Day in and day out Marilee provides her patients and their entire families (no matter how many) with the greatest care you could imagine. She never loses focus on what is important, the patient. She will come early, stay late. She serves as a support system for other staff members, she is conscientious of the budget, and she cares about this institution. She is truly an inspiration to all of us on the S-Floor. I have seen her take patients to hotels, fill prescriptions, pay for cabs. I think she might have gotten a person's car once or twice over the years but I will plead the 5th on that. Perhaps all of her great actions go unrecognized sometimes because for us it is just the norm, Marilee being Marilee.
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There have been countless times Marilee has yielded her care and overwhelming knowledge for patients far beyond her call. Marilee becomes a blanket of comfort for patients, families, and even co-workers. She strives to button up all loose ends and stretches herself across the floor to make sure everyone has an extra hand. She is the queen bee of advocacy and is the mother bear to her patients and fellow staff. I have seen Marilee walk patients across Charles street and over the Storrow Drive footbridge to assist patients and family members back to their cars. I have witnessed her walk patients to their hotel rooms, literally to their rooms, and tuck them into bed. She transported patients and family members to the train station and waits to make sure they are safely on their way home. She goes the extra mile calling pharmacies to verify scripts. This act gives the patient and family members comfort in leaving our hospital knowing they are not going to be stranded looking to fill a script. She is insistent on making sure each patient and staff member is treated fairly. She advocates for patient comfort in care and medication treatment. I have seen her question medications and pull from all her resources, speaking with pharmacy, using documentation, and speaking with staff members to dispute proper medication administration or medication treatment options. She transfers patients to the 11th floor making sure they have all the comfort measures during their stay and proper care before handing off her patient. She grabs a cafeteria menu and reads to them their options making sure they have ordered the proper meal. I have witnessed her complete a dinner order with her patient and then notice the patient's new roommate has not ordered dinner and she will look up the reason for this particular patient's stay in the hospital and choose the proper menu for that patient as well. Ohh, and yes, she reads to the patient the menu insisting the proper diet and nutrition. I may be biased in writing this recommendation. After all, picture writing a recommendation for your idol. Marilee exemplifies Nursing to its highest degree. She sets the bar high because she wouldn't sleep at night knowing there was another rung above hers to set the bar even higher. She is an idol at Mass Eye and Ear, she is a superhero in nursing, but, most importantly, she is a centered human, merciful and compassionate.
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Marilee is truly an extraordinary nurse. She approaches every patient with compassion and kindness. Marilee's nursing skills extend to not only her own patients but to all patients who are treated at MEE because of her willingness to share her skills and knowledge with her coworkers. Marilee is truly the go-to person for questions and guidance for all nurses, new and experienced. She is always willing to help, but also has the experience that is applicable in almost all situations. She is approachable and is able to patiently answer a question and provide guidance. But most of all, her guidance is always trusted because the patient is always her priority and she shares that wisdom with her co-workers.
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I have worked with Marilee for many years on the Ambulatory Surgery Unit. She is the walking definition of the most wonderful nurse whom you would hope to take care of you if you were a patient. Marilee goes above and beyond her assigned role and job description. She is the kindest, most gentle person with a wonderful optimistic attitude who genuinely worries over the outcomes and welfare of her patients, long after shift is over. Her nursing practice has never changed a bit in the years she has been my nursing colleague, even as healthcare practices and environments have changed dramatically over the years. She is kind, compassionate, experienced, and knowledgeable in every aspect of her nursing practice. MEEI Department of Nursing is very fortunate to have retained Marilee as an experienced Registered Nurse for all her years here. It is my honor and privilege to work alongside her in the same department.
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I have been at MEE for 15 years and have had the pleasure of knowing Marilee for much of that time. She is a dedicated nurse and I feel blessed to call her a friend. What makes Marilee special is how much of herself she gives to her patients. As a MEE employee I always take pride in recommending our services to friends and family. I know that not only will they get the best possible clinical care, but I take comfort in knowing that they will be cared for by people I know and trust. Over the past several years a close friend has been under the care of Dr. F, My friend is a veteran and retired firefighter, he is tough, but multiple surgeries can sometimes take the wind out of your sails and added to that at the end of every surgery he is on voice rest, something he hates as he loves to talk. We all do it, when someone we know is coming in we ask for specials, we have our favorite nurses the ones we know will match well with the personalities and needs of the patient we love, it's not about competence it's about that safe feeling you get when you know it's the right fit. I have asked Marilee to care for my friend numerous times both pre-op and second stage; she makes sure each time, not only to give excellent clinical care but to really connect with her patient, she teases with him because she knows it puts him at ease. She makes sure diligently that his profile is correct. He is a terrible historian and she blends a persistent and detailed intake with style and grace, he never knows she is going the extra mile because he can't list his meds. She makes sure anesthesia knows he wants something pre-op to take the edge off. She makes time to do all the discharge teaching she can pre-op so he can ask questions verbally rather than having to write them after when he is on voice rest. As soon as the board says he is PACU she brings over his whiteboard so he can communicate and when he comes to her in stage two she knows he likes cold cold cold ginger ale and lots of ice. She knows him not just because he is my friend and because I asked her but because she is invested in her patients.
Marilee puts her patients families at ease. She includes them in their care and knows how to manage difficult personalities. Last year I asked her again to special a friend who is really quite nice but has a very connected and easily excitable family, including a husband who is a fainter. Marilee was like the family whisperer, she kept the college-aged kids updated, she kept the patient (mom) calm, but best of all she soothed the husband who while wanting to be there for his wife, wanted nothing more than to run from the building. She guided him around the unit managing to be sure he never saw anything medical, not an easy task. She distracted him with light happy conversation and did the post-op teaching in such a way that even the rather gross details were manageable for him. So yes, Marilee is a great nurse, she is compassionate and kind and gives great care, but what makes her a DAISY? What's the overarching theme, Marilee is selfless. She serves others consistently and without giving it any thought, she will always help, she never blinks when there is more to learn, she takes joy in it, and when she learns she shares that knowledge with others. She is patient; she never rushes or makes her patients feel like a bother. Marilee makes the people around her feel better, her patients, and those who get to work with her. She sees the best in people and helps those around her see that in themselves. She challenges her patients to be advocates for themselves and support them in that process. Marilee goes the extra mile, she is funny and sweet and just plain good at her job and if you told her all of these wonderful things about her she would say, “oh no, I just do my job like we all do, I'm not all that, I just do my best�, well her best is pretty awesome.
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Marilee is an exceptional nurse, one of her best qualities is that she provides exceptional patient care daily. Every day, every patient, Marilee shows unconditional empathy; she shows her patients that they are cared about, not just care for. The definition of kindness is “a concept of acting kindly, helping people when in need without an obligation to do so� that is what Marilee is about. Kindness is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give and that is what Marilee gives every day to her patients, her peers and to all she comes in contact with.