My 83 y.o. father, who is very hard of hearing, unexpectedly ended up as a patient under Mary Jane's care. By the time I found out about his hospitalization he had been in the hospital overnight and half the next day (I live in Ohio). My fear was that because of his hearing he would be unable to communicate and wouldn't understand what was going on (what tests were being done, the results, etc.). I called St. Joseph and was put in touch with Mary Jane (medical surgical float). Within a few seconds she was able to quickly calm my worst fears; she knew my Dad, his situation and let me know how he had stabilized. He was not a number or a name on a chart to her. My Dad is so hard of hearing he generally never attempts to talk on the phone. Knowing this, I asked her to please let my Dad know his children called and we were on our way to the hospital. She said "If you want to talk to your Dad, let me take the phone to him and let's see if he can hear you". I was hesitant because not hearing on the phone may make him more frustrated, but she encouraged me to try and lo and behold he could understand me reasonably well.

I can't tell you how much Mary Jane's simple gesture meant and communicated to me. I knew my Dad was alive, and cognizant, AND he had a competent medical professional at Saint Joseph who knew about him, his medical situation, his hearing and was looking out for him. My Dad was in the hospital Friday through Sunday and we had several occasions to meet with and talk to Mary Jane. Each interaction reinforced that initial impression. She helped educate us on his situation in terms we could understand, and inform us on what we could expect in terms of the hospital stay. Thanks to Mary Jane, we knew we were in good hands.

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In addition to MJ's patients always being more than just satisfied with their care received, MJ's coworkers all value MJ's outstanding attitude and quality of care that she provides each and every day. MJ exemplifies the type of nurse that this program has set out to recognize. Each and every day that MJ comes to work I see her doing more than just her job. MJ exemplifies the core values of our organization showing compassion, respect, integrity and excellence in each and every person she encounters.