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Nurses Week Spotlight: Mary Ann McCullough

As we round out Nurses Week, we want to share more with you about Mary Ann McCullough. She has been a nurse for 34 years, and she loves watching her clients grow. She, in fact, created the Butterfly Award for learning to self infuse at Camp Wannaklot - her favorite thing about working at HoG. We are glad that she is part of our team, and we look forward to her helping build confidence in more clients for years to come. Here is her story.

Q: What territory do you serve? 
A: I serve Barrow, Burke, Columbia, Elbert, Greene, Hall, Hancock, Jefferson, Lincoln, McDuffie, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington and White counties.

Q: Why or how did you get into nursing?
A: My sister worked at Egleston Hospital, as a nurse. She had specific strengths, passion and expertise.  I realized that my sister had a rewarding career, and I wanted that standard set of skills, so I pursued a nursing degree.

Q: How long have you been a nurse?  Did you work somewhere as a nurse before joining HoG?
A: I have been a nurse for 34 years.  Yes, I worked in Labor and Delivery at a small rural hospital.  I also worked at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta after my son was treated for Leukemia.  I was so impressed with the care they gave my son that I wanted to be a part of their team. I worked on a Respiratory Floor. I have been at HoG for 14 years, and I am glad to be a part of our nursing team.

Q: What do you enjoy most and/or what are you most proud of in role of at HoG? 
A: I love to work at Camp Wannaklot in the summer, because I can watch my patients grown in their confidence with their bleeding disorders.  They are housed in cabins with other campers and they can relate to one another about challenges they face.  Implementing the Butterfly Award at Camp is something I started about 10 years ago. When a camper sticks themselves for the first time or they are still in the process of learning self-infusion, we present them an award on the last day of camp.

Q: What do you think is the most important contribution of nurses to the inherited bleeding disorders community or as a whole, beyond the bleeding disorders community?
A: Nurses are the bridge to a healthy, happy life. We instruct, encourage, teach and most of all, care about this very special patient population. No one is closer to the patient than the nurse, and we have the unique opportunity to provide holistic care.

My favorite quote is from Mother Teresa: “There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those.”