Nurses say Darla Merideth has a "Mom" voice. That's OK with her, though. Maybe it's even a compliment because mothers know all about nurturing, dealing with emotions and teaching. All those things come into play for Merideth as a mentor and supervisor of a telemetry unit and a step-down unit.

Merideth, a care team coordinator, said she always remembers how it was to be fresh out of nursing school, the fear of being less than perfect and the knowledge that everyone else knows more.

"I always kind of share my mishaps and the silly things that happened when I was new, just to make sure the nurses feel more at ease," Merideth said. "I always try to let everyone know that asking questions is a good thing. We want to know what you're thinking. That's how you learn. Nobody is born knowing how to be a nurse."

The first thing for nurses to know is themselves. Attitude not only has to do with personal satisfaction, it affects performance, Merideth said. A fast-paced unit such as telemetry, where the next crisis is just a monitor's alert away, gives no quarter to panic.

"If you start factoring in emotion and start running around, you can't think," Merideth said. When there is a bad situation, she models the alternative with this advice for less experienced colleagues: "Take a deep breath and say, 'I can do this.' " She said she assures them, "We can do it, we'll do it together. You're not going to be alone."

Such support boosts morale, which has been an issue with the departure of veteran nurses, Merideth said. She heads the unit council, which sounds more pleasing than the descriptive name it began with: problem-solving committee.

For morale, instead of dwelling on the loss of experienced nurses, Merideth said she focuses on the gain. "It's really nice to see some of these new faces come in. They want to learn absolutely everything. They're like little nursing sponges and I love that."

Merideth is expanding on her teaching and mentoring, too. She's enrolled in a bachelor's and master's degree bridge program at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, with plans to one day teach nursing at the university level.

"Whether I end up stopping with my master's degree or going for my Ph.D., I'm not sure," she said. "I would love to teach cardiology."

Until then, she'll continue mentoring nurses, encouraging them to stick out their first year of practice. "I hate the phrase 'Nurses eat their young,' "she said, "but it is true. It really is. We're hardest on our own."

Meridith's most encouraging thought also is her promise: "If you can hang on that first year until you really get your feet into it, it's going to be great."