Judit Martinez

Case Manager/RN, Health Care Manager, WellMed at Edinburg, Rio Grande Valley

Some professions start with a special calling or vocation. Nursing is one of them. Judit Martinez, RN, health care manager at WellMed at Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, was inspired early on to answer that call.

Judit was just a young girl when she helped her grandmother stitch up her uncle’s shoulder after he was injured at work. The incident sparked her interest in becoming a nurse. As a teenager, she took classes for students who were interested in medical careers. Judit specifically chose the nursing field so that she would have more contact with patients.

What she enjoys most about her work is the satisfaction of seeing her patients get well, as in the case of patient David Martin.

David came into the clinic because he was having difficulty urinating. Judit assisted with inserting a catheter, which helped solve the immediate problem.

“She was compassionate and did a really good job,” David says.

Concerned with his initial symptom, David’s doctor referred him to a urologist, where further tests revealed a tumor in David’s bladder. Six weeks later, he had surgery to remove the tumor.

Judit continued to follow up with David before and after the surgery and after he was released from the hospital. During a routine follow-up call, Judit spoke with Carolyn Confer, David’s daughter, and learned that David had a fever. Judit advised him to see the doctor right away and scheduled an appointment for the following day. When David returned to the clinic, his doctor determined that he had an infection, which required another hospital stay. After he was discharged, David and Carolyn made a point to stop by the clinic to express their gratitude to Judit for her information and support.

Carolyn is especially grateful to Judit for explaining the illness and for helping her navigate the treatment process. David and Carolyn have complete trust in Judit; they gave their full permission for her to serve as a point of contact for the health care professionals who needed access to David’s medical information. This helped David get quick referrals for the diagnosis and surgery.

Judit continues to call David regularly to see how the he is doing, something that truly impresses him.

“Judit is very encouraging,” David says. “She clearly cares about my health and well-being. She is a wonderful person.”