Malissa Doto, RN, did not set out to become a nurse. In fact, much of her early adult life was spent as an executive assistant in New York City. Becoming a nurse, or changing professions at all, had never occurred to her until Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists flew hijacked planes into the Twin Towers and killed more than 2,700 people.
“I was a high-level executive assistant in Manhattan, and I was [in Manhattan] that day,” Doto explained. “I remember very well that there was a certain sense of hopelessness [when] that happened.”
The Queens native and mother of four says that feeling dramatically changed her perspective on her contributions through her career.
“Realizing that there was nothing that I had to offer to help when that was going on was such an empty feeling,” she said.
A call to nursing
A few years after 2001, Doto got married and had the first two of her four daughters. She was preparing to return to work after maternity leave when she realized a career change could help with that emptiness.
“I didn’t want to go back to work to do what I was doing. I wanted to do something that actually means something to me.”
Doto’s inability to assist after the Sept. 11 attack drove her to pursue a field where she knew she could help others: nursing.
“I knew people that died that day and the thought of not being able to help […] was kind of what stuck with me,” she said. “It was like a calling. I don’t feel like I chose nursing. I felt like nursing chose me.”
She attended nursing school and joined the staff at Mountainside Medical Center after graduating. Now, she works as a maternal-fetal medicine nurse at Pascack Valley Medical Center, where she’s been for a decade.
The power of advocacy
Doto’s role at Pascack Valley Medical Center gives her a unique connection with her patients as they prepare to bring new life into the world.
“We take care of high-risk pregnant patients before they deliver,” said Doto. “It’s great because I get to build a relationship with the patients for nine months. You get to really see it all the way through and be a part of the entire experience.”
Doto acts as an advocate for her patients, often bridging the gaps for them to access their physician or needed health care. Patients often reach out to her personally, because they know they can depend on her to act or speak up on their behalf.
“I really get to connect with some of them,” said Doto. “I’ll be able to contact their doctors and get answers to their questions or ask what they should do. I find that I really enjoy being a patient advocate.”
Beyond the hospital
Doto’s advocacy extends beyond her patients at the medical center. In her free time, she volunteers with an animal rescue organization. She has fostered over 100 dogs and for her, the reward comes from healing the animals both physically and emotionally.
“I usually get the sick ones because I’m a nurse,” she said. “I’ll kind of teach them how to be a pet and how to be loved. It’s been very rewarding.”
Doto’s passion for nursing and advocacy is more than just her career. It is how she reckons with the helpless feelings she experienced during a powerful moment in her life. The way she channels her emotions and that experience into advocacy, compassion and support for her patients makes a meaningful difference when it matters most; for her patients, for her fosters, and even for herself.