Margaret Dooley
April 2022
Margaret
Dooley
,
RN
PACU
St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs
St. Louis
,
MO
United States
When Margaret would bathe him or turn him, she would talk to him and sing to him, as if he wasn’t intubated and sedated but instead awake and alert.
I had the pleasure of working with Margaret on DEMPS deployments. Right away, I knew that she was a special nurse. The way that Margaret would speak about her patients and to her patients showed her compassion and love for nursing. Margaret and I deployed together during the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic. She had done two tours before I had even met her. She was a kind and experienced nurse, and she took me under her wing. Watching Margaret with her patients made me realize the kind of nurse I wanted to be. She had already seen a lot of death and sadness with the pandemic but continued going out to help even if that meant seeing more.
I will never forget a few of the patients she had in El Paso, TX. One patient that she had was very sick. Margaret worked on him for a long time. Making sure he was comfortable, even though he couldn’t speak or communicate, calling doctors to advocate for him when she didn't agree with treatment, and just taking the time to really provide the best care she possibly could overall. When she would bathe him or turn him, she would talk to him and sing to him, as if he wasn’t intubated and sedated but instead awake and alert. She found out his favorite music from his wife and sat in his room for hours playing it for him. We were on night shifts and it didn’t matter what time of night, or what she was doing when the patient's wife called. She would stop and talk to her. Visitors were not allowed but she gave just as much comfort to his wife by talking with her and explaining things to her as she did to the patient. The patient eventually passed away, but she made the experience more bearable for his family members and they had the peace of knowing he was being taken care of so good when they couldn't be there. That is just one example of the many she provided care to in El Paso.
While in Little Rock, AR Margaret once again provided a level of care that was above what I had ever seen. She had been taking care of a man dying from COVID. He was a DNR/DNI and we didn't expect him to last as long as he did. He was a fighter. Margaret stayed with him the whole time. As much as she could anyway. She had this man for multiple days in a row and never knew when he would take his last breath. She had to travel off of the unit with another one of her patients and I remember her asking me if I would go into his room if it looked like the time was coming because she didn’t want him to die alone. She asked me if I could hold his hand and call his daughter if she couldn’t be there to do it.
That is the kind of nurse Margaret is. That is the kind of nurse I would want to take care of my loved ones. And that is the kind of nurse I want to be. The COVID pandemic has been hard on many. But Margaret made it easier for some. Since I do not work in the same unit as Margaret, I stopped into the PACU to visit her one day. I saw the same level of respect and compassion as she took care of her patients there that I did on deployments. The world needs more nurses like Margaret.
I will never forget a few of the patients she had in El Paso, TX. One patient that she had was very sick. Margaret worked on him for a long time. Making sure he was comfortable, even though he couldn’t speak or communicate, calling doctors to advocate for him when she didn't agree with treatment, and just taking the time to really provide the best care she possibly could overall. When she would bathe him or turn him, she would talk to him and sing to him, as if he wasn’t intubated and sedated but instead awake and alert. She found out his favorite music from his wife and sat in his room for hours playing it for him. We were on night shifts and it didn’t matter what time of night, or what she was doing when the patient's wife called. She would stop and talk to her. Visitors were not allowed but she gave just as much comfort to his wife by talking with her and explaining things to her as she did to the patient. The patient eventually passed away, but she made the experience more bearable for his family members and they had the peace of knowing he was being taken care of so good when they couldn't be there. That is just one example of the many she provided care to in El Paso.
While in Little Rock, AR Margaret once again provided a level of care that was above what I had ever seen. She had been taking care of a man dying from COVID. He was a DNR/DNI and we didn't expect him to last as long as he did. He was a fighter. Margaret stayed with him the whole time. As much as she could anyway. She had this man for multiple days in a row and never knew when he would take his last breath. She had to travel off of the unit with another one of her patients and I remember her asking me if I would go into his room if it looked like the time was coming because she didn’t want him to die alone. She asked me if I could hold his hand and call his daughter if she couldn’t be there to do it.
That is the kind of nurse Margaret is. That is the kind of nurse I would want to take care of my loved ones. And that is the kind of nurse I want to be. The COVID pandemic has been hard on many. But Margaret made it easier for some. Since I do not work in the same unit as Margaret, I stopped into the PACU to visit her one day. I saw the same level of respect and compassion as she took care of her patients there that I did on deployments. The world needs more nurses like Margaret.