Over the last 45 years, Pennsylvania Hospital has transformed significantly. Back in 1974, the restoration of the historic Pine Building hadn’t yet been completed, the final class had just graduated from Pennsy’s School of Nursing for Women, and the hospital was still more than 20 years away from becoming part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The decades of dizzying change that followed could have thrown anyone for a loop — but not the unflappable, endlessly dedicated Marcia Steinhart, RN.
Earlier this summer, PAH hosted memorial services to honor the beloved “Miss Steinhart,” who passed away at 83. Described by colleagues as “a nurse’s nurse” who masterfully balanced a compassionate spirit and tough-as-nails attitude, Steinhart graduated from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s (HUP) School of Nursing in 1957. She spent 17 years at HUP before moving to PAH in 1974, continuing her career for another 45 years and most recently calling 7 Cathcart home. Though she longed for the “good ol’ days” before electronic charting and scanning medications, Steinhart was willing to adapt if it meant better serving her patients — as long as she could keep her nurse’s cap.
“For the past five years, I had the privilege of working with Miss Steinhart — though it’s safe to say she managed me more often than I managed her,” said George Shafer, MSN, RN, NE-BC, nurse manager of 7 Cathcart and 7 Preston. Though Shafer admits he was Steinhart’s “second favorite George; I lost to her bartender,” he admired her wealth of knowledge, professionalism, and generosity, which manifested in thank you notes, birthday cards, phone calls to sick staff, and other acts of kindness. Even as she headed into surgery, she was more concerned with whether a nurse she had promised to cover could still take off.
“Legacies can be tricky. Obviously, her cap will be the first thing that comes to mind, but she didn’t want attention drawn to it. She had tremendous pride in her role as a professional nurse, and she wore that cap as a badge of honor,” Shafer continued. “Those who knew her best will remember her friendship, incomparable work ethic, and devotion to serving others. There will never be another Miss Steinhart.”
Her coworkers agreed. Mina Ricciardelli, PharmD, associate director of the Pharmacy, recalled meeting Steinhart when she was an intern. Her grandmother was being treated for ovarian cancer, and when her father brought in a tray of pastries as a thank you, Steinhart took the decorative bow home and added it to her yearly Christmas decorations, always remembering to send Ricciardelli’s family a holiday card. Andrea Gorham-Ray, RN, described her friend of 14 years as “iconic — she showed me there’s dignity in work and you’re never too old to serve. She gave us something to aspire to.” Chris Huot, MSN, RN, CNML, nurse manager for Critical Care, recounted a Driving Miss Daisy moment they shared when he picked Steinhart up after she volunteered to work during a blizzard. As he opened the passenger-side door for her, she quipped, “Oh no, dear, I only sit in the back seat.”
Bursts of laughter mingled with the tears throughout the service, but Joanne Ruggiero, MSN, MA, NE-BC, CMSRN, RN, interim chief nursing officer, summed it up best, noting, “Miss Steinhart brings to mind a quote that we share often here: ‘People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.’ We will always remember how she made us feel and will continue her legacy of love and kindness.”