Mary A. Brandsema, MSN, RN, NPD-BC

Mary A. Brandsema, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nursing Professional Development educator at Ocean University Medical Center, part of Hackensack Meridian Health in Brick, New Jersey. She has been practicing nursing since 1992, bringing more than 30 years of clinical and educational experience to her work. She began her career after earning an associate’s degree from Morris County College and spent approximately 15 years in bedside nursing before returning to school to advance her education. As online learning became more accessible, Mary completed both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Nursing Education through the University of Phoenix while balancing night shifts and raising her family. Her graduate preparation led her into Nursing Professional Development, where she transitioned into an educator role. With a strong clinical background in oncology, she initially supported oncology nursing education as part of a hybrid educator team. After a brief period away from Hackensack Meridian Health, she returned to serve as the educator for an orthopedic med-surg unit and the float pool. In her current role, she is based directly on the orthopedic unit, providing around-the-clock support for staff education, clinical competency, and professional growth. A defining achievement in Mary’s career is her two-year evidence-based initiative focused on managing hypersensitivity and anaphylactic reactions in patients receiving chemotherapy. As a bedside oncology nurse, she recognized the urgency of improving response to these reactions and developed a nurse-driven protocol for epinephrine administration. The project required extensive multidisciplinary collaboration, including approval from oncology hematologists across the Hackensack Meridian Health network as well as Pharmacy and Therapeutics, followed by comprehensive education for inpatient and outpatient oncology nurses. Although the initiative was not formally published as a written article, it was selected for presentation at the Oncology Nursing Society international conference as a “Hot Topics” podium session, where it drew a standing-room-only audience and allowed her to share the protocol with oncology nurses from around the world. Earlier in her career, she was also featured in a magazine article highlighting a community-based teen smoking cessation program she developed while working in oncology. Mary is an active member of the Association for Nursing Professional Development and the National Association of Orthopedic Nursing and holds her Nurse Professional Development Board Certification (NPD-BC), reflecting her enduring commitment to education, patient safety, and advancing nursing practice.

• University of Phoenix - MSN, Nursing Education
• Morris Community College - BSN
• Morris Community College - AA

• RN
• NPD-BC (Nurse Professional Development - Board Certified)

• MAGNET Unit Champion towards the success of the Model of Care Unit 2004 Polaris Award in Galaxy Recognition Program 2006 BSN Scholarship Award ($2000.00) ONS Foundation 2006 Excellence in Nursing- Sensitive Outcomes ONS Award May 2009 Orion Award (Galaxy Recognition Program) 2011 Meridian’s Synergy In Action award 2015 Ginny Horner - Florence Nightingale Nursing award 2025 Ocean University Medical Center, $5000 Board Foundation Grant to coordinate and host the National Orthopedic Nursing Certification Review Course for the Hackensack Meridian Network in 2023 Ocean University Medical Center, $5000 Board Foundation Grant to purchase iPads to be used for evidence-based video education of patients and families. Lotus Recognition Award from the Watson Caring Science Institute. Awarded to Ocean University Medical Center (OUMC). Myself and 3 other colleagues applied for the award for OUMC. Agnes Panten and I received the award in person at the Lotus Award & Caritas Community Convention in 2024. Elizabeth I. Kellogg Award nominee and recipient, OUMC February 20, 2026

• Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD)
• National Association of Orthopedic Nursing (NAON)
• Oncology Nursing Society (former member)

• Participates in walk-a-thons including Arthritis Walk and breast cancer walks

How has Your Chapter coordinated a Community Partnership Program? ONS Connect January 2008

Assessing Dyspnea in Patients with NSCLC in the Acute Care Setting: A Pilot Study, CJON May 2010