For Michelle Shebloski and her daughter Danielle (Dani) Pirkle, healthcare isn’t just a career — it’s a shared journey that has taken them from emergency medical technician training through nursing school and into leadership roles at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

• The mother-daughter duo, both graduates of Northwest Florida State College’s EMT and nursing programs, now work in leadership positions at the same hospital where they once responded to emergencies side by side in the emergency room.

“I’ve always been proud of her from day one,” Michelle said of her daughter. “She’s always been an amazing person and a good leader. She’s never been a follower ever, not a day in her life.”

Danielle, 28, currently serves as manager of the surgical care unit. Born and raised in the area, she attended local schools including Choctawhatchee High School before pursuing her healthcare education. Michelle, 50, is the director of patient safety and risk management after spending 11 years as an ER nurse, with her last four years in that role serving as clinical nurse coordinator.

Their paths into healthcare began similarly, with both starting as EMTs before transitioning to nursing. Michelle came to the area in 1995 while stationed at Hurlburt Field. After leaving the military and initially working in animal medicine for 12 years, she decided to transition to human nursing through EMT school. 

• “I went to EMT school and then while I was working as an EMT here at the hospital, I put myself through nursing school while Danielle was off at college,” Michelle said.

For Danielle, the decision to enter healthcare came early, influenced by watching her mother pursue a second career in nursing. She completed EMT school at 19 and quickly discovered her passion for emergency medicine.

“When I became an EMT, that’s when I really fell in love with emergency medicine, just the adrenaline rush and taking care of patients at their worst,” Danielle said. “EMS was probably one of my favorite jobs just because you’re out in the world. You gain experience outside the hospital’s resources.”

Both credit their EMT experience with preparing them for nursing, particularly in the ER setting. Danielle worked with Okaloosa EMS, while Michelle worked as an EMT at the hospital. Their field experience taught them quick decision-making and patient assessment skills that proved invaluable.

• “The patient population was probably the best,” Danielle said of her EMT work. “You had to make a lot of quick decisions. You had to have a lot of autonomy on the streets. The autonomy on the road taught me a lot, just making those decisions without emotion and understanding what a patient looks like just from a five-second quick view.”

Michelle emphasized the importance of working alongside experienced ER nurses during her time as a tech.

“I was taught by some very skilled old school nurses, just working amongst them as a tech — they definitely taught me how to be a good nurse,” Michelle said. 

The transition to leadership roles came naturally for both, though Danielle initially planned to become a nurse practitioner. She realized her passion lay in supporting other nurses rather than advancing clinically.

• “I got more fulfillment when I got to take a nurse who was overwhelmed and say, ‘Okay, what do you need? What can I help you with?’ Or take a nurse who didn’t know how to go back to school — I used HCA to go back to school — and then two weeks later they tell me that they’re enrolled,” Danielle said. “I got more fulfillment with that, so I decided to transfer into a leadership master’s program.”

Michelle took a different path, moving from ER into risk management a year and a half ago before being promoted to director. 

“I feel like with risk management, you still have your hands in there a little bit,” Michelle said. “I’m not bedside anymore. I’m on the back half of it. But being promoted to the director gives even more fulfillment because I do have a little bit more into how we can keep our patients safe.”

Working at the same hospital has meant navigating professional and personal boundaries carefully. Most colleagues didn’t initially know they were mother and daughter.

• “Most people don’t even know that she’s my daughter,” Michelle said. “Most people are completely unaware — because we keep it professional.”

They’ve worked the same shifts, responded to the same emergencies and even ran cardiac arrests and traumas together. During those times, they maintained strict professional boundaries, never pulling medications for each other and avoiding situations where favoritism could be questioned.

“There was no favoritism ever played when I was charge nurse and she was staff,” Michelle said. “I’d be harder on her than probably anybody else.”

Both strongly advocate for Northwest Florida State College, where they completed their training. The college’s nursing program boasts NCLEX pass rates in the 90s and maintains strong affiliations with local hospitals.

• “Their rate for passing the NCLEX the first time around is in the 90s,” Michelle said. “They really push for you to have success.”

