Doctor marvels at tireless nurse

I’m a physician — 26 years now — and I have worked with a lot of nurses. I see them early in the morning, late at night, and in the early a.m. hours when the hospital is generally dark and quiet. I know them at their most compassionate selves and also when the shift has been especially long and the hurdles extremely challenging. And today, while thinking about what Nurse’s Week actually means — actually should mean here at Rochester Regional Health — I thought of Mary Kay Keeley.

She has been a registered nurse for 39 years and most recently carries the title and responsibility of lead clinical nursing supervisor at Unity Hospital. Don’t ask me for her job description — I’d do a better job telling you how to build a nuclear reactor. When Mary Kay is on duty, she’s everywhere. She is responsible for patient movement in and around our acute care facility; she’s on the unit that is challenged by particularly sick patients and helping to make sure that all the other patients on the floor are having their needs met.  If the situation is “under control,” she’s likely to be found looking for the next area where she can be of assistance. She’s willing to tackle any situation to provide care and improve patient experience.

Did I mention that she’s an ordained minister? I’ve actually been to a staff member’s wedding where Mary Kay was presiding over the marriage vows. The concept of caring seems to flow into every aspect of her life. Mary Kay is the definition of “nurse.” She is the Energizer Bunny of her profession: She just keeps going and going and going.

Recently we had a patient who had a long list of complications, both medical and personal. Normally, this patient would have required weeks of “institutional” care for a variety of reasons. But my hero Mary Kay was up for the challenge. She was willing to work one on one with our patient in an outpatient setting, so the patient could be discharged from the hospital and return home to family to complete medical treatment. There’s a possibility of “happily ever after” for this patient, all because Mary Kay didn’t have enough to do in her spare time.

Mary Kay Keeley lives the definition of nursing: intelligent, compassionate, caring, genuine, committed, reliable, knowledgeable and tireless. We are all lucky to have nurses like her on our side.