Mary Sanders exemplifies the core values of the nursing profession. She developed an extraordinary relationship with a little boy who had recently had a bone marrow transplant and was being treated frequently in our clinic for his GVHD. Mary approached this anxious, withdrawn little boy with genuine warmth and compassion. She incorporated play and used her imagination in learning how to make a little boy shake with laughter even though she could not speak the same language as his family. The mother of this young boy developed a deep trust in Mary. She recognized that her little boy had a true advocate that cared about him. His mom was an advocate for her son but his upcoming surgery and the risks associated with it made her quite anxious. Mary's advocacy and compassion were demonstrated once again when she recognized how little support this mom had during this difficult time. Mary approached the mom and offered to be her hand to hold during that most difficult day. Surgery day arrived and Mary came into the hospital on her day off to be a support for this young boy and his mom. She stayed with the little boy until he drifted off to sleep and remained with his mom to ensure she had the much-needed support during this difficult day.
In addition to her dedication to bedside care, Mary's commitment to quality and safety is exemplary. Mary has been auditing our central line practices for the past three years. She meticulously reviews every patient chart for compliance with documentation and provides feedback in a manner that inspires staff to do better. Last quarter we achieved 100% compliance which was likely a result of Mary's ongoing dedication to educating and motivating our staff. She also audits our stem cell collection charts which helps us maintain the regulatory requirements associated with an accredited cellular therapy program.
Mary became much more involved in our cellular therapy program with the departure of our Program Manager in early 2018. Mary volunteered to become the primary liaison between Therapeutic Apheresis and the BMT processing lab and clinical program. This was no small job as it required her to attend weekly BMT planning meetings and coordinate complex care. Mary helped us prepare to implement the latest FDA approved genetic cellular therapy for relapsed ALL (CarT cells) which we successfully rolled out in February of 2018.
Mary's professional contributions were highlighted at our American Society for Apheresis meeting in April of 2018 when she presented a poster describing the care of a very small stem cell collection patient. Because of this, Mary not only contributed to the apheresis profession at CHCO, but she is also a champion and future pioneer for the profession across the country. Research for therapeutic apheresis on pediatric patients is far behind the advancements for adults. Thanks to dedicated nursing staff like Mary the gap is starting to close.
Mary is a dedicated co-worker and team player. She goes above and beyond to help out staff, especially if procedures go longer than expected. Some of our procedures can go as long as six hours or more. Mary also participates as a Flu Captain and has given flu shots not only to the Apheresis staff but also to the Laboratory staff. She adjusts her schedule so that lab staff who work evenings and nights can receive a flu shot. Mary's team player attitude isn't just displayed in her actions but also her attitude. She speaks kindly, offers verbal support, coaches other staff through challenges, and expresses her concerns with the patient at the forefront of her mind. Her professionalism towards her peers is unparalleled.