Catherine Hogan, MSN, RN, PCCN

Medical Cardiology Intermediate Care Unit, Shapiro 9/10

For most of her life, Catherine Hogan has felt a calling to nursing, writing in a recent narrative that “being a nurse is part of my essence and, in part, defines who I am.”

Her patients, their families and her colleagues have been benefiting from her wisdom, skill and compassion for the more than two decades she has been part of the Shapiro 9/10 team.

“Cathy is respected not only by her nurse colleagues, but by all members of the patient care team as a skillful clinician who truly embodies the values that are the essence of excellent nursing practice,” said Lisa Preston, BSN, RN, clinical educator, who, along with Suzanne Frazier-Levasseur, BSN, RN, nurse in-charge, nominated Hogan for the award.

Patients and families constantly share their gratitude for Hogan’s care with nursing leadership. “Just yesterday I was speaking with a patient and his wife whom Cathy had cared for, and they shared how impressed they were with her clinical skills,” said Karen Reilly, MBA, RN, nursing director. “But what really made Cathy stand out to them was that she took the time to get to know them. They felt she took the time to listen to their needs and address each issue, helping to decrease their anxiety and enabling them to rest.”

Education and learning are important to Hogan, who was the first nurse on Shapiro 9/10 to earn her AACN-PCCN certification, inspiring other staff to follow suit.

“Cathy has a practical wisdom that transcends our textbooks and can only be witnessed at the bedside,” said Frazier-Levasseur. “She cares for her patients and their families with a fluency that makes them feel known and confident that their needs will be met.”

Hogan is a member of the Patient/Family Education Committee, the heart failure education project and a mentor for nurses from Boston College School of Nursing. Hogan joined the medical Cardiology intermediate care unit in 1988 after holding positions as a staff nurse at BWH and other local hospitals. She earned her MSN from the University of Pennsylvania and her BSN from Boston College.