Staff Spotlight: Mary Hogan
Mary Hogan
Meet Mary Alison Hogan, R.N., B.S.N., RNC-MNN, a proud member of the Nursing Simulation and Skills Lab Team at Mercy University’s Bronx Campus!
A third-generation native of Bedford Park, the Bronx, and a lifelong Bronx resident, Mary earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Magna cum Laude, from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in May 1986, at only twenty-one years old. She sat for and passed her R.N. licensure exam (NCLEX) in July 1986.
Mary was employed as a full-time staff R.N. on the Maternal and Newborn Unit at Montefiore Wakefield, the Bronx, (formerly Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center), from August 1986 to February 2013. She spent additional time on her unit per diem before beginning employment at The College of New Rochelle in April 2015. Mary was hired as part of Mercy College’s Simulation Team in August 2019.
During her many years as a bedside R.N., Mary provided care to postpartum and postoperative Cesarean section mothers and their newborn infants. She also has extensive experience in the care of high-risk antepartum mothers, including fetal monitoring for inpatient and outpatient populations. She performed frequent charge duty on her unit and was a preceptor to many nursing students, new graduate R.N.s, and experienced R.N.s transitioning to maternal and newborn care. Mary has held N.C.C. Certification in Maternal and Newborn Nursing since October 2009, and she is a proud member of the Eta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Q&A With Mary
What are your daily responsibilities in the Nursing Simulation and Skills Labs?
"I am committed to providing meaningful, carefully-planned lab experiences for our instructors and students, and my daily duties all aim to achieve that goal. According to the course syllabi, I plan and implement skills lab sessions, including doing lab “setup and breakdown”, for Health Assessment, Fundamentals of Nursing, Med-Surg Nursing I, Med-Surg Nursing II, and Maternity Simulation Skills Practice. I round on labs in progress to ensure that instructors and students have all the supplies they need. In keeping with my motto that “Every class should feel like they are the first class in the room”, I strive to ensure that our lab rooms are clean, neat, and appropriately-stocked. I provide guidance to our student workers who assist with these tasks. I periodically check our lab equipment for functionality (e.g. stethoscopes, sphygmomanometers, and thermometers), and effect corrective action where needed. I reconstruct lab kits for future use, including Foley Catheter Kits, CVAD Dressing Kits, and Tracheostomy Care Trays. I monitor stock levels of frequently-used lab supplies and suggest reordering where necessary. Perhaps most importantly, I am always eager to share stories of my own patient care experiences with our students and to offer them “TLC”, emotional support, and well-intended advice with a smile!
Tell us something we may not know about you?
"Although I have dedicated my professional career to caring for humans, my greatest passion in life is for animals! I am the adoring Mom of five beautiful cats: Jeremy (9), Kitty (9), Joseph (6), Marion (6), and Teresa (6). Four of my cats began their lives as neighborhood ferals. Joseph, Marion, and Teresa are litter mates who were born in my back yard and whom I cared for since the day of their birth. Kitty is their mother. All now enjoy life as pampered indoor pets without a care in the world, together with my “pride and joy”, Jeremy. I also provide nutritious food, warm bedding, and lots of “TLC” to many “community cats” in my neighborhood."
What is the best advice you can give to a future nurse?
"Please remember that the “heart and soul” of nursing always has been, and always will be, the direct care provided to patients at the bedside. In recent years, bedside care has come to be seen as more of a “stepping stone” toward careers in nursing education, administration, or research – something you will do for only a few years and then move on. My advice is to embrace the opportunity to provide bedside care! Although the most labor-intensive, it is also the most rewarding, fulfilling work you will ever do as an R.N. Build a relationship with each patient! Learn his or her name and use it! Leave him or her in a better shape at the end of your shift, than the shape in which you found him or her at the beginning! Take time to perform your tasks carefully, never rush, and make every effort to “get it right the first time.” Give it your all, and I promise that it will give back to you above and beyond your expectations!"