Mariah Marino
December 2024
Mariah
Marino
,
BSN, RN
Intensive Care Center
MedStar St. Mary's Hospital
Leonardtown
,
MD
United States
Mariah did not shy away from the difficult topic or conversation with the patient’s family and faced it with confidence and professionalism. Mariah truly gave her patient a voice when they could not speak for themself. Mariah provided exceptional and compassionate care to a patient who truly needed an advocate.
Mariah Marino is known throughout the hospital as an extremely compassionate nurse and a fierce advocate for her patients. Each shift, Mariah brings positivity and joy to patients, families, and colleagues. She is known for being the nurse that encourages and inspires patients to truly participate in their care, honors their preferences, and takes additional time to ensure her patients are mobile, comfortable, and well-educated about their plan of care. Four stories led to Mariah being selected as our 2024 DAISY Award recipient.
Story 1: Recently, the Intensive Care Center (ICC) cared for a patient with a brain injury who was physically violent towards staff and a danger to themselves. Mariah spent time listening to this patient’s stories, their concerns, and their goals. She established a wonderful and trusting rapport with this patient, educated her colleagues, and shared her compassionate spirit. To be able to keep this patient safe and mobile, Mariah went above and beyond – bringing in foam and utilizing it to cover equipment as a safety precaution. By choice, Mariah cared for this patient each shift she was here. She ensured the patient was provided exercise, physical therapy, companionship, and nutrition that would support their needs. The interdisciplinary team huddled frequently on this patient, and Mariah provided trusted assessments and valuable insight. Mariah’s steadfast commitment to this patient allowed them to reach their goal of being able to discharge safely home, which would not have been possible without her.
Story 2: Mariah recently cared for a family who was experiencing the death of their newborn. Mariah was a part of the team working to get the hemorrhaging mother stabilized. Mariah took it upon herself to visit the family of the patient who was still in OB – knowing they were grieving the loss of the newborn but also so very worried about their loved one in the ICC. Mariah relayed the care the patient would receive and set expectations for visitation, leaving the family reassured. The OB team and family were overwhelmed by the compassion Mariah extended.
Story 3: I (FNE Coordinator) had never worked with Mariah before but had a very unique interaction with her in early October 2024. Mariah was caring for a patient in the ICC suffering from an anoxic brain injury after a suspected overdose. Mariah was concerned that the patient had possibly been sexually assaulted, given the patient’s injuries and the environment the patient was found in. Unfortunately, this patient’s mother was stuck in Tampa due to the hurricane and was initially unable to be at the hospital with the patient. Mariah took on the role of not only being this patient’s nurse, but a strong advocate for the patient. Mariah quickly escalated her concerns of sexual assault to the coordinator of our forensic nurse examiner program. Mariah gathered all the information and the options that were available to her patient. Mariah confidently called the patient’s mother and gave her all the information to allow her to make the decision about the patient’s care. Although the patient’s mother ultimately declined forensic services for the patient, the patient’s mother was very appreciative of the care that Mariah provided. Mariah practiced our hospital’s SPIRIT values of service, patient first, and respect. She truly treated this patient as if she were part of her own family and made absolutely sure that all possibilities of abuse and/or violence that could have occurred to this patient were addressed. This situation was an example of our high-reliability organization principle of reluctance to simplify. Mariah did not shy away from the difficult topic or conversation with the patient’s family and faced it with confidence and professionalism. Mariah truly gave her patient a voice when they could not speak for themself. Mariah provided exceptional and compassionate care to a patient who truly needed an advocate. Mariah truly is a gem within our organization.
Story 4: A hospital committee community member stated that he was visiting a friend in the ICC and was hesitant about touching the patient and holding his hand or rubbing his arm. He did not want to dislodge any tubes or wires. Mariah was in the room tending to the patient and encouraged the visitor to provide the needed human contact. She demonstrated by rubbing the patient’s arms and patting him on the shoulders. The community member also commented that Mariah provided a thorough bath to the patient. He said, “He looked better than I did!” The quality of care given to this patient, as described by the community member, was incredible. She was described as being so loving and genuine. When concerned about touch and how it might impact the patient's vent, she encouraged the visitors to touch him often and let him know they were there. He was incredibly sick, and she was just an angel.
