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Mary Marlen, medical-surgical patient care manager at Memorial Hospital in Belleville
Photo provided by BJC HealthCare
NURSING PROGRAM: BSN, Chamberlain College of Nursing; MSN, Capella University
AREA OF FOCUS: Medical-surgical nursing
YEARS OF SERVICE: 16
Mary Marlen has been a nurse for 16 years, but she’s been caring for people since she was a little girl. Putting cool cloths on her siblings’ foreheads when they had a fever and making soup when her mom wasn’t feeling well have evolved into a full-time career at Memorial Hospital in Belleville.
Marlen, originally from the Philippines, says one of the main reasons she wanted to be a nurse was to give back to a community in a country that has afforded her opportunities and helped her be where she is today.
“I’ve always believed the health care field was my calling,” said Marlen, MSN, registered nurse. “As a nurse I’m able to connect with patients and be a part of making a difference during one of the most vulnerable times of their lives, and no matter how big or small that difference is, it just makes me want to work harder and show up for them.”
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A different form of learning
Even with the years of schooling and clinicals required to become certified as a nurse, Marlen said it’s her patients who continue to teach her day after day.
“Each patient is so different, with very specific needs, and the way you care for them is based on what’s important to them,” she said. “You can always do more training or have someone mentor you, but I’ve also realized that a lot of learning comes from the patients and their families. To do this job you have to have a compassionate heart and the ability to individualize how you deliver care to a patient. Seeing them happy is validation I can make a difference, even if it’s in a small way.”
Marlen’s advice for anyone considering the profession is to understand nursing is more than just giving medications and assessing patients.
“It’s taking care of the patient as a whole and everyone on the care team, including the nurses, need to have that in their heart,” she said. “The good thing is, there are so many different types of nursing career paths that it’s important for students to really dive into their clinical experience and explore the different departments in a hospital to see what they enjoy the most because the opportunities are endless.”
She suggests new nurses work a year or two on a medical-surgical or telemetry floor, where they can expect to receive a very well-rounded foundation in patient care, as well as the experience of being part of a highly efficient and collaborative team.
“That experience prepares you for everything,” she said, “Especially since today’s nurses are playing a bigger role on the care team.”
Challenges and changes
Marlen welcomes the challenges and changes that come day-to-day. She currently manages more than 80 nurses and visits patients and their families every day.
“We are a very patient-centric hospital, and the care teams here are extremely loyal and selfless,” she said. “I am energized by them every day. They are my family.”
A family affair
And speaking of family, Marlen’s gift of caring has had a powerful influence beyond the workplace. Her daughter Paula became a nurse four years ago and works in the hospital’s intensive care unit. Their paths cross occasionally. Her stepdaughter, Claire, is graduating from a nursing program in May 2024 and has accepted an offer at a medical-surgical unit at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, another BJC HealthCare facility located in St. Louis.
“I think they [Paula and Claire] saw how happy I was in this career and decided that it was for them,” Marlen said. “Nursing can be stressful at times, but it’s the reward of the profession that makes the difference. And I couldn’t have chosen a better path.”