Melinda Etling, RN

With 40 years of dedicated nursing service, Melinda Etling exemplifies a lifetime of compassionate, professional, mission-driven care. Her impact reaches far beyond individual patient encounters, shaping generations of nurses, strengthening clinical practice, and fostering a culture of excellence, kindness, and accountability within St. Mary’s Cancer Care. Melinda’s career stands as a testament to the profound difference one nurse can make over a lifetime.

As a consummate professional, Melinda has created an environment where exceptional outcomes are not just expected—they are cultivated. She freely and generously shares her four decades of experience with both new and seasoned nurses, offering guidance without intimidation or judgment. Her approach builds confidence, curiosity, and competence, strengthening the infusion nursing knowledge base daily. Melinda frequently precepts new infusion nurses, taking them under her wing and guiding them through orientation with patience and skill. Through this mentorship, she equips nurses with strong problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities essential to providing safe, high-quality infusion care. No nurse in the infusion center has gone without being influenced by Melinda’s wisdom and example.

Melinda is also a trusted advocate—for both her colleagues and the patients she serves. She supports fellow nurses by sharing practical, experience-based solutions to clinical challenges such as difficult IV access, lack of blood return, and managing infusion reactions. Known affectionately as the infusion center’s “go-to,” Melinda was recently nominated by her peers for the “Wikipedia Award” because she always seems to have the right answer. Just as importantly, she models humility and accountability by asking questions herself and utilizing available resources. She readily seeks clarification from providers and advocates confidently for patients regarding treatment plans and side effects. Providers trust Melinda’s judgment and hold deep confidence that their patients are safe and well cared for under her watch.

As a true partner in care, Melinda’s dedication to patients and colleagues consistently goes above and beyond. Multiple times each month, she volunteers for extra shifts to support her team and minimize patient wait times. She invests deeply in relationships with her patients, learning their stories and staying genuinely interested in their well-being throughout their treatment journey. One especially meaningful example occurred when Melinda learned a patient would be transitioning to hospice care. After ensuring her infusion patients were covered, she went to the clinic to say goodbye in person, offering comfort, compassion, and shared memories. In another memorable moment, Melinda ensured infusion patients could safely experience a solar eclipse—wheeling them one by one to the rooftop with IV pumps in tow, sharing protective glasses, and later sharing photos so no one felt left out. These acts reflect her belief that healing includes dignity, joy, and human connection.

Melinda demonstrates accountability not only through clinical excellence but also through her commitment to team culture and operational readiness. She has taken on the role of “event planner,” helping foster engagement and connection across the infusion center and two clinics. On her own time, she decorates for baby showers, birthdays, bridal showers, and other celebrations, ensuring her coworkers feel appreciated and valued. She also supports regulatory excellence by participating in Monday compliance checks, ensuring the infusion center is always survey-ready and safe for patients and staff alike.

As a leader, Melinda lives SSM Health’s mission in every shift—especially when serving as relief charge nurse. She prioritizes timely patient care, supports staff breaks, advocates for appropriate staffing, and practices stewardship by monitoring patient census and flexing staff where needed. Beyond the walls of the clinic, she has carried the mission into the community through service as a Boy Scouts of America camp nurse and through involvement in a Cancer Care survivors’ dinner.

After 40 years of service, Melinda Etling is exceptionally deserving of the DAISY Lifetime Award. Her mentorship has shaped an entire infusion team of confident, skilled nurses; her compassion has deeply touched patients and families; and her leadership has strengthened both culture and care delivery. St. Mary’s Cancer Care is profoundly grateful for Melinda’s lifelong contributions and is honored to celebrate a nurse whose career has embodied excellence, advocacy, partnership, accountability, and heart.

Melinda freely shares her 40 years of experience with our staff, both new and seasoned, without intimidation or judgment, expanding our infusion nurses’ knowledge base and helping us achieve exceptional outcomes every day. She frequently precepts our new infusion nurses, taking them under her wing and guiding them through their orientation so they are set up to succeed with the problem-solving and critical thinking skills needed to provide exceptional patient care in the infusion center. Melinda's wisdom has touched every nurse in our infusion center.

