Dr. Marsha Maurer, Senior Vice President for Patient Services and the Chief Nursing Officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was recently chosen as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. We spoke with her about receiving this honor and the trajectory of her remarkable career.
When Dr. Marsha Maurer found out that she was chosen to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she was overwhelmed by this recognition. "It's a reflection on your entire career, and the impact that you have made on the profession," explains Maurer. "I am honored and I am grateful."
Becoming a fellow involves a rigorous application process and requires two sponsorships. During the process, Maurer realized that her work was marked by a consistent social justice thread. In the course of her career, she has helped patients with disabilities, as well as those with addictions and HIV.
As a Fellow, Maurer will serve on committees and expert panels on a variety of topics. With her esteemed colleagues, she will help compose white papers and position papers that will support new research, engage with colleagues outside of the Academy, and offer expertise and leadership to improve the country's health system.
Maurer is currently the Senior Vice President for Patient Services and the Chief Nursing Officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an academic medical center that is affiliated with Harvard Medical School. This institution has close to 700 beds and specializes in trauma, maternal health services, and many other programs. In her role, Maurer oversees all the nursing within the organization, and ensures that care areas have the people and the equipment they need to deliver safe and high-quality care. "We want to deliver a great patient experience," she says.
As a college student, Maurer never saw herself becoming a nurse. "If you told me when I was 18 years old that I was going to be a nurse, I would have told you that was impossible," she reflects.
Coming of age in the 1970s, Maurer was a passionate feminist. She moved to Boston to attend law school, but when it wasn't the right fit, she landed a job as an assistant at a facility for people with cognitive and developmental disabilities. With a group of other women, she worked with patients with down syndrome and cerebral palsy. "I was taking care of their personal care needs, in other words, these were duties similar to that of a nurse," Maurer reminisces, "and I loved it; I literally had the feeling of being called to do it." Thereafter, Maurer decided to go to nursing school, and the rest is history.
Maurer's undergraduate major in women's studies continues to inform her work within the nursing profession. She often contemplates the fundamental gender aspect pertaining to caregivers, including nurses and social workers. These professionals are typically women, and as a result their work is often invisible and taken for granted, a reality laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. Maurer looks forward to a future when the work women perform is fully valued.
Before Maurer enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Simmons, she was already displaying extraordinary leadership. Together with Judy Beal, the former Dean of the School of Nursing, and other Boston area Chief Nursing Officers, Maurer helped form a Masters in Nursing Administration program for nurse leaders in Boston hospital. The program was so successful that the partnership expanded to include the doctoral program at Simmons. After helping to shape the curriculum, Maurer decided to enter the program herself. "I realized I had to lead by example, so I joined them in this cohort and entered Simmons in 2016."
Maurer's advice to Simmons students is to take advantage of every opportunity available to them. "I was a curious person, and was always thinking about how to make things better," says Maurer. "This attitude led to opportunities and promotions, and I always said yes."
Vivian (Rabe) William '06, '06MSN and Rita Olans '95MSN were also selected as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing.