Something extraordinary recently happened at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. Carla Hickman-Scott, a float pool registered nurse at MBMC, noticed a visitor pacing in the hallway and appearing lost. What Carla and other health care professionals did next saved that visitor’s life.
“As nurses, we take care of everyone in the building,” said Carla. “When I saw a disoriented person in the hallway, I felt led to ask if she needed help. She looked at me and couldn’t verbalize anything. She was trying to talk, but the words were slurred. Her gait was unsteady.”
After talking with a physical therapist who had been in contact with the visitor earlier in the day, Carla learned that she had been speaking normally that morning.
“I knew she was having a stroke,” explained Carla.
The staff notified a manager, and the visitor was taken to the emergency room where she was treated with a thrombolytic and found to have a large vessel occlusion. She was transferred to UMMC where she received emergency surgery to remove a blood clot.
Thanks to Carla stopping to check on a visitor, followed by the quick actions of other MBMC team members, this woman received swift intervention and lifesaving care.
“Being a float nurse, I go where there is a nurse need, and I’m thankful that God put me on that particular unit that day. It was a busy day, and I’m glad I was placed there. I give God all the credit,” said Carla.
