Things have changed a great deal since Mary Alice Maier earned her nursing degree from Park View School of Nursing in 1959. She remembers the opening of Nash General Hospital. She has seen the campus of Nash Health Care Systems grow and flourish. Two years ago, she and the rest of the operating room staff moved into the state-of-the-art Surgery Pavilion at Nash Health Care Systems.

But there are some things that don’t change: her dedication to excellence, her reputation for being an ardent advocate for patients and their families and her philosophy of viewing patient satisfaction as the ultimate goal for success.

Maier, RN, CNOR, was recently honored by The Great 100, Inc., being recognized as being one of the best 100 nurses in North Carolina. Maier was honored at an awards ceremony in Greensboro on Oct. 7.

The Great 100, Inc. is a grassroots organization that strives to honor nurses and the nursing profession in North Carolina by:

• Recognizing the importance of registered nurses in diverse practice settings
• Positively enhancing the image of the nursing profession
• Annually recognizing the best 100 nurses in North Carolina

Maier’s eyes reflect the wisdom of someone who has witnessed an overwhelming array of advances in health care, and her smile reflects the heart of someone who has never let go of her dedication to helping others--it was instrumental in her decision to become a nurse.

“I like to see the people who pass through here get better,” she said. “I’ve seen people sick, and when I was considering being a nurse…” her voice pauses, as she reflects on the memory of all of those who have needed her care “…I mean, to be able to help someone, to be able to help them get better… I just thought that would be a wonderful profession to have.”

It is a wonderful job to have, and Maier has done a wonderful job while having it.

Maier was also named North Carolina’s Perioperative Nurse of the Year in 2000 by the NC Council of Perioperative Nursing, which is a part of the Association of Perioperative Nurses. This is one of the highest statewide distinctions given to operating room nurses. During the floods of Hurricane Floyd in September 1999, Maier remained on duty for 48 consecutive hours to coordinate staffing and care for disaster victims. Off-duty, she went to the homes of several flood victims to provide assistance.

She is a member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses and helped found its Tri-County Chapter. She also served for two years in the U.S. Air Force, earning the rank of first lieutenant through her work as an obstetrical nurse at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Maier has worked at Nash Health Care Systems since 1988.