I have worked with Tina Maroon for six years now in outpatient ambulatory clinic in Torrington. Every day I see her making a huge positive impact not only on the families we serve but on her co-workers. Tina greets people with a wide smile. She has very calm energy and exudes this to those around her. Even in the direst of circumstances with our patients, whether it be an emergency, a progression of their cancer, or a new diagnosis, she uses her nursing skills and personality to the best of her abilities to keep a situation manageable and deliver the best care possible. Tina is one of my role models on the unit. Even when we are short staffed and feeling crunched for time, Tina never makes a patient feel like they don't have her undivided attention or to help a co-worker out if they are in the weeds. She is a team player.
Every day I see Tina going above and beyond for her patients. One of the recent connections I have witnessed was with a young man diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma. Tina has been his primary nurse since his first treatment. She took time to get to know him and his family—he has a very supportive family and the patient wanted them included in teaching and treatment. Tina not only established the therapeutic relationship with this patient but also with those whom the patient determined were important to him. He is obviously in the prime of his working life, making his three day long treatments challenging. Tina worked to get a schedule that would fit his life. She also helped him manage some of the side effects that he developed while on treatment like increased cold sensitivity and neuropathy. The patient also had a very strong chemo-reaction during one treatment, Tina stayed calm during it, she helped keep the patient safe despite what an emergency it was and how scared the patient and his family were during it. She used humor, and even though the patient had to be 911'd out to the ER he was laughing and cracking jokes because Tina kept the situation so calm and he was comfortable with the plan.
He recently was unable to tolerate his old chemo regimen (both due to the reaction and because of cumulative side effect) and needed to change treatments. This was very hard for the patient, Tina was there for the patient and his family helping them understand the side effects, what to expect, and emotionally helping him navigate his feelings. At around this same time the patient's dad was diagnosed with cancer as well. Tina became the father's nurse as well. She already had developed a therapeutic relationship with the family. Again she offered her expertise in oncology to help the dad, and make his treatments go as smooth as possible. Watching Tina with our patients really epitomizes what it means to be an oncology nurse. Our patients feel the difference her warmth and knowledge make in their care.
Tina goes above and beyond for our patients. When patients tell her about their financial/medical bill struggle Tina is there to help pick the ball up and refer them to Social work or the medication assistance program. Time and time again I see her analyzing the situation and determining the best plan of care of our patients and their families. She is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced about chemotherapy and oncology and always makes herself available to help other nurses (like myself) when we need help determining what may be the best plan for a patient.
Time and time again I see her making a huge impact on patients lives. She listens very carefully to them to help sometimes "read between the lines" to determine what they are saying to her. Sometimes it is a subtle clue, for example, a patient not eating and Tina will get to the bottom whether it be a side effect or if they need more emotional support due to depression. She is particularly good with some of our younger patients. A couple years ago we had a patient with metastatic colon cancer. It really stands out to me because Tina was also one of his primary nurses. I remember her sitting and just listening to him talk about his life—the things he was interested in (like car building). She really took the time with him. Even when he opted to not have any more treatment (due to side effects and progression of disease) and was put on hospice, Tina made sure he had a lot of the support he needed and when he needed it (like helping to set him up for inpatient hospice as he did not have a caregiver at home). Tina blew me out of the water with her patience with the system (sometimes making several phone calls to make just one thing happen or to help coordinate his care). Tina's calm presence is a huge help in her relations with patients.