Clinical Skills: 
Mary Jo took over care of a couplet at 1500. She walked into the room and the mother immediately began voicing concerns and stated that she wanted to leave AMA. Quickly, Mary Jo discovered that the patient had a history of extreme anxiety and throughout the day felt dismissed by her provider, despite feeling like she was getting sicker and sicker. Since delivery, the previous day the patient's pain continued to increase and was now coupled with not being able to eat without vomiting. Her excruciating pain was out of control, and she felt like the only option she had was to leave. Mary Jo jumped into action and contacted the physician and together they planned to provide additional IV pain medication and a CT scan to identify the cause of pain. Unfortunately, the patient's IV access was lost, and so she needed a new IV site. The patient had already been poked several times that day, and with a fear of needles, this added stress just made getting an IV way too overwhelming. The patient was adamant that she had to leave, yet she was so sick, this decision would have put her at significant risk. Mary Jo kneeled at the bedside and, with a soft voice, talked with this patient and her husband. I genuinely believe that if Mary Jo had not been able to meet this patient where she was at that this patient would have left the hospital and it’s highly likely this could have had a negative outcome. Instead, Mary Jo supported this patient, was able to comfort her during her IV placement and arrange for the CT scan immediately. Very quickly, we learned that the patient had an abdominal 8x12 inch bleed by her rib and was taken to surgery. This patient's health and wellbeing was greatly impacted by both Mary Jo's ability to connect and her clinical skills. Another day, Mary Jo was assigned an unstable patient with pre-eclampsia. The patient's blood pressure continued to rise despite multiple interventions and physician calls. Mary Jo continued to provide intensive treatments involving IV medications and monitoring every 10 minutes, which seems normal in an ICU environment but very unusual and challenging on a Mother Baby unit when you often have 3-4 couplets in your care. Mary Jo was successful in caring for this patient and in getting her blood pressure under control. Mary Jo seamlessly cares for emergent cases all while maintaining care for the rest of her load. She is one of the calmest air traffic controllers on the unit. 

Compassionate Care: 
Mary Jo had a patient who had dealt with gallstones during her pregnancy. While the patient was in a significant amount of pain her surgery was canceled. Mary Jo contacted the provider, voiced the patient's concerns, and was able to get the patient added to the OR schedule so that her gallstones could be removed before being discharged. Mary Jo demonstrated how being an advocate can positively affect a patient's care outcome. Mary Jo's commitment to people and improving their well-being is nothing new. Back in 2019, she volunteered at Casa Jackson. At Casa Jackson, she not only volunteered her time but also advanced her ability to speak Spanish, which benefits her patients to this day. 

Exemplary Service: 
Mary Jo had a patient who only spoke Chuukese, and this particular weekend, we were not able to connect with any interpreters. This particular patient had a baby was who extremely ill and she was unable to understand what was going on. Mary Jo spent the good part of her day contacting people outside of the organization and getting approval to use an outside interpreter to assist this patient. Mary Jo did not accept the status quo of not having resources for this patient, she went above and beyond to help this mom. Mary Jo's patients are not the only ones that benefit from her presence. Her colleague wrote: Thank you Mary Jo for managing an emergent situation while I was on my lunch break, taking care of so many things and assessing another room so I could stay with my patient. Your help is so appreciated. Another peer wrote: Mary Jo you are so collaborative in your work. I really appreciate your attitude and you always having a good feeding plan set up. A patient wrote: My nurses were complete angels. I cannot explain how absolutely wonderful it was to have Mary Jo and her partner alongside me for the journey of welcoming a new baby into the world. Another wrote: Thank you for doing a baby bath, Mary Jo you rock. One last peer wrote: Thank you for helping me during a busy day and always having a smile or a funny saying. 

Continued Commitment: 
Mary Jo received an admit that was Chuukese speaking, and through her review of her chart, she found out that the patient was positive for Syphilis. This baby had been born vaginally which puts them at risk of congenital syphilis. This is a serious and potentially life-threatening infection if it goes untreated. Again, in Mary Jo fashion, she jumped into action and contacted the provider to access the treatment that the baby needed. If you Google what being a nurse means, it says: To actively care for patients by providing holistic support, advocating for their needs, and promoting health, but we all know that being a nurse means so much more. It means being compassionate, having patience, empathy, and being sensitive. It means being there for a total stranger; it is the ability to keep a patient's loved one calm in the most stressful situation, and most importantly, it means the patients in your care must be able to trust you. Mary Jo's patients not only receive all of the above, but at the end of the day, they have gained a friend. The Mother Baby unit is blessed to have Mary Jo on our team. She makes us all better.