When Nicky and Maggie sat down to talk with me, something happened that perfectly captured their relationship. Without saying a word to each other, they both reached into their pockets at the exact same time. They both pulled out a folded piece of paper, smoothed it onto the table, and looked up, ready to begin.
They had both printed out the questions ahead of time. They were perfectly in sync, prepared, and ready to work. It was a small moment, but it told the whole story: at NMC Health, this mother and daughter aren’t just family—they are a professional team that operates on the same wavelength.
Finding a calling
Nicky, an OR scrub tech, didn’t start her career in the OR. She spent years as a dispatcher, but something was missing. “I didn’t get to see the outcome, and that bothered me,” Nicky says. She wanted to know that the people she helped were okay.
When she discovered the world of the operating room, everything clicked. As a scrub tech, she assists the surgeon.
“This is who I am. It fits my personality. I wish I’d found it sooner,” she says.
Her passion was catching. When a job opened up at NMC Health, she encouraged Maggie to join her. Today, Maggie serves as a surgical resource specialist. She talks to reps, checks the instruments, and makes sure every piece of equipment is ready days before it’s even needed.
The perfect partnership
In the high-pressure world of the operating room, you have to be able to depend on the person next to you. For Nicky, that person just happens to be her daughter.
When Nicky walks into a room that Maggie has prepared, she feels a deep sense of peace.
“When Maggie’s been in my room before me to get it ready, I know it’s perfect,” Nicky says. “I don’t have to backtrack or double-check. Not only does it make my job easier, I have a little sense of pride.”
Maggie feels that same pride watching her mother work with the surgeons. “Watching her flow, seeing her know what the doctor needs before he even asks… she is just so happy being where she’s at. She’s really good at what she does,” Maggie says.
Nicky turns to look at Maggie, laughs, and says, “It sounds like we like each other!”
More than just "Mom"
Working side-by-side has changed how they see one another. For Maggie, “it definitely helped me see her as more than just my mom. I can see how much she helps people and just how much people depend on her. Her loving nature just pours out to everyone around her. It’s really nice to see. She cares so much about people.”
Nicky says she hasn’t learned anything new about her daughter: “I always knew she’s a go-getter. She’s smart, wears her heart on her sleeve. I’m proud of her and I think she’s amazing.”
Even their work habits are identical. When asked to describe each other’s work ethic in three words, Nicky said “perfectionist, dedicated, proactive.” Maggie gave her mom a playful look, laughed, and said, “I also said proactive!”
“We didn’t even coordinate this!” laughs Nicky.
The other two words Maggie uses to describe her mom are disciplined and resourceful.
Mother's Day tradition
While they spend their weekdays in scrubs, their Sundays are for family. This Mother’s Day will look like most of their Sundays: church and a big Sunday dinner with all the kids and their partners. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” says Nicky. “That’s my happy place.”
As Nicky looks toward the future, she has one simple wish: “I want to retire here. This is home. Getting to work with Maggie makes this place even more like home.
“NMC Health is special. I’ve worked at a lot of places—at larger hospitals, a surgery center, as a traveling scrub tech. NMC Health has a special energy and it’s like home,” Nicky says. “I’ve said it for so long. This is just home and it feels good to work in your community hospital. When we work long, hard cases, it makes it easier to be with the people who are family and like family.”