Hospital announces Cameos of Caring Award recipient

Uniontown Hospital is proud to announce that Marcia Shepard, RN, 1 West, has received a Cameos of Caring Award from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing, for excellence in her field.

Shepard, a Med/Surg. nurse with a specialty in orthopedics, is a 44-year nursing veteran who said that she recognized at a young age that she was “called” to be a nurse.

The 1972 Somerset County College graduate said that it is her patients and the individual lives she has been able to touch that have been the most rewarding to her.

“My patients, and what they have taught me over 44 years, are by far the most satisfying part of not my ‘career’ in nursing, but my calling to be a nurse,” Shepard said.

Uniontown Hospital Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer, Betty Ann Rock, said that Shepard’s daily commitment to her patients and her willingness to do everything possible for them serves as a benchmark for her peers.

“Marcia is dedicated and we are truly blessed to have her and other nurses like her choose to stay at bedside, providing exceptional and personal patient care,” Rock, said. “She is an outstanding nurse and a caring, compassionate person and I am proud that she has been honored for work.”

Shepard, who was part of a team that received a commendation for exceptional care in specialties related to wound and skin care in 1998, said her work as spanned a multitude of disciplines including, pediatrics, specialized pediatrics, neonatal intensive care, nursing home care and hospice care.

She said that while she remembers many of her patients over the decades, there have been a few that have still resonate today – including her first patient in neonatal care – a baby boy born weighing less than one pound.

Shepard said that she and her team worked with the infant and his family for more than four months, until he was permitted to go home with his parents. “(He) stayed with me every day of my life since letting me know that it doesn’t matter how you make your entrance into this world; life is worth fighting for. With enough fight, love, support and excellent nursing care from everyone, and by the grace of God, miracles do happen.”

Shepard was honored Nov. 5, along with other recipients of the award from across the region, at the 18th annual Cameos of Caring Awards Gala at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.