National Nurses Month Recognition

Saluting Two More Top Field Nurses

National Nurses Month was created by the American Nurses Association along with “May 6: National Recognition Day for Nurses” back in 1982. Both were an extension of National Nurses Week, which was proclaimed by President Richard Nixon in 1974.

According to the career web site Zippia, there are more than 1.5 million hospice registered nurses in America.

Introducing QRT Nurse Marlene Spivey, RN

Even though she’s been a nurse for more than 40 years, Marlene Spivey, RN only recently became a hospice nurse when she joined Crossroads in Philadelphia about a year ago.

As a member of the QRT (Quick Response Team) Marlene feels like she’s landed her dream position. Joining Crossroads and specializing in end-of-life care nursing was “a very good decision,” she said.

Marlene works from 8:00 P.M. to 8:30 A.M. managing all kinds of “after hours” work including being at the bedside for a patient’s attended death, managing an emergent patient or seeing through any necessary clinical work started during the day and in need of completion or follow up.

According to Marlene, she’s all about “keeping everything moving” forward.

Marlene has always been very empathetic. “Even as a child I always wanted to help people,” she said. She was also an avid reader who devoured books about nursing (and horses) as a teenager. What started in her youth led to a successful 43-year nursing career that included critical care, long-term care nursing and many years working for a home infusion company.

Marlene believes all that experience contributes to her newfound success as a hospice nurse at Crossroads where she “loves the team environment” and being a member of an integrated care team that also includes chaplains, social workers, bereavement specialists, volunteer managers, hospice aides, physicians and other nurses all working together for patients and their families.