Hollie Macmullan
May 2017
Hollie
Macmullan
,
RN
Coronary Care ICU
Tampa General Hospital
Tampa
,
FL
United States
Hollie Macmullan is a special nurse. Not only was she fully present in the course of caring for my very sick mother, but she's also the shining example of a vibrant, intelligent, proactive, studious, calming, confident, competent, collaborative, well-rounded and focused medical professional. It would be extremely difficult for anyone to encapsulate all that Nurse Hollie meant to my mother in just a couple of paragraphs, but I'll try my best.
Hollie brought joy to my mother. Although they couldn't communicate in words because of their language barrier (my mother only speaks Spanish), somehow they understood each other. My mother calls it a "spiritual connection." Hollie always tried her best to ensure my mother was comfortable. She would come in repeatedly throughout the day to check in on Mom and bring her more joy, even if she was about to stick a needle in her arm. It seems as if nothing bothered Hollie and she radiated that energy onto my mother.
Nurse Hollie was always ready, willing and able to do whatever it took to keep Mom informed. I spent most of that week in CCU with my mom, and it seems as if Hollie was there the whole time. She always answered all my questions so I could empower my mom and keep her in the loop of her own care.
Lastly, I want to highlight Hollie's emotional intelligence since we already know that she's a technically-proficient nurse. I'm not sure how involved nurses are supposed to be in the life of their patients, but Hollie displayed a skillful approach to being compassionate, which included personal knowledge of the patient, without being intrusive. I don't think this can be taught in nursing school; it's her gift. The coup de grace was Hollie giving my mother a kiss on the forehead as Hollie was going off shift for the weekend, which was the last time we all saw her because my mom was transferred to the 3rd floor.
Hollie deserves to be recognized. I spent 18 years in the Marine Corps as a fighter pilot and retired as a Captain. I have written dozens of awards for Marines that have risked their lives in combat. Today, I'm proud to say that this is my first award write-up as a civilian, and I couldn't be happier that Hollie is the first recipient in what has been a long line of warriors I've had the privilege of presenting awards to for heroic action.
Hollie brought joy to my mother. Although they couldn't communicate in words because of their language barrier (my mother only speaks Spanish), somehow they understood each other. My mother calls it a "spiritual connection." Hollie always tried her best to ensure my mother was comfortable. She would come in repeatedly throughout the day to check in on Mom and bring her more joy, even if she was about to stick a needle in her arm. It seems as if nothing bothered Hollie and she radiated that energy onto my mother.
Nurse Hollie was always ready, willing and able to do whatever it took to keep Mom informed. I spent most of that week in CCU with my mom, and it seems as if Hollie was there the whole time. She always answered all my questions so I could empower my mom and keep her in the loop of her own care.
Lastly, I want to highlight Hollie's emotional intelligence since we already know that she's a technically-proficient nurse. I'm not sure how involved nurses are supposed to be in the life of their patients, but Hollie displayed a skillful approach to being compassionate, which included personal knowledge of the patient, without being intrusive. I don't think this can be taught in nursing school; it's her gift. The coup de grace was Hollie giving my mother a kiss on the forehead as Hollie was going off shift for the weekend, which was the last time we all saw her because my mom was transferred to the 3rd floor.
Hollie deserves to be recognized. I spent 18 years in the Marine Corps as a fighter pilot and retired as a Captain. I have written dozens of awards for Marines that have risked their lives in combat. Today, I'm proud to say that this is my first award write-up as a civilian, and I couldn't be happier that Hollie is the first recipient in what has been a long line of warriors I've had the privilege of presenting awards to for heroic action.