Where are they now?

Mimi Bartholomay
Clincial Nurse Specialist
Massachusetts General Hospital

"People allow nurses to enter their lives in extraordinary ways," Mimi Bartholomay said five years ago, when she was selected as an honoree in the Boston Globe's first Salute to Nurses section. She was explaining why she felt so drawn to the profession, and why her 10 years as a nurse at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center's Outpatient Clinic was so fulfilling for her. "There's a degree of intimacy that can be so extremely powerful," she said at the time.

Bartholomay still works at the Cancer Center, now as a clinical nurse specialist in oncology. As such, she is part of the leadership triad for the unit, teaming together with a nurse manager and operations coordinator to manage, train, and guide nurses who provide chemotherapy to patients at the center. Although she no longer administers chemo to patients, Bartholomay still finds her work fulfilling. In addition to mentoring nurses, she keeps up with current literature and best practices. A big part of her job is trouble-shooting. "Before, my rewards came from my interactions with patients," Bartholomay explains. "Now, the rewards come from helping a nurse through the learning process so that she can have that same experience."

Kathy Cooper, RN
Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation

"Wonderful things have happened because of the Salute to Nurses award," exclaims 2005 honoree Kathy Cooper. "It has brought attention to the work we do, and now two of my colleagues have been recognized by the state."

Cooper works with mentally retarded people who live independently in the community. It is a field of nursing Cooper felt was being overlooked. But not any longer; she is seeing a substantial change in the medical field. "I can truly say that physicians have become much more responsive to the medical needs of people with mental retardation. There is better communication. And we have done a lot of education of family members and direct care staff who are in daily contact with our clients to recognize their medical needs."

Cooper describes her mission as "helping people to live the best life they can." It is challenging work that she has found very rewarding. "If you call me five years from now, you will find me in the same place, doing the same work. This is what I was meant to do."

Martha Gauvin
Resident Health Coordinator
Veterans Hospice
Homestead

"I can't believe it's been four years," says Martha Gauvin, speaking of the time that has flown since she was chosen as a Salute to Nurses honoree. Gauvin was singled out for her selfless attitude and skill helping the needy, from substance abusers to aging veterans, at the Veterans Hospice Homestead in Fitchburg. Gauvin, who helped launch this 12-bed home, the nation's first hospice for homeless vets, continues to be a driving force in its development. "I do it all, from soup to nuts, and more," says Gauvin, who is nurse, case worker, and resident health coordinator. Despite these busy days at the agency, Gauvin, who is an LPN, has just earned her master's in mental health counseling after six years of studying part-time for the degree. "This has broadened my scope of being able to help vets," says Gauvin, who has seen appreciation and attention for the hospice grow in the wake of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. One mother whose son died in the war, made handmade red, white, and blue quilts for every hospice bed. "By loving and caring for our vets, we honor those who serve our country," says Gauvin.

Janice McLaughlin
Surgical Intensive Care Nurse
Tufts-New England Medical Center

Janice McLaughlin, a surgical intensive care unit (ICU) nurse at Tufts-New England Medical Center (Tufts-NEMC) was praised last year by Salute to Nurses for the strong patient-caregiver relationships that she forms. And McLaughlin hasn't changed. Just recently she took care of a patient who underwent brain surgery. His family stayed near his bedside during his two-month recovery, and when he was recently transferred to rehab, she visited him on her way home from work. "When I walked into the room, his wife was so excited," says McLaughlin. "She said she missed me."

Even after 12 years at Tufts-NEMC, McLaughlin says that every day is a learning process. The surgical ICU became a trauma center in February, and McLaughlin was trained with others in the trauma nurse core curriculum. She has also been working with her team to develop a hyperglycemia protocol, helping improve patient outcomes with close blood sugar management. And the surgical ICU is upgrading its bedside computer system so that medical information is charted directly into the main system. "A lot has gone on to make patient care better," says McLaughlin. And, of course, she's been a part of it all.