Hospital employees volunteer to work on Christmas as way to give back

Employees at Mercy Medical Center are not always guaranteed time off during the holidays. After all, a hospital must adhere to the mandated 2-to-1 patient-to-nurse ratio in a critical care unit at all times.

While a number of staff members request Christmas Day off, a few will choose to work a shift on this day, allowing others to spend time with their loved ones.

Ofelia Aquino, 60, and Sal Dowhaniak, 60, are two examples of registered nurses at the hospital’s intensive care unit who carry out this selfless gesture every year.

Aquino and Dowhaniak have worked together for more than 30 years, and although they have earned seniority rights, they have volunteered to work on Christmas Day for almost half of their careers.

Aquino explained that she volunteers because she believes nurses with younger children should be able to spend Christmas with their families.

“I think it’s important for parents to be with their kids and spend time with them during the holidays,” Aquino said. “My three children are grown, so I can celebrate Christmas any other day this week. Like, tomorrow (Friday) I’m off, so I can pretend Christmas Day is tomorrow.”

She recalls when other nurses did the same for her and allowed her to be off during holidays when her children were younger. “Now it’s my turn to do the same,” she said. “You just have to look back and see what others have done for you.”

Mary Ellen DuPrutis, a house supervisor at the hospital, said she appreciates those like Aquino and Dowhaniak who think of their co-workers during this season. “There’s not a lot of volunteers; there’s actually a lot of people that want to be off on Christmas,” DuPrutis said. “But we understand. We know people want to be at home with their families.”

Dowhaniak, a head nurse at the ICU, said he worked some of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and will also be working New Year’s Day, but he does not mind taking one for the team. He and his family have learned to reschedule their holiday celebrations to accommodate his shifts at the hospital.

This year, Dowhaniak celebrated Christmas on Wednesday night after his shift and was back at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. Thursday.

“It’s an honor, and it feels great,” Dowhaniak said about volunteering to work on Christmas Day. “We’re a big family here (at the intensive care unit), and we do what we can for each other.”

Giving is part of Dowhaniak’s nature. He is involved with the Mercy Foundation, the hospital’s nonprofit organization. Besides donating funds for the organization’s charity projects, Dowhaniak and his wife donate quilts for children in the hospital. In previous years, they also donated a collection of Beanie Babies stuffed animals for the less fortunate children.

“We do what we can,” he said. “At the ICU, we worry about the new kids not having days off, but we try to make the schedules fair.”

Aquino and Dowhaniak agreed that being selfless and watching out for others is part of being a nurse. It is something that has become second nature for them after decades of working in hospitals.

“Whether it’s Christmas or not, our dedication is to our patients,” Aquino said. “I’m sure our patients would love to be home for the holidays, but they’re here. The least I can do is continue to care for them.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2014 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Hospital employees volunteer to work on Christmas as way to give back."