{"id":21047,"date":"2019-01-30T06:44:38","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T13:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=21047"},"modified":"2025-03-07T09:19:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T16:19:19","slug":"icu-nursing-flying-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\/","title":{"rendered":"Critical care nursing and flying planes demand ability"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"pilot
Captain Lydia Baldwin in the cockpit, ready for takeoff. Photo by Andrew Kensley, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a brisk, cloudless November morning at Northern Colorado Regional Airport<\/a> in Loveland, airplane captain Lydia Baldwin muscles open the dented aluminum hangar doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere she is,\u201d she exclaims. \u201cEver flown in a small one of these before?\u201d<\/p>\n

Baldwin enlists the help of her passenger to manually tow the plane out. She walks around the single-engine Piper Cherokee<\/a> that looks in surprisingly good shape for a 46-year-old model. \u201cStill got a lot of life in her,\u201d she says with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

First she inspects the lights. Then the fuel levels in each wing, checking the bluish tint and scanning for any sediments or water mixed in. \u201cWe have gauges that tell us fuel levels,\u201d she says, \u201cBut you know, a gauge is just a gauge.\u201d<\/p>\n

She runs her hand along the flaps, ailerons and tail for any abnormalities, deliberately and with a measure of compassion. Once inside the snug cockpit, she perspicaciously reviews a checklist, item by item, in what sounds like a foreign dialect.<\/p>\n

\u201cAirspeed indicator. Magnetic compass. Vertical speed indicator. Switch panel is off except the beacon. Heat defrost, tachometer. Carb heat off. Circuit breakers all in. Flaps, rudder trim, stabilator trim. Auto pilot off. Oil pressure and mixture.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shows her passenger how to work the seat belt, and points out the fire extinguisher and the airsickness bags. \u201cIf you\u2019re uncomfortable with anything, let me know,\u201d she says. \u201cOr just ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thumbs-up.<\/p>\n

After a short taxi to runway 3-3, Cherokee 1-5-6-Niner-5 alights into the airspace above \u201cNoCo Regional.\u201d At that moment it becomes clear that the qualities that make Baldwin a competent pilot are the very same that help this registered nurse steer UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital\u2019s Intensive Care Unit<\/a> through the turbulence of critical care.<\/p>\n

Importance of processes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whether improving lives or flying to visit her mother in New Mexico, Baldwin understands the importance of processes.<\/p>\n

\"nurse
Lydia Baldwin, UCHealth ICU manager. Photo by Kati Blocker, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI use checklists to help remove emotion from decisions,\u201d Baldwin says. \u201cWith complex skills like flying an airplane or managing an emergency situation in health care, it\u2019s crucial to be able to reflect on yourself and how you\u2019re navigating the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baldwin has been a practicing nurse for 19 years, most of which were spent tending to critically ill patients in the ICU. As a manager for 10 years, her leadership style is well-received by her employees and peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cLydia works hard to make sure we\u2019re not only satisfied at work but that we take care of ourselves as well,\u201d says Megan Tschacher, an ICU nurse who has worked under Baldwin for a decade.<\/p>\n