These stories are a reflection of the work Mariah does every day. Not only does she deserve this award, she makes others strive and engage in a way that is deserving of this award. She is truly a role model and a stellar nurse within the hospital.
Story 1: Recently, the Intensive Care Center (ICC) cared for a patient with a brain injury who was physically violent towards staff and a danger to themselves. Mariah spent time listening to this patient’s stories, their concerns, and their goals. She established a wonderful and trusting rapport with this patient, educated her colleagues, and shared her compassionate spirit. To be able to keep this patient safe and mobile, Mariah went above and beyond – bringing in foam and utilizing it to cover equipment as a safety precaution. By choice, Mariah cared for this patient each shift she was here. She ensured the patient was provided exercise, physical therapy, companionship, and nutrition that would support their needs. The interdisciplinary team huddled frequently on this patient, and Mariah provided trusted assessments and valuable insight. Mariah’s steadfast commitment to this patient allowed them to reach their goal of being able to discharge safely home, which would not have been possible without her.
Story 2: Mariah recently cared for a family who was experiencing the death of their newborn. Mariah was a part of the team working to get the hemorrhaging mother stabilized. Mariah took it upon herself to visit the family of the patient who was still in OB – knowing they were grieving the loss of the newborn but also so very worried about their loved one in the ICC. Mariah relayed the care the patient would receive and set expectations for visitation, leaving the family reassured. The OB team and family were overwhelmed by the compassion Mariah extended.
Story 3: I (FNE Coordinator) had never worked with Mariah before but had a very unique interaction with her in early October 2024. Mariah was caring for a patient in the ICC suffering from an anoxic brain injury after a suspected overdose. Mariah was concerned that the patient had possibly been sexually assaulted, given the patient’s injuries and the environment the patient was found in. Unfortunately, this patient’s mother was stuck in Tampa due to the hurricane and was initially unable to be at the hospital with the patient. Mariah took on the role of not only being this patient’s nurse, but a strong advocate for the patient. Mariah quickly escalated her concerns of sexual assault to the coordinator of our forensic nurse examiner program. Mariah gathered all the information and the options that were available to her patient. Mariah confidently called the patient’s mother and gave her all the information to allow her to make the decision about the patient’s care. Although the patient’s mother ultimately declined forensic services for the patient, the patient’s mother was very appreciative of the care that Mariah provided. Mariah practiced our hospital’s SPIRIT values of service, patient first, and respect. She truly treated this patient as if she were part of her own family and made absolutely sure that all possibilities of abuse and/or violence that could have occurred to this patient were addressed. This situation was an example of our high-reliability organization principle of reluctance to simplify. Mariah did not shy away from the difficult topic or conversation with the patient’s family and faced it with confidence and professionalism. Mariah truly gave her patient a voice when they could not speak for themself. Mariah provided exceptional and compassionate care to a patient who truly needed an advocate. Mariah truly is a gem within our organization.
Story 4: A hospital committee community member stated that he was visiting a friend in the ICC and was hesitant about touching the patient and holding his hand or rubbing his arm. He did not want to dislodge any tubes or wires. Mariah was in the room tending to the patient and encouraged the visitor to provide the needed human contact. She demonstrated by rubbing the patient’s arms and patting him on the shoulders. The community member also commented that Mariah provided a thorough bath to the patient. He said, “He looked better than I did!” The quality of care given to this patient, as described by the community member, was incredible. She was described as being so loving and genuine. When concerned about touch and how it might impact the patient's vent, she encouraged the visitors to touch him often and let him know they were there. He was incredibly sick, and she was just an angel.
These stories are a reflection of the work Mariah does every day. Not only does she deserve this award, she makes others strive and engage in a way that is deserving of this award. She is truly a role model and a stellar nurse within the hospital.