Mary has been a dedicated Oncology Nurse at HCMC for 30 years. Her commitment to her patients and to the Cancer Center is amazing. She understands the needs of the patients and is a great team player. She always has a positive attitude and gives it her all. Mary's dedication to Oncology Nursing and the patients in the Cancer Center is one of her best qualities. She is a loyal HCMC employee and an incredible Oncology Nurse. She is compassionate, caring, and a pleasure to be around and to work with.
There are many reasons Mary deserves this award. Her long-term commitment (30 years to cancer patients at HCMC), her consistent, unwavering caring, her compassion, and her professionalism all come together to make her great. She always steps in to take on new challenges: she is a charge nurse, she has developed and implemented an oral chemo program, and she is a mentor. Mary is a role model for new staff,and patients adore her and let us know. She is professional, but she can make them laugh. She is a true team player and it is great to count her as a colleague. She doesn't complain, she is kind, communicates well, and constantly is giving. She is superb!
Mary has high standards of professionalism. Mary handles difficult patients with respect and dignity. She has outstanding interpersonal skills. She is a great patient advocate. She creates a powerful human connection with those that come in contact with her. I learn a lot from listening to her talk to our cancer patients. She always says the right thing to our terminally ill patients. I admire Mary's positive attitude; she is always there to help co-workers when needed with a great smile. I love her sense of humor. She knows how to light up the place on gloomy days.
Mary is the role model for HCMC values. She is committed to providing patient- and family-centered care and is an amazing patient advocate. She goes out of her way to ensure any barriers to care are addressed and the patients receive safe, quality care. Mary can think quickly and jumps into any emergent situation in the Comprehensive Cancer Center, such as infusion reactions to chemotherapy. She is a mentor to new staff and a go-to person for existing staff. Mary's knowledge and experience have led her to successfully assist in the development and implementation of improved processes and flow. She helped implement the oral chemo program in which she coordinates care for the patients on oral chemotherapy. She collaborates with prior authority, the pharmacy, the providers, and oncology patient financial advocates to ensure patients receive the appropriate oral chemo medication. She also monitors the patients closely to ensure medication compliance, check for side effects of medication, and access to medication. Mary precepted me as a new oncology nurse and I believe she is part of the reason I have a passion for working with oncology patients today. It is a privilege to work with Mary; she has a smile and is fun every day even when it is stressful and busy.