Quality Of Care | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post, Amy Adams Ellis, is a contributor to ECU News Services.

Hall named 2015 top nurse at ECU Physicians

    A nurse specialist in vascular surgery has been selected by her peers as this year's top nurse at ECU Physicians, the group medical practice of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

    Marquita Hall, a Duplin County native, works at the East Carolina Heart Institute. She has seven years of nursing experience and an undisputed reputation among her coworkers as "the calm amidst the daily storm."

    Her daily responsibilities include ensuring the vascular surgery clinic operates efficiently and patients' needs are met quickly. She oversees patient scheduling and provides preoperative and postoperative education to all the clinic's patients. All this she does, according to vascular surgeon Dr. C. Steven Powell, "in an excellent fashion and with a smile on her face."

    "She is excellence personified," Powell said. "She is cool and calm in all situations, always pleasant, has outstanding interaction with patients, and is always on top of getting things accomplished even in the busiest of situations. She is the best I have ever worked with."

    Hall's primary source of motivation is her patients, she said. "Most of them have overcome many obstacles, and throughout it all, they continue to smile," she said.

    "I strive to provide my patients with the same quality of care I would want provided to one of my loved ones," Hall added. "I wholeheartedly believe in treating others as you would want to be treated, and that is also what motivates me to care for my patients as I do."

    Her compassionate attitude is readily apparent, according to Hall's coworkers. "She carries the biggest smile on her face, and it absolutely will light up a room and warm a patient's troubled heart," said physician assistant Brandy Wilson.

    Dr. Dean Yamaguchi, a cardiovascular surgeon who works closely with Hall, said of her, "She has become the voice of patients who call into ECHI, helping to resolve often-complex medical as well as social barriers to providing appropriate medical care. She embodies what it means to be a nurse."

    Hall credits her grandparents with inspiring her original interest in nursing. Her grandmother has worked as a nursing assistant for 28 years and her grandfather has worked in mental health for Hall's entire life.

    "Growing up under their care, I witnessed the dedication, patience and compassion they exhibited toward their clients," Hall said. "Their genuine caring natures inspired me to make a difference, as they have, in the lives of others."

    Hall's academic success and leadership during high school garnered her a North Carolina Nurse Scholarship, and she graduated magna cum laude from the ECU College of Nursing in 2008.

    After working approximately 18 months as a staff nurse in the Cardiac Intermediate Unit at Vidant Medical Center, Hall was employed for three years by ECU's Department of Cardiovascular Sciences in their electrophysiology division. She followed that job with a brief stint at the Pitt County Health Department before returning to ECU in her current role.

    Hall is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Golden Key International Honor Society. In 2011, she received an ECU Treasured Pirate Award in recognition of her unique contributions to the university.

    She has no intention of resting on her impressive list of accomplishments, however. Although she has no plans to leave her current position anytime soon, she eventually would like to pursue a career in nursing administration. To that end, she's currently enrolled in the masters of nursing leadership program at ECU.

    "I have a desire to not only make a difference in the lives of my patients, but to also make a difference within the nursing profession itself," she said.

    Hall's colleagues have no doubt she'll do just that. "Marquita is a woman who is going somewhere," Wilson said. "She has the drive, the unlimited potential and the compassion to do great things."