Join The Memorial Team
A passion for nursing
Peg, R.N., North Star Lodge
Work life
Peg, R.N., specializes in oncology at North Star Lodge. She's been an employee at Memorial for 30 years. “Memorial is such a great place to work. I’ve worked in other organizations, but Memorial was always home,” she says. Peg always knew she wanted to be a nurse. “I don’t have a choice. It’s my absolute passion.”
“What I love about the people I work with is our shared passion for oncology care. We’re all enthusiastic about what we do and all here for the same reason. It’s just an incredible group,” Peg says.
Peg says that oncology care can be a stressful environment, and one in which the outcome is not always what the staff is working toward, but that the benefits far outweigh the disappointments. “We see so many success stories and meet so many truly inspiring patients. And I strongly believe that as a team we impact our patients’ lives in a wonderful and compassionate way, regardless of the length of the disease.”
Peg attributes part of this to a team of different personalities and backgrounds that “just mesh well together” for the common goal of delivering compassionate care to patients and their families. She also attributes it to the facility. “North Star Lodge is one of the premier cancer centers. It’s state-of-the-art in every way, from the team to the technology. Patients will not find better care anywhere else,” she says. And Peg would know. She lost both of her parents to cancer—a loss that is with her every day.
Home life
Peg’s other passion is being the very best mom she can to Sam, Caitlin and Julianna. She also has a dog and a cat. She enjoys reading “mysteries and scary stuff,” playing Trivial Pursuit at Bert’s, going for walks with her dog and spending time with her kids. She and Julianna enjoy cheering on the Yakama Sun Kings, cooking together, watching movies and shopping in Seattle.
Peg is kind to everyone she meets. She’s active in her homeowners association and humors friends and colleagues with funny stories from “condo court.” Peg quotes the Proverb “You win more flies with honey than with vinegar” to those who ask her secret to working things out in tight situations.
What she loves about working for Memorial
“At Memorial, I feel confident that I’m respected, appreciated for who I am and allowed to grow here,” she says. Mostly, she says, she feels that her opinion is valued and appreciated. “If I had enough energy and time, I’m sure I could do almost anything.”
She also repeats the kinship she feels to her colleagues. “I believe that at the heart of North Star Lodge, our patients are our No. 1 priority. We care about the care we give them. We’re serious about making each patient feel comfortable, respected and cared for."