Maren Benenfeld, RN consistently exemplifies the attributes of an Extraordinary Nurse. Maren is always attentive to her patients and is a huge patient advocate for not only the patient but for their families. As Healthcare Techs, we have witnessed Maren going above and beyond to make sure her patients proactively have everything that they need. On several occasions, Maren brought in extra supplies for patients when we ran out on our unit. She prepares lavender aroma tubs for her patients to help them relax and we have witnessed her hand washing personal items for her patients to make sure they had everything that they needed.

We see Maren organizing the unit and often sharing her best practices so other teammates can provide the same level of care for our patients. Maren brings in extra items to help make fetal demise keepsakes that are personalized and perfect to ensure patients have something of sentimental value to remember their babies after they pass. She is always the 1st one to volunteer to help others when they are making foot molds are taking pictures of fetal demise. She has purchased molding tools and files to help make the molds smooth and perfect for each mom to have as memories. She takes extra time with her fetal demise patients to make sure their physical and psychological needs are met. Often providing additional support to the family during this difficult time, even when it’s not her patient experiencing the loss.

There was also an overflow patient on our unit that wasn’t happy about being on the maternity unit and Maren connected with the patient by making her a “glove baby” and placing it in a bassinet to help her fit in. When she was transferred to a med/surg unit, the patient took her “glove baby” with her and we took pictures to send to her grandchildren. This really brightened the patient’s experience.

Maren always notices the small things and arranges her patient’s room so that the flow is efficient and best for each patient. Our Healthcare Techs rave about the teamwork that she shows by proactively arranging items in the room to prepare for admissions, so supplies are at the point of use. Maren coordinates with the other staff to couple care interventions so her patients do not have unnecessary interruptions and are allowed to rest. She recently created a “Duck in a Row” board to help patients track all of the things needed to prepare for discharge. Maren made each board and magnet herself, then she had the placed in each patient’s room.

Maren frequently picks up extra shifts and is often willing to stay over to help make sure the next shift is stable before leaving her patients. Maren displays this same level of care to her visiting staff and ensures they are aware of the unit’s culture to put our patients first and she frequently shares tips and best practices to meet the need of our patients. We have observed Maren teaching nursing students how to show compassion to patients and explaining how it looks different for every patient.

All of these examples are validated daily on leader rounds. Her patients recognize her for her kindness, patience, and compassion daily. They describe her using words like thoughtful, helpful, proactive, and thorough. We can’t narrow down one primary event that shows Maren’s compassion, because her everyday interactions, with every patient, every time serves as a way of life for Maren and her philosophy for caring for others. Maren Benenfeld, RN takes pride in going above and beyond every day and holds everyone on our unit to the same standard.