SHELTON, WA – Nick Morini, a surgical technician working in Mason General Hospital’s Surgery Department, considers the people that he works with his family. His caring attitude and positivity are felt not only by his coworkers, but also by patients. Those qualities, in addition to his thoughtfulness and problem-solving skills, are why Morini’s peers have named him Mason Health’s December 2021 Employee of the Month.

Morini joined Mason Health in August 2019. At the time, working at Mason Health was a family affair – his brother, and now roommate, Vincent Morini, worked as a receptionist. Their mother, Shannon Barhart, has worked for Mason Health since 2010 and is the Director of Patient Access.

Morini grew up in Shelton and graduated from Shelton High School in 2012. He joined the U.S. Navy when he was 20 and served for five years. He was primarily stationed in San Antonio, Texas, and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Morini wanted to work in the IT field but learned that he could not in the Navy because he is colorblind (“That was a surprise to me,” he said). He wanted to work in a field with skills that would transition well into the civilian world when he eventually left the military. He signed a contract to become a corpsman, and then completed surgery technical school in the Navy.

As a surgery tech, Morini scrubs in with surgeons and oversees all of the surgical equipment. Surgery techs become experts on surgical equipment and at times are an extra set of hands in the operating room. In the Navy, Morini also had the ability to suture wounds.

At Camp Lejeune, Morini’s patients were retired or active military families, and many of the procedures involved sports orthopedic injuries or general surgery. The military base also ranked among the top in the nation for performing Cesarean sections, and Morini consequently gained vast experience working with C-section births. Now, Morini is the first surgery tech called in for C-section births at Mason General Hospital because of his experience.

Morini remembers coming to lunch at Mason Health with his mom as a teenager. When it came time to find a job outside of the Navy, he did not have to look far.

“I’ve known about Mason Health for a long time,” he remarked. “When I was getting out of the Navy, everything was up in the air when I was deciding what I would do. My mother said, ‘You know, we need surgery techs here.’ It’s nice to work near my mom.”

Morini lives in Olympia with his brother and his beagle, Lily. He enjoys going to the gym, playing video games and spending time with his loved ones.

“I definitely enjoy the people I work with here,” he said. “It’s what makes it easy to come back every day. We’re a family here. I have a lot of fun with my coworkers.”

Mason Health, Public Hospital District No. 1 of Mason County, is certified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 19 specialties. For more information or to find a health care provider, visit www.MasonGeneral.com.

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