Melinda supports her fellow nurses by sharing problem-solving techniques, such as how to get IV access or blood return and how to handle medication reactions. She’s the infusion center’s go-to for infusion-related questions and was recently nominated by her team for the “Wikipedia Award” for always having an answer. Moreover, whenever she has a question, she isn’t afraid to ask and uses the resources around her. She doesn’t hesitate to ask a provider for clarification or advocate for her patients regarding their treatment plan, side effects, etc. Our providers respect her and trust her judgment and are confident that their patients are in good hands with Melinda.

Melinda’s dedication to her team and patients goes beyond what’s required, as shown by the multiple times per month she picks up extra shifts to ensure her team doesn’t struggle and our patients don’t face extended wait times. Melinda also invests time in building relationships with her patients throughout their care at the infusion center and has a vested interest in their well-being. When she learned a patient was going on hospice and would be ending treatment at the center, she ensured her infusion patients were covered and came over to the clinic side to personally say goodbye, offer comfort, and reminisce about their time together. Additionally, on a day when there was an eclipse, Melinda made sure some of our infusion patients got to go outside with their IV pumps and poles to take in the view. She wheeled them one by one to the roof and shared her protective glasses so they could safely see the eclipse. She then shared pictures she had taken so those who may have missed the experience could see what had happened. The patients enjoyed the experience and were grateful she took the time out of her day to accommodate them in such a thoughtful way.

Melinda has taken accountability for achieving outcomes by taking on the role of “party/event planner” with another staff member to help promote team building and employee engagement throughout our site. She enthusiastically plans and leads events that bring her coworkers together and foster collaborative relationships across two clinics and the infusion center. Melinda takes it upon herself to come in on her days off to decorate for baby showers, birthday parties, bridal showers, and more so her coworkers feel appreciated and included in our Cancer Care family. Additionally, she helps the team complete the infusion center’s “Monday compliance” checks to ensure our center is not only survey-ready from a regulatory standpoint, but also prepared to provide safe and exceptional care to every patient.

Melinda implements SSM’s mission and values every shift, especially when she serves as relief charge for the day. She ensures the patients receive care in a timely manner by jumping in and helping her fellow nurses as needed; she makes sure staff lunches stay on track so everyone can get the break they deserve in order to recharge and come back refreshed; and during daily staffing calls, she advocates for the staffing needed to be able to provide exceptional care the following day. Melinda also promotes stewardship by closely monitoring the center’s patient census and flexing staff out or floating to our sister sites as needed to ensure productive hours are not wasted and those who need help get it. During her career, she has also put SSM’s mission in action in her community by helping with a Cancer Care survivors’ dinner in 2019 and working as a camp nurse for Boy Scouts of America.

Melinda has been nominated for the DAISY Award before and now deserves the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award, as her 40 years of experience have improved our infusion center and, in turn, the care our clinic provides with every shift she works. By precepting new nurses and mentoring others, she has helped develop a confident, knowledgeable, exceptional group of nurses at Chemo Center 2 and continues to bolster their growth as nursing professionals, their enthusiasm for nursing, and their dedication to our patients. She fosters a sense of family among her coworkers by ensuring everyone’s included in potlucks and parties, and she leaves no detail unaddressed to make the events a success and something her coworkers eagerly look forward to. Melinda also treats patients like family and goes above and beyond to ensure they have a safe, positive experience with her, whether that’s taking them outside to experience an eclipse or sending them off with comfort and dignity after making the tough decision to stop treatment. Last, but certainly not least, Melinda’s community has benefited from her years of experience with the Boy Scouts of America, substitute teaching, and participating in a dinner for our Cancer Care survivors. St. Mary’s Cancer Care is grateful for her contributions to the center and feels lucky to have Melinda on our team to help deliver exceptional care to our patients.