If you walk into ICU-Critical Care at NMC Health, you’ll see a lot of high-tech monitors, hear the steady hum of machines, and meet some of the toughest nurses in the business. But if you’re lucky (like, really lucky, since it doesn’t happen often), you might catch a glimpse of a very special duo working side-by-side.
Meet Melody and Marissa. They are both Registered Nurses (RNs) in our ICU. They also happen to be mother and daughter.
Theirs is a story about shared passions, connections, and how you should always finish your homework—even if your appendix is about to burst.
A career that started with stuffed animals (and little brothers)
For some people, finding a career is a long, winding road. For Marissa, it was a straight line.
“I was always going to be a nurse,” Marissa says. “I don’t think I ever wavered.” Marissa practiced her early nursing skills on her younger brothers and a collection of stuffed animals.
Melody, who has been a nurse “long enough to know better,” watched her daughter’s interest grow.
“She would never mind when I told stories about work,” Melody remembers. “Everyone else in the family did!”
Eventually, Marissa’s interest moved from stuffed animals to the real thing. She became a “volunteen” at the Medical Center back in middle school, earning her first certificate of completion. She’s been “along for the ride” with her mom ever since.
From "Mom" to "Melody"
Working with your parent can be a bit of a balancing act. How do you stay professional when the person across the nurse’s station is the same person who used to ground you?
Marissa handles it by sticking to the rules… most of the time.
“I call her Melody at work,” Marissa explains. “I try to be professional. But it slips occasionally.”
Whenever Marissa realizes she needs a caffeine fix, the professional mask drops. “If I need coffee money, I say ‘Mom.'”
For Melody, having her daughter on the unit hasn’t made her relax; if anything, it’s made her work harder. “It makes you want to dot your I’s and cross your T’s,” Melody says. “You want to continue to be professional and do a good job. I have to make sure I know my stuff.”
The nursing instinct
Nursing isn’t just about what you learn in a textbook. It’s about a feeling, or an instinct that tells you what a patient needs before they even ask for it. Marissa says that’s the greatest gift she inherited from her mom.
“The thinking ahead, seeing what needs to be done and already being there is something I’ve picked up from her,” Marissa says. “Instead of reacting, you learn to be proactive.“
But it isn’t just about the big medical stuff. Marissa has also been watching how Melody connects with people. In a place like the ICU, that connection is everything.
“She can get to know anybody and find a connection,” Marissa says of her mom. “Sometimes that’s all people need—to feel heard and feel better.”
Wisdom and technology
Of course, the learning goes both ways. While Melody provides the “old school” wisdom, Marissa brings the modern edge.
When asked what she’s learned from her daughter, Melody smiles. “Technology! There are faster ways to find answers now. The internet and the computer make it so easy. You don’t have to have everything memorized like we used to.”
And what is the one piece of “Mom-wisdom” that Marissa carries with her every day? It isn’t about medicine or anatomy.
“Always wear compression socks,” Marissa says firmly. It’s the kind of advice your feet thank you for after a long shift.
Tough love and the appendix incident
In the ICU, these two are the picture of compassion. At home? Well, Melody admits she’s a little tougher on her own kids than she is on her patients.
“My gravestone will read: ‘If you have a headache, go take an Advil, you’ll be fine,'” Melody jokes.
But then there’s the legendary story of Marissa’s appendix. Most moms might panic if their child had appendicitis. Not an ICU nurse mom.
“I definitely listened to the kids when they were sick,” Melody says, “but there was that one time I made Marissa finish Driver’s Ed before she had her appendix out.”
Marissa just smiles. “I passed.”
That “tough love” helped Marissa develop the grit needed for the ICU. Melody says she knew her daughter had truly “arrived” as a nurse when she saw her take charge of a room. “She has the ability to talk to anybody and get along with anybody. She takes charge.”
A connection without words
There is something special about the way these two work together. In a high-stress environment like the ICU, communication is key. But when you’re family, you don’t always need words.
“When you’re in a family unit, you often don’t have to say a lot,” Melody says. “We exchange looks. We have the same work ethic. It just works.”
For Melody, seeing Marissa walk onto the unit as a peer for the first time was a moment of pure pride. “There’s nothing that brings you more joy than having a child follow in your footsteps. My boys would never consider anything medical, so for her to do this… it’s an honor.”
More than just a job
As we wrapped up our talk, they were asked to finish a sentence: “Having my mom/daughter as a colleague has taught me that nursing isn’t just a job, it’s…”
Marissa didn’t hesitate: “…a passion.”
Melody took it one step further: “…a profession to be proud of. We felt that during the hard years of the pandemic. Nursing has come a long way, and it is still a very revered position. Who do people respect? They respect a nurse.”
This Mother’s Day, we celebrate Melody and Marissa—and all the moms and children who serve our community together. Whether they are sharing clinical advice or just sharing a cup of coffee (paid for by Mom), their bond makes NMC Health a better place.
