Kitty Murphy, RN, BSN (right) with Robbi Eccher, SPMHC’s vice president of human resources, at the 2009 Wisconsin Health Care Employee Pride Program recognition dinner in Wisconsin Dells.

Murphy Honored at Statewide Health Care Employee Recognition Program

One of my first memories is of running a hospital under Mrs. Tock’s pine tree – at the age of three,” recalls Kitty Murphy, RN, BSN of Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital & Clinics’ Employee Health & Wellness department.  “My first patients were the neighbor boys pretending to gun one another down.”

Murphy joined 76 other health care employees from across the state at the 2009 Wisconsin Health Care Employee Pride Program recognition dinner at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells.

The program, sponsored by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA), is designed to celebrate the health care workforce and recognize their “truly amazing” contributions to the health of their communities, according to WHA President Steve Brenton. 

“People who work in hospitals are among Wisconsin’s most dedicated and valuable employees.  It takes special people to care for others and our communities are richer, safer and healthier places to live because of these professionals,” Brenton said.  “Whether they are on the front lines, or supporting those who deliver patient care, every health care employee helps improve the health status in the community where they live and work.”

Employees were asked to describe what led them to choose an occupation in health, and why they decided to work in a hospital.  Hundreds of health care employees submitted essays.  A committee at each health care facility selected the winning essay, and that person was honored at the recognition banquet May 7.

The recognition program is co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Society of Healthcare human Resources Administration, and the Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Executives.

Following is Murphy’s winning essay:
I have had the privilege of working in health care for 30 years, 23 as a nurse. I marked my 20th anniversary at Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital & Clinics (SPMHC) in January.  In that time I have witnessed some of the tenderest moments in people’s lives.  That is the privilege of nursing. 

One of my first memories is of running a hospital under Mrs. Tock’s pine tree – at the age of three. My first patients were the neighbor boys pretending to gun one another down.  I casted my Barbies.  My becoming a nurse did not surprise anyone. I wanted a challenge: heart, mind, body and soul. I wanted work with meaning. Nursing is. I chose SPMHC after talking to patients and I knew if the patients preferred Sauk, I would, too. I have been able to be the kind of nurse I want to be here.

There are moments in nursing where your actions are lifesaving. It is a humbling responsibility and honor. There are other fiercely personal moments when all you give is your presence. You carry everything you are into those moments, they alter you, and they keep you in nursing. I have held women, twice in one week, as they collapsed after hearing their husbands died.  I have stood with a woman profoundly ill with AIDS as she confided her diagnosis to her congregation. The congregation embraced and supported her.  I listened as a single mom rehearsed telling her children her cancer was back and had her call me years later when she was cancer free. I have soothed an addict giving birth. That child has since graduated from college. I have listened to stories and witnessed moments I can never repeat.

In those moments lies the spirit of nursing; heart, mind, body and soul.