Maria has been at Metrowest Medical Center for at least 15 years. She has been a PCA, secretary, and has now been an RN for 8 years. Maria is the type of nurse that likes to go unnoticed, but as the charge nurse I notice that she is a true professional nurse. 5 North is in good hands when she is on. Maria dives head first into adversity and never runs the other way or pretends not to notice a situation. On New Year's Day evening she tackled, with personal interest, the death of a mother with her 20 and 25 year old children and husband at her bedside. During this time her Spanish speaking patient in another room had an onset of acute chest pain. Maria speaks Spanish. During both of these crisis she went back and forth like a ping pong ball without an utter of complaint.

Maria also cares for her own mother, 24/7. She runs her to dialysis, monitors her diabetes, cardiac status, feeds, bathes and clothes her. When Maria graduated from high school she started the nursing program at UMASS only to have to leave when she was a junior to care for her mother who suffered a serious MI and bypass surgery. Maria became a PCA then, with the dreams of returning to school. Maria graduated from Mass Bay while working full-time and caring for her mom. When she was in her 30's she again had to return home to care for her dad when he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Maria continued to work full-time while taking him to chemo and radiation for over a year and caring for her mother. Maria's dad died at home almost two years ago and Maria continues to care for her somewhat terminal mom. She eats, breathes, and sleeps for her mom.

Maria comes to work and cares for each one of her patients like they were her family. She "lubes" them with lotion after she helps bathe each and every one. A lost art of nursing! If her patient is "unlikable" they would never sense that from her. I assign challenging patients to her because I know she will do what it takes to get them the care they deserve. Maria sees a situation to the end, to resolution and so much more.