Name: Ileana Martinez, BSN, RN

Current job title: Manager, 5 South Pavillion

UF Health: How long have you worked here?

Martinez: I’ve been here 10 ½ years.

UF Health: When did you realize you wanted to become a nurse?

Martinez: I grew up in Puerto Rico. My mom was a nurse and climbed the ladder in nursing, rising to the equivalent of an LPN. I grew up seeing her passion. She used to tell me about the spiritual connection that you encounter with your patients and how you have an opportunity to impact their lives. It was not until my first year in college that I realized that I loved science and wanted to serve people the same way my mom was doing it, making a difference in someone’s life. Nursing is the perfect combination between healing the body and soul.

UF Health: How did you end up at UF Health?

Martinez: I went to nursing school in Puerto Rico, and then in 2003 [former Florida Governor] Jeb Bush had an initiative to recruit nurses. My school was accredited by American agencies, and I was recruited. I applied for a license in Florida, even though I had never heard of Jacksonville. It was a leap of faith to move my whole family here. Later, after I moved here, I learned my aunt had been treated here for cancer.

UF Health: Tell us about your career path during your time here at UF Health.

Martinez: I started as a charge nurse, then I took a critical care fellowship. Next I was assistant manager in the MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit) and now I am a manager in the 5 South Pavillion. I love the teamwork and camaraderie. There is a family sense: once you are part of the team, you’re family forever. We share more than skills and competencies, we share our lives. We’ve laughed and cried together, celebrated and mourned. That is what families do: stay together no matter the circumstances.

I’m so happy and honored to have had all the opportunities I’ve had here. I try to convey to the staff, if you work hard, you can get whatever you want. I’m very, very honored to be a part of this organization and to have the support of the leadership that we have.

UF Health: Tell us about the special relationship nurses have with patients and their families.

Martinez: Personally, I approach patients and families like they are my own. I understand the anxiety that being in the hospital produces and all the obstacles that brings to a family’s daily routine. I listen to their concerns and provide comfort to them, so they feel calm and confident that we will take care of their loved one as our own. On many occasions, the families feel overwhelmed and become distressed because they don’t have control of the situation. I include them as part of our team, allowing them to do simple tasks like apply lotion to the patient, clean their mouth, etc. That way they feel in control and helpful to their family member.

UF Health: How do you keep a positive attitude when times get tough at work?

Martinez: I have learned to allow myself to open up and talk about it and cry if I need to. Unconsciously and informally as a group, we debrief on certain cases that have touched us particularly. In the MICU, my initial ICU mentality was that I had to save everyone from their disease process. Now, I’ve learned that there are times when death is not failure, but rather a process as well where we have the opportunity to provide dignity and respect to the patient and support to the families.

UF Health: You were named Magnet Nurse of the Year in 2012. Tell us about that.

Martinez: I was very surprised when I was chosen for Magnet Nurse of the Year. It came from my involvement to improve procedures, participation in councils, improving policies and getting staff involved and committed.

I just like to be busy and do something beyond the patient care. I understand some don’t have time for that, and that certainly doesn’t mean they aren’t good nurses. But I go to the councils and represent their voices. The nurses trust me, and that is an honor. Having respect among your peers is the greatest honor of all, above all recognition.

This Q and A is the second installment of our Getting to know our nurses series. Do you know a UF Health Jacksonville nurse you’d like to see featured? Email his or her name and the reason you’d like to see the nurse featured to tiffany.wilson@jax.ufl.edu.

You can see our last interview, which was with Blair Trikardos, RN, by clicking here.