Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Eileen McMahon-Bowen greets Neuro ICU patient Vaishali Goyal.
For Eileen McMahon-Bowen, BSN, RN, CNRN, of BWH's Neuroscience ICU, a big part of caring for her patients is protecting them.
"There's a loss of control when you're a patient, especially a patient with a neurological condition," said McMahon-Bowen. "Inside, they are awake, aware, thinking and seeing things, but some are unable to speak, or they can't understand what someone is saying to them. We are their guardians. They are in a vulnerable position, and it's nice to be able to say to them, ‘I know you can hear me, and these are the steps we're taking.'"
Clockwise from top left: Essence of Nursing honorees Kerry Franey, Karen Morth, Susan Hering and Brian O'Callaghan.
For her compassion, wisdom, sense of presence and other qualities, McMahon-Bowen was chosen as this year's Essence of Nursing Award recipient. She delivered her acceptance speech at the Nurse Recognition Dinner on May 8.
McMahon-Bowen begins each day by praying for patience, intentionally preparing to be present. She arrives on the unit early for every shift to learn about her patients and be ready for anything. Caring for one memorable patient, a young man who sustained a massive brain injury following a car accident, McMahon-Bowen recalls putting herself in the shoes of the patient's mother.
"As his nurse and a mother to a son close to his age, I made certain that I gave two very important women in his life-his mother and girlfriend-as much honest information and emotional support as I possibly could," she said. McMahon-Bowen adjusted medical devices so that his mother and girlfriend could have access to his face and body. She had the insight and experience to know that touch can be healing. The patient eventually responded to care and recovered.
"For every patient I have the privilege to care for, a simple smile means more to me than almost anything I can imagine," McMahon-Bowen said. "These are the moments . . . when I know that I made the right decision many years ago to become a registered nurse."
During this year's Nurse Recognition Dinner, the four exemplary nurses named as honorees were also recognized: Brian O'Callaghan, BSN, RN, of Burn/Surgical Trauma Intermediate Care, Tower 8AB; Karen Morth, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC, of the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit, Shapiro 6 West; Kerry D. Franey, BSN, RN, of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; and Susan Hering, BSN, RN, PCCN, nurse-in-charge of Medical Cardiology, Shapiro 9/10.
"This is a time to recognize and celebrate the skilled, personalized and compassionate care all of our nurses provide every day," said Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer Jackie Somerville, PhD, RN. "BWH nurses are dedicated to treating the whole patient, not just the disease, and guiding family members during the most challenging of times. I am honored to call them my colleagues."