meet. Magnet is a national recognition for nursing excellence granted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Carle first achieved Magnet designation in 2009 and was re-designated most recently in March 2019. Meet more of Carle’s amazing nurses and learn more about nursing at Carle.