In Memoriam: Jill Martin, RN, Cardiac Critical Care Unit
Whenever one of Jill Martin’s patients was about to wake up intubated, she made a point of holding their hand and comforting them so they would feel safe. An expert nurse who exuded compassion, she never was more than a few feet away from her patients’ rooms in case they needed reassurance.
“Jill gave every part of her being to her patients,” said her friend and colleague Elizabeth Dalton, RN, of the Cardiac Critical Care Unit on Shapiro 9. “When patients came in scared, Jill went right to the head of their bed to calm them and tell them that she would take care of them.”
Ms. Martin, RN, an expert nurse in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit, passed away unexpectedly Oct. 17, just a few days shy of her 46th birthday. Her colleagues in the CCU and throughout the hospital say that they will miss her compassion, her teaching and her sarcastic wit.
“Jill was such a big part of the CCU backbone for so long,” said Karen Reilly, MBA, RN, nursing director of Shapiro 9 and 10. “Not only did she have excellent clinical skills, but she had this wonderful connection to people that made her very in tune to their needs, whether they were her patients or colleagues.”
A preceptor for many new nurses, Ms. Martin was frequently the CCU night charge nurse and responded to codes throughout the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center as a member of the code team. After Ms. Martin’s passing, Reilly was overwhelmed by the number of nurses who said that Ms. Martin had taught them how to handle a code.
“She was willing to take the time not to run the code, but to empower them to learn how to do it and stay there for support,” Reilly said. “A lot of nurses have said that Jill was the one who helped them learn to do what they were so nervous about.”
Ms. Martin joined BWH in 1987 after earning her degree in nursing from the New England Baptist School of Nursing. She worked on Tower 7AB before joining the Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit and finally the CCU in 1996.
Outside of the hospital, Ms. Martin enjoyed spending time with her nieces and nephews, traveling to visit her sister and joining friends out for dinner.
Ms. Martin was born and raised in Woburn. She spent summers with her family in Gloucester for many years and formed a deep appreciation for Cape Ann. She eventually bought a home and lived year round in her favorite spot on the Essex Marsh.
She is survived by her father, Thomas J. Martin III; her step-mother, Marcia Martin; and her cherished sisters, Kimberly Ann Martin and Stephanie Lee (Zuniga) Martin and her husband Lizandro; as well as nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends.
A memorial service was held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Gloucester Oct. 23. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Habitat for Humanity, 121 Habitat Street, Americus, Georgia 31709. A memorial service was held at BWH Nov. 29.