Trusting processes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Critical care nursing and flying planes demand an ability to perform numerous simultaneous tasks while staying calm in stressful situations. The 50-year-old Baldwin is able to compartmentalize those challenges with self-confidence \u2014 and by trusting those around her.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth flying and nursing focus on safety precautions, preparations, training and redundancies,\u201d Baldwin points out. \u201cIn the ICU we do scenarios and mock-ups all the time so when we\u2019re faced with a situation we have some reliability with performance. At work I know the environment, the team, the language and the purpose, and so it\u2019s not scary. It can be sad or disappointing if the outcome is loss of life but \u2014 and it\u2019s the same with flying \u2014 more experience has given me more confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baldwin constantly scans for everything from storm clouds to dangerous heart rhythms that lurk over the horizon, and asks, \u201cWhat do we need to do about that?\u201d And yet, gliding over the unbounded atmosphere provides a sense of calm, as well as perspective on managing people and situations that often are out of her control.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that somebody maintains this runway and the weather information channel on the radio, and all the pieces have a system,\u201d Baldwin explains. \u201cAll my staff in the ICU know what they\u2019re supposed to do. Part of my role is to anticipate things so that we don\u2019t have barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"nurse
Lydia Baldwin, UCHealth ICU manager. Photo by Kati Blocker, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Keeping your cool<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tschacher, who has also flown with her boss, sees on a daily basis Baldwin\u2019s quiet confidence evince itself in productive ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cLydia always seems to stay calm. She expects us to follow processes designed to care for our patients, but trusts us to be able to make our own decisions,\u201d Tschacher says. \u201cWhen we do something wrong, instead of honing in on the mistake she\u2019ll work around the problem to see what we can do to make the process flow smoother or work better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, the 45-minute aerial tour of Northern Colorado goes as smoothly as a dose of medication running through an IV line. Humming along at 85 knots (around 97 mph) and 2,000 feet above terra firma in a cockpit the approximate size of a bathtub, Baldwin holds the yoke gently as she banks toward A-Mountain. She points out all the vital signs of the regional landscape: Colorado State University\u2019s football stadium, PVH and UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies<\/a>, the drive-in movie theater, Fort Collins City Park, and Pikes Peak in the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing off the ground in a machine is magical and awe-inspiring,\u201d says the captain.<\/p>\n

\"pilot
Lydia Baldwin and her Piper Cherokee 1-5-6-Niner-5 at outside her hanger at Northern Colorado Regional Airport. Photo by Andrew Kensley, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Growth through inspiration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Inspired by her nearly 80-year-old mother, who became certified to fly at the age of 60, Baldwin flies for pleasure around northern Colorado, with regional trips to Steamboat Springs and to visit her family. But her biggest enjoyment comes from competing in air races with a cohort of other female pilots from around the country, including her mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 20 years ago I went to see my family at the start of the Air Race Classic in Bozeman, Montana, and I thought, \u2018Look at all these cool women getting together and doing this amazing adventure.\u2019 I want to do that,\u201d she says excitedly. Within a year she earned her pilot\u2019s license.<\/p>\n

While Baldwin admits she\u2019s no adrenaline junkie, both flying and caring for patients still give her enough of a thrill. She likes the challenge of learning \u201chow and what\u201d and constantly seeks out ways to do better.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlying is not something most people do,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s gratifying to know that I can die going up there, but I want to know how to prevent it, and to know that I did it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a brisk, cloudless November morning at Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland, airplane captain Lydia Baldwin muscles open the dented aluminum hangar doors. \u201cThere she is,\u201d she exclaims. \u201cEver flown in a small one of these before?\u201d Baldwin enlists the help of her passenger to manually tow the plane out. She walks around the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":21054,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[294,2182],"class_list":["post-21047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-nursing","tag-uchealth-poudre-valley-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nICU nursing and flying planes demand ability - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With complex skills like flying an airplane or ICU nursing, it\u2019s crucial to be able to reflect on yourself and navigate situations.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Critical care nursing and flying planes demand ability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With complex skills like flying an airplane or ICU nursing, it\u2019s crucial to be able to reflect on yourself and navigate situations.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-30T13:44:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-07T16:19:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/01\/18135115\/Lydia-Baldwin_plane2-tiny.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrew Kensley, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrew Kensley, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Andrew Kensley, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1a5163800eca0572aa9a483352e2350c\"},\"headline\":\"Critical care nursing and flying planes demand ability\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-01-30T13:44:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-07T16:19:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1139,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/18135115\\\/Lydia-Baldwin_plane2-tiny.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Nursing\",\"UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Innovative care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/icu-nursing-flying-planes\\\/\",\"name\":\"ICU nursing and flying planes demand ability - 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