Marilyn served as the editor of The Color of Their Eyes, a coffee table book of nursing stories, which was published by Riverside Health System in 2007. Her stories, The SIDS Baby and Heart Attack Patient were included in the publication.
A new nurse gets a crash course in compassion, was Marilyn’s first short story about her assignment as a student nurse sitting with a suicidal patient. The story was published in Pulse in October 2016 and also published in Kevin.MD as Crash Course.
Marilyn has twenty stories published online by Pulse — More Voices, which invites readers to contribute personal nonfiction prose of 40 to 400 words on a different theme related to healthcare each month.
Dreamy Poppy Pink appeared in Pulse–voices from the heart of medicine for its September 2016 theme of “Naked.”
Holiday Night Shift, a memory about short staffing on the July 4th holiday, appeared in Pulse for its November 2016 theme of “The Middle of the Night.”
Poor Me on Christmas, written for the theme of “Holidays,” was published in Pulse in December 2017.
Ninety one Pages, a short story to honor Marilyn’s mother and ER co-worker, appeared in Pulse in January 2018 for the theme of “Paperwork.”
Lessons from the Judge, a short story to illustrate the difference between “anxious” and “worried” was published in Pulse for the May 2018 theme of “Worry.”
My First Prostate Screening, a short description about Marilyn’s role with her hospital’s initial screening for prostate cancer in 1989. The free screening was to raise awareness about prostate cancer for men aged forty to seventy-five. Her story was published in Pulse in June 2018 for the theme of “Prostate Blues.”
Quitting Cancer Sticks, a short essay about Marilyn’s struggle to stop smoking and stay quit as a young adult, was published in Pulse in July 2018 for the theme of “Addiction.”
Where’s My Cheeseburger? a short story about Marilyn’s recovering patients on the cardiac intervention unit and juggling what needs to be done vs. what the patient wants. Published in August 2018 Pulse for the theme of “Feeling Anxious.”
Let Him Go? Hell, No! addressed the rare occurrence of a patient who had clinical death and came back to life. The short story was published in December 2018 Pulse for the theme of “Letting Go.”
A Patient’s Vow to Improve Himself after his near death intrigued an intensive care unit nurse. Short story published in Pulse, January 2019 for the theme of “Fresh Start.”
Nurse Ratched, Nurse Lillian discusses the stigma about nurses in administrative positions created by the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and was published in Pulse, August 2019 for the theme of “Making Assumptions.”
Protective Mechanism tells the story about a patient who was more concerned about revealing his social security number than losing his leg. Published in Pulse, September 2019 for the theme of “Feeling Vulnerable.”
Lost in a Frigging Spaghetti Maze talks about a nurse who helps a patient find his way around the campus of a huge medical center to locate his doctor’s office. Published in Pulse, October 2019, for the theme of “Can I Help You?”
Birthday Card Campaign is a tribute to Marilyn’s friend and former boss who approached her seventy-ninth birthday in long term care. Published in Pulse, February 2020, for the theme of “Aging.”
Learning How to Speak Up recounts how a nursing student first recognized verbal patient abuse and steps she took to become an advocate. Published in Pulse, July 2020, for the theme of “Speaking up.”
EKG in the ER captures the uncertainty surrounding patients who come to the ER with chest pain — not everyone is having a heart attack. Marilyn talks about the process involved with getting an EKG performed and shown to the ER attending physician for a quick diagnosis. Her story was published in Pulse, August 2020 for the theme of “Uncertainty.”
Coming out of Retirement describes how COVID-19 motivated Marilyn to leave a comfortable lifestyle and join the mass vaccination effort. Published in Pulse, December 2020 for the theme of “Endings and Beginnings.”
Caught in the Middle recalls Marilyn’s dilemma of working in the ER and being the intermediary between two physicians. Published as a story in Pulse, October 2021.