Q&A WITH FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETE AND CURRENT ER NURSE

Maria (Musialczyk) Munoz was a member of the Oakland Swimming and Diving Team from 2002-06

Name: Maria (Musialczyk) Munoz
Sport: Swimming and Diving
Years at Oakland: '02-06
Current Position: Emergency Department Registered Nurse

Maria Musialczyk

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO GO INTO NURSING/MEDICAL FIELD?
Science, particularly health sciences, has always been of interest to me. Also, to be honest, the sciences were where I excelled academically. The concepts made sense, the parts and pieces "fit easily", and it kept my interest. Initially, I finished school at OU with an Exercise Science Masters and worked as an Exercise Physiologist for Beaumont's Cardiac Rehab and Stress Testing facility. Eventually, I moved back to my hometown, but was having a difficult time finding a full time position as an EP. A good friend of mine helped me get a position in a QA laboratory as a sample runner, and I worked my way into the lab as a lab tech (doing Wet chem, HPLC, and other testing on products). Here, I learned that I really enjoyed Chemistry and actually understood it (I had a terrible HS chemistry teacher that made me think I would never pass a chemistry class). Although, I made great friends in the lab and I enjoyed the job I was doing, it was just a job to me. I really wanted to be back in health sciences, helping people, and working a career I am passionate about. I went back to school to become an RN, started immediately in the ER, and haven't looked back.

IS THERE A PARTICULAR LESSON(S) THAT YOU LEARNED AS A STUDENT-ATHLETE THAT HAVE TRANSFERRED OVER TO YOUR TIME AS A NURSE?
Endurance, perseverance, leadership, team-work, time management, commitment, humility, how to give it everything you have, yet know ones limitations, and self-care are all lessons that I learned as a student-athlete which have transferred over to my time as a nurse.

I was a proud member of OU's swimming and diving team from 2002-2006 and was captain my junior and senior year. These were one of the most challenging and rewarding times in my life. Coach Hovland, drilled into us that the work you put in every day is the result you will see in end. He would remind us that although drills are the "easy" sets, they are the most important and truly a time to focus and be present. These drills were designed to correct/perfect our form. We would preform them over and over so that our muscle memory would kick in during a race, making us more efficient in the water.

This is exactly what we are doing in the ER as nurses. We are reading evidence, going to conferences to learn techniques from the experts, and we are reviewing protocols to be allowing our muscle memory kick in during game time (when treating our patients).

Maria Musialczyk

CAN YOU GIVE A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF HOW THIS CURRENT COVID-19 CRISIS HAS IMPACTED YOU?
The impact of COVID- 19 on me is very difficult to put into words. I have been faced with feelings I didn't know were a part of me and I am learning to address them and continue to be present. My husband, kids, and family in general are my rocks. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of encouragement and support from my teammates here at work, from the community, from my coach, Pete Hovland, and from friends/teammates. I have come to realize (even more than I have already known) how amazing the team of people I work with are...EVS personnel, doctors, fellow nurses, registration and everyone in-between. We are resilient, we are strong, we are in this together....we got this!

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