Dayton VA Medical Center—Maryam Carley

Maryam Carley has worked at the Dayton VA Medical Center for eight years and since 2011 as a Registered Nurse. She is assigned to the VAMC’s Hospice Unit, a duty she sees as a special calling. As a U.S. Air Force veteran, Maryam has much in common with her veteran patients. She is a fierce advocate for them and their families, and often goes above and beyond what is expected. Recently, as she was nursing a dying Marine Corps veteran, Maryam learned that his fervent wish was to be buried in Marine Corps Dress Blues. The problem was that he didn’t have the uniform and couldn’t afford to buy it. Maryam saw that the worry was robbing him of peace of mind during the last days of his life. She searched until she found the uniform he wanted. The veteran, seeing the uniform, was overcome by gratitude and joy. He found the peace of mind that had eluded him and died not long afterward. Through this act of selflessness and others, Maryam has become a great role model for other hospice nurses. In everything she does, Maryam exemplifies what a VA hospice nurse should be. Maryam served as a medic in the Air Force and earned degrees from Fortis College that allowed her to become an L.P.N. and a Registered Nurse.