The chief nursing officer at Rhode Island Hospital, Jane Metzger, is among four nurses nationwide selected for a new "Tribute to Nurses" award.
Metzger, 47, who is also the hospital's senior vice president, was nominated by a colleague for her leadership during The Station fire disaster, as well as for the work she does day by day in maintaining staff morale and quality of nursing care at the state's largest hospital.
A profile of Metzger and the three other winners will appear in an advertising supplement in today's New York Times Magazine, reaching 5.5 million readers.
The contest, intended to be annual, is sponsored by The New York Times Job Market, a nursing recruitment company owned by the newspaper. The company received 500 nominations for nurses who profoundly affect the lives of those around them.
Metzger was nominated by Donna Huntley-Newby, who directs nursing professional development at Rhode Island Hospital. The nomination praised the "incisive intelligence, intense commitment, passion for nursing and compassion for staff and patients" that Metzger exhibited on Feb. 20 and 21, when ambulances bearing 65 badly burned people arrived at Rhode Island Hospital's emergency department.
"It's bittersweet to be recognized for this," Metzger said, "when you consider what a tragic event it was and how many lives were lost."
The fire, she said, drew on the best of her clinical skills and her managerial skills. But she adds, "A leader is only as good as those they lead. In my case, I work among heroes every day."
Metzger says she loves nursing because it involves continual learning and opportunities to touch the lives of others.
"You can't even fathom," she says, "how these individuals in a very vulnerable situation allow you into their private moments and thoughts and share them with you. And forever you are changed. You walk away having learned something about how to live and be better."
As an example, Metzger tells of a woman who showed up in the emergency department years ago, asking if her husband was dead. Metzger knew immediately which man she was talking about -- his prospects were poor -- and escorted the woman to his bed. As they were walking, the woman revealed that the sick man had just had a "stupid fight" with his son. About 15 people were working to save the stricken man, but the wife barely saw them. Metzger sat her down on a stool by the head of the bed, gave her her husband's hand and instructed the nurse to call the son.
"I heard her say, 'You're the love of my life. You can't leave me. You are everything to me.' A heart rhythm came back. We know it's bigger than us." Then the son came in and apologized.
Metzger doesn't know whether the man survived. But she knows the wife got to tell him she loved him, and the son to apologize. "I walked home and hugged my husband differently," she said.
Metzger lives in Providence with her husband, Steven, her 36-year-old brother, who has Down syndrome, and her parents. Her mother has had multiple sclerosis for 30 years, but her father "could chase you around the block," she says.
Metzger doesn't view her family situation as an added burden of caretaking. "The little I do for them never feels like caregiving," she says. "It's a rare opportunity that we as children get to do a little something for our parents. . . . Every day, my mom makes me laugh. My dad keeps me stimulated and thinking and value-driven. My brother is an angel of God. . . . I figure I get a whole lot more out of it."
Metzger was appointed chief nursing officer in 2001, and was named senior vice president the following year. She had held various administrative positions in Lifespan, the Providence-based corporation that owns Rhode Island Hospital, for the past 11 years.
Metzger received a bachelor's degree in nursing from St. Anselm College, a master's degree from Northern Illinois University, and a doctorate in nursing sciences from Widener University.
