Born to nurse

This is what a typical week for Mary Peterson looks like: Three days a week she is a clinical research nurse, overseeing clinical trials at Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton; one day a week she is an RN in the outpatient department at the hospital; and on the weekend, she is a hospice nurse taking care of patients nearing the end of life in their homes.

Most people would feel stressed and fragmented by such a work week. Not Peterson. When asked how she explains her different roles, she says it comes out of her life's philosophy. "Two things drive me. I have always been a strong patient advocate and I have always been ready to do something new."

Peterson's sister and colleague at Good Samaritan, Clare McNamara, who nominated her for this honor, can attest to this. "Mary is one of those rare people who can step out of her comfort zone," says McNamara, "and she does it in order to serve others."

Mary Lou Boll, vice-president of patient care services and chief nursing officer, concurs. "Mary has it all. She has lots of clinical expertise, is a true patient-advocate, has a great bedside manner, and is an excellent research nurse. Combining all these facets makes her a wonderful asset for our organization."

Peterson, herself, tends to think about her different roles as the natural evolution of a nurse who is highly committed to her profession. When she started her career as an oncology nurse in the 1980's, patients typically stayed overnight in the hospital as they suffered through the effects of chemotherapy. Then, because of improved treatment and better drugs, cancer patients moved to the infusion room at the Same Day Center. Mary moved with them.

She was perfectly happy with her work when, in October 2005, the hospital in Brockton decided to participate in national oncology clinical trials. A clinical research nurse was needed to implement the new program and Peterson applied for and got the job. She is still somewhat surprised at the direction her career has taken. "If you had told me in the past that I would do research, I would have laughed at you. I have such a hands-on personality. But it does make sense for me. This is yet another piece of the oncology puzzle."

Even though she has moved into research, Peterson keeps her acute-care skills fresh with her hospital outpatient and in-home hospice care work. "As a nurse you get so much out of caring for patients in their homes. It is work that makes you proud to be a nurse."

To her colleagues, her activity is a natural extension of the commitment she showed before she had children and went on 15 medical missions to Ecuador. "I worked in the operating room as a scrub nurse," Peterson recalls, "and I translated. In high school I was an exchange student in Chile, so I speak Spanish quite well."

"Mary was born to be a nurse," says her sister. "When she was three years old, she told our mother that she wanted to become a nurse when she grew up. Apparently, a high percentage of nurses know before they are five years old that they want to become a nurse. Mary definitely belongs in that category."

Peterson doesn't remember expressing her career goals at the tender age of three. However, she says, "there is photo of me as a little girl in front of a Christmas tree and I am carrying a little nurse kit." Born to nurse, indeed.