Mary Murphy
May 2025
Mary
Murphy
,
RN
Home Health
CentraCare - St. Cloud Hospital
St. Cloud
,
MN
United States
She is empathetic and understanding, no matter what the call - I have heard her quietly listen as callers complain and voice their frustrations to her, even if it's something completely unrelated that's causing their frustration.
I'm not sure she knows it, but Mary is an absolute gem of a nurse! Hardworking is an understatement when it comes to Mary. She works every other weekend as one of two nurse team leaders in the office for Home Health and Hospice. She shows up to all her shifts at least 30 minutes early to ensure she is well-prepared and ready for the day. She wears the best smile and always thinks of her coworkers, bringing their favorite donut in to share every Saturday morning. Mary makes sure to check the schedules and find homes for all visits before the day even begins at 8. She reaches out to the nurses and ensures they are aware of and agreeable to the plan. If it doesn't work for the field nurse, she discusses it with them and makes appropriate adjustments throughout the team. Mary manages the intake process flawlessly - she knows it inside and out; it's business as usual on Monday because nothing gets missed in the intake role when Mary is in control. She understands CCH referrals for both home health and hospice, as well as outside facility referrals. She is great at reaching out to facilities to update them on the acceptance/denial of referrals and ensures that proper paperwork is received and processed, so the field RN has all they need when making a visit. She speaks frequently with the hospital SW and case manager to ensure we are up to date with the plan for referral and nothing gets missed.
Mary's ability to listen, serve, guide, and heal is so evident each time she picks up the phone. She is the sweet and peaceful voice that so many of our patients first hear when they call in under distress on the weekend. She is calm and answers professionally with "How may I help you" to each call that comes through. She listens to patient and caregiver concerns and easily reviews the patient's chart while asking the appropriate questions. There is no pause in conversation because Mary is knowledgeable about what assessments need to be completed, just from the caller's first few comments. She is thorough in gathering data from the chart and the caller and then reviews recommendations with the caller. She is excellent at explaining the rationale for her recommendations and offers clear guidance on next steps for the patient. Mary always offers RN visits when appropriate and reassures callers of their decisions while on the phone. She is empathetic and understanding, no matter what the call - I have heard her quietly listen as callers complain and voice their frustrations to her, even if it's something completely unrelated that's causing their frustration.
I have heard her offer words of compassion and sadness when families have called in to report the death of a loved one, whether the caller is calm and expecting the death, or very scared and upset because they were not prepared for the death. Mary remains calm and a constant support for the caller. She ensures that a field clinician is scheduled for a visit as soon as possible and that the caller feels comfortable before hanging up the phone. Mary has extensive knowledge regarding home health and hospice - although they are similar, they are also very different. She is sure to recognize which service the caller is on before guiding in such situations. She is knowledgeable about many specific things related to hospice, such as the revocation process, medication orders, and Enclara Pharmacia, as well as DME order/pickup needs from CHM. All of these things require me time to look up, but Mary knows the process with the snap of her fingers! She is quick to complete tasks.
Mary is wonderful at triaging home health needs, also, recognizing whether an RN visit is appropriate or if a patient is better suited to be seen by a provider. Besides talking with patients and their families, Mary excels at communicating with hospice and home health staff. When field staff call in with situations they feel unsure about, or when they feel overwhelmed and need help, Mary is a compassionate and knowledgeable ear. She listens to staff vent about their frustrations and offers ideas for improving the situation. She provides recommendations and offers to contact providers or call various facilities as needed. With every call she receives, she enters appropriate documentation messages so the team on Monday is aware of what happened. She ensures that she sends messages and follows up with calls to field staff if a visit needs to be made that day, so staff can feel prepared for what they are walking into. She does not leave loose ends - she always ensures an appropriate plan is in place for the next day before finishing for the day. She calls the on-call staff near the end of each shift to provide an update on the day and alert them to what they may expect to receive during their shift. Once again, Mary is an absolute gem and a true blessing to have in the Home Health and Hospice office. I feel so blessed to work with her as my nurse partner on the weekends.
Mary's ability to listen, serve, guide, and heal is so evident each time she picks up the phone. She is the sweet and peaceful voice that so many of our patients first hear when they call in under distress on the weekend. She is calm and answers professionally with "How may I help you" to each call that comes through. She listens to patient and caregiver concerns and easily reviews the patient's chart while asking the appropriate questions. There is no pause in conversation because Mary is knowledgeable about what assessments need to be completed, just from the caller's first few comments. She is thorough in gathering data from the chart and the caller and then reviews recommendations with the caller. She is excellent at explaining the rationale for her recommendations and offers clear guidance on next steps for the patient. Mary always offers RN visits when appropriate and reassures callers of their decisions while on the phone. She is empathetic and understanding, no matter what the call - I have heard her quietly listen as callers complain and voice their frustrations to her, even if it's something completely unrelated that's causing their frustration.
I have heard her offer words of compassion and sadness when families have called in to report the death of a loved one, whether the caller is calm and expecting the death, or very scared and upset because they were not prepared for the death. Mary remains calm and a constant support for the caller. She ensures that a field clinician is scheduled for a visit as soon as possible and that the caller feels comfortable before hanging up the phone. Mary has extensive knowledge regarding home health and hospice - although they are similar, they are also very different. She is sure to recognize which service the caller is on before guiding in such situations. She is knowledgeable about many specific things related to hospice, such as the revocation process, medication orders, and Enclara Pharmacia, as well as DME order/pickup needs from CHM. All of these things require me time to look up, but Mary knows the process with the snap of her fingers! She is quick to complete tasks.
Mary is wonderful at triaging home health needs, also, recognizing whether an RN visit is appropriate or if a patient is better suited to be seen by a provider. Besides talking with patients and their families, Mary excels at communicating with hospice and home health staff. When field staff call in with situations they feel unsure about, or when they feel overwhelmed and need help, Mary is a compassionate and knowledgeable ear. She listens to staff vent about their frustrations and offers ideas for improving the situation. She provides recommendations and offers to contact providers or call various facilities as needed. With every call she receives, she enters appropriate documentation messages so the team on Monday is aware of what happened. She ensures that she sends messages and follows up with calls to field staff if a visit needs to be made that day, so staff can feel prepared for what they are walking into. She does not leave loose ends - she always ensures an appropriate plan is in place for the next day before finishing for the day. She calls the on-call staff near the end of each shift to provide an update on the day and alert them to what they may expect to receive during their shift. Once again, Mary is an absolute gem and a true blessing to have in the Home Health and Hospice office. I feel so blessed to work with her as my nurse partner on the weekends.