Danielle was part of the largest Northwest Florida State College nursing class to ever graduate, with a 99% pass rate. The college has since expanded, now accepting students every semester rather than just once a year. 

“They did a good job with separating when you’re in class and when you’re in death by PowerPoint — they’re really teaching you the book stuff — and then the second you step into the hospital, they check you out and say we need real-world situations,” Danielle said.

Michelle had a unique experience during her training when her instructor allowed her to complete her six-week preceptorship in the ICU rather than on a regular floor, recognizing her EMT background and future plans to work in the ER.

• “I learned so much,” Michelle said. “It was wonderful because they said when I left, they felt like they were losing one of their nurses.”

The community connection remains deeply important to both. Danielle, who went to elementary, middle and high school within minutes of the hospital, has seen the full circle of community care firsthand.

Her grandfather, while on vacation locally, suffered a heart attack at the Navarre gym. A brand new nurse resident from the hospital’s residency program happened to be working out there and performed CPR. He was then brought to HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, where Michelle recognized him despite him not having identification. He received a quadruple bypass from a surgeon who has worked at the hospital for decades.

“If my dad was sick, this is the place he’d go,” Danielle said. “If my kids are sick, this is the place I would bring them. It’s really full circle.”

Michelle shared a memorable encounter at the beach years ago when a woman approached her, recognizing her from the ER. The woman had lost 40 pounds after Michelle took a few minutes to talk with her about her health and weight loss. 

• “She told me that I changed her life and thanked me for taking that five minutes with her,” Michelle recalled. “That wasn’t even anything I do with medical care, so to hear that from somebody in the community that I changed her life meant a lot. We are a very small community — you can’t walk through Walmart without seeing about five people that you know or you treated.”

For those considering healthcare careers, both emphasize that opportunities extend far beyond traditional bedside nursing roles. Danielle notes that fields like legal nursing, quality nursing and patient safety offer diverse career paths.

“Healthcare is a lot bigger than I perceived it was,” Danielle said. “You’re going to find something and you’re always going to have a job. There’s many places for you to fit into.”

Michelle encourages aspiring nurses to spend time at the bedside before branching out, emphasizing the value of direct patient experience. She’s currently working on her legal nurse consulting certification while continuing her role as director.

• “Do the bedside because you’ll be surprised how much that’s going to help you when you do decide to branch off to something else,” Michelle said. “Don’t stop educating yourself — continue on, keep going.”

Danielle, who is finishing her master’s degree, hopes to return to an ER setting as a director, combining her passion for emergency medicine with her leadership skills. At 28, she’ll have her master’s degree — an achievement she credits partly to HCA’s tuition reimbursement program and partnerships with institutions like Galen College.

The hospital has grown significantly from its origins as a small community facility, now offering numerous career pathways for healthcare professionals. HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital also partners with local high schools through a health academy program, allowing seniors interested in healthcare to gain experience that can translate into college credits at Northwest Florida State College and other institutions.

Both Michelle and Danielle serve as preceptors, training the next generation of nurses. They also participated in developing a mentor program for new nurses designed to improve retention.

• “We want people to stay,” Michelle said. “We want to do what we can to get them to stay.”

The most rewarding part of emergency medicine work, both agree, is being present during critical moments and helping families through their worst days. 

“Seeing somebody’s worst day and getting a chance to connect with the family,” Danielle said. “Watching them take a deep breath, knowing they are taken care of by someone who cares, is always very satisfying.”

Michelle added that sometimes the most important thing is simply being human with grieving families. “If you can make a connection, it helps when somebody loses someone that they love,” she said.

For Danielle, serving the community where she was raised carries special meaning. She encounters former teachers, people who babysat her, and Okaloosa EMS personnel who trained her as a young EMT.

• “It’s very fulfilling to give back to the community and take care of a community that has taken care of me,” Danielle said.

As for Michelle’s plans, she maintains the same philosophy that has guided her career: staying open to opportunities as they arise.

“You could have asked me five years ago what’s next and I wouldn’t have been able to answer you — and I won’t be able to answer you now,” Michelle said. “When opportunities arise, I just keep moving forward. I keep learning.”