Rebecca Schiff, a neonatal nurse at Methodist Children's Hospital in San Antonio, was sleeping in the middle section of the plane on Continental Flight 177 when the pilot announced help was needed for a medical emergency in the back. Schiff was one of three nurses who responded to the unconscious woman, and she administered an IV from the plane's medical kit.

Schiff and her husband, Mike, were visiting his parents in Philadelphia and took a direct flight into Bush Intercontinental Airport where they would stop over at the home of Rebecca's parents, Steve and Sarah Schlack, a Woodlands attorney and music teacher, respectively. Schiff graduated from The Woodlands High School in 2000.

Schiff, who graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center in May, said her inexperience initially made her doubt her abilities.

"My first reaction when my husband woke me was fear," she said. "But when I went back there, I thought, 'I know what to do.'"

After checking the patient's vital signs, Schiff said the nurses determined the patient needed an IV to help restore her blood pressure. Schiff said the woman was experiencing "life-threatening symptoms."

She said her education helped her deal with the high-stress situation. When an older nurse was unable to puncture a vein on the woman's body, Schiff signaled her experience as a neonatal nurse to administer the IV.
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