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Pulse
Making a difference
For Mary Gullatte, nursing is a way to help, teach and give hope
Listen with your heart." The inscription is from a small ceramic plaque hanging on Mary Gullatte's office door, a gentle reminder of a philosophy she takes seriously.
"We have the opportunity to be there with our patients ... to listen when they are the most vulnerable, stressed and depressed," Gullatte said.
As director of nursing for Emory Hospitals oncology and transplantation services, Gullatte's listening and leadership skills have helped her through 26 years in the field, and have earned her the respect and affection of staff and patients at Emory and Crawford Long hospitals.
Now her skills and caring have earned her the top honor given to nurses in the state. Gullatte was named 2004 Georgia Nurse of the Year during the Georgia Nurse Association annual banquet May 1 at the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta.
"Mary has a way of inspiring others to act and [she] brings out the best in their professional achievements," said Alice Vautier, RN, chief nursing officer of Emory Hospitals. " ... She's committed to nursing and to her family, church, her community and to her profession. "She's very energetic. I think the fact that she's a high achiever has made other people believe that they can achieve as well. Personally and professionally, she's a great role model for many people within our organization. She's encouraged her staff to reach for the moon and be the best they can be."
Making a difference in the lives of her nursing staff and patients is what nursing is all about, Gullatte said. Due to her adminstrative duties, Gullatte is rarely in the office; yet she maintains a connection with her staff of more than 250, which is spread across both Emory and Crawford Long hospitals.
Gullatte is an advocate for patients and nurses, often bucking the system if she believes something is wrong with a patient's treatment.
"You always need to be the patient's advocate," she said. "The reason I'm still at Emory is that we have a collaborative practice, and physicians value what nursing brings to the table."
Gullatte enjoys great rapport with her staff, moving easily from talking to a unit clerk to discussing a new course of treatment with a hemotology/oncology physician.
Her warm and generous laugh lights up a room as she greets staff members by their first names. "She is the best boss," said Evelyn Jirasalchian, RN, department director of transplantation services at Emory. "She mentors and coaches us, and encourages us ... and pushes us to be excellent and do things we haven't done before."
That includes serving as captain of Emory's oncology nursing team at the recent Komen Atlanta Race for the Cure, where Gullatte joined co-workers during the 5K run/walk.
It also includes working as an advocate and volunteer for the American Cancer Society; writing breast health and prostate health materials for patients and their families; and publishing articles in professional journals.
Gullatte credits her nursing mentors for helping her grow in the profession. Edith Honeycutt was one of her first mentors and a formidable presence - at first.
"I was working the 3 to 11 [p.m.] shift on the leukemia floor, and there she was, all dressed in white, with the white stockings and those hard shoes we called clinics," Gullate said. "I saw her and said to myself, 'Oh, my gosh, there's an old-fashioned nurse.' " But Gullatte soon learned that Honeycutt loved to teach and was young at heart. "She was the 'mother' on the shift and [she] was wonderful. I learned a lot from her," Gullatte said.
Gullatte also credits Nelza Levine, head nurse of the oncology unit in the 1970s, with helping her grow as a leader.
"She helped me develop professional nursing leadership skills," Gullatte said. "I learned a lot from the older nurses in the unit, they trained me and were supportive."
Love at first sight
If the Emory nurses molded her nursing abilities as
an adult, it was a public health nurse who inspired
her as a child. As the eldest daughter of 10 children
growing up in rural Mississippi, she saw her first
nurse at school.
"A public health nurse came to our school to give us our shots ... One child would get to crying, and then it became a chorus," she recalled.
"But there was this black nurse in a white, crisp uniform and white cap, with the best smile ... After each injection, she ever so gently gave each child a hug and if they were really upset, let them sit on her lap and let them cry. It made me look forward to getting a shot, if just to be able to sit in her lap. That stayed with me - that there was someone who was able to give love, even with pain."
Growing in segregated Mississippi, Gullatte became a success in her parent's eyes by graduating from high school. But she wanted more. "I knew I wanted to be a nurse, but my family couldn't afford to send me to college."
Instead, Gullatte enlisted in the Air Force, and was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. There, she regularly volunteered at the local hospital. It was during this time that she first was drawn to helping cancer patients, and she began pursuing an associate degree in nursing at a local community college.
At Eglin, Gullate began garnering the leadership awards that would set the tone for her nursing career. When she was honorably discharged, she continued her education and received her bachelor of science in nursing.
She married her husband, Rodney, after she received her bachelor's degree, and the couple moved to Marietta. The couple has two grown children: Rodney Jr., a civil engineer stationed at Eglin, and Ronda, a student and athlete at Auburn University.
Working in oncology
Gullate worked briefly in women's health and pediatrics,
but was drawn to oncology patients.
"Oncology really interested me," she said. "I wondered how a normal part of your body could become abnormal and kill you," she said.
That scholarly interest has led her to publish articles in more than 100 journals and edit books on chemotherapy treatments. She also has produced materials to help patients and their families understand cancer, its treatments and how to deal with end-of-life issues.
"I remember the loss of one patient I had worked so hard to help get well," she said. "It was difficult, but ... it did not take long for me to get in touch with my own mortality and come to accept death. There was a sense of gratification in helping the patient and family prepare for the journey from life to death." Despite her busy schedule, Gullate still pitches in at the bedside when needed, often visiting with new oncology patients or catching up with others who return for new rounds of treatment.
Her philosophy of nursing has evolved over the years.
"Most folks say, 'I want to be a nurse and I just want to help people,' but once you get into it, you find you need to be there for them, 24/7. We become like second family to our patients, and we're their educators," Gullate said.
"If we can teach them about what to expect and what to do about it, it helps them be more prepared ... we can give them hope that they're not alone."
