The long-time Watford City assistant reflects on her Hall of Fame career

WATFORD CITY, ND (KFYR) – Every nurse deserves to be celebrated, but each year the North Dakota Nurses Association honors a few nurses who have gone above and beyond.

Each year, the association inducts a nurse into the Hall of Fame.

It’s quite an honor, and one of this year’s contestants isn’t sure he deserves it. But those who know Maria Berglund say this is an honor years in the making, and one that’s even more special after the last few months.

Berglund was born to be a nurse. She has been dreaming of this career since she was five years old and spent several weeks in the hospital. She never forgot the kindness of the nurses who cared for her.

“They made an impression, a very good impression. They were very caring,” she recalled.

In 1968, Berglund earned her nursing degree at Sisters of Mercy Nursing School in Devils Lake.

“She creates happiness wherever she goes,” said Dr. Gary Ramage, MD at McKenzie Health in Watford City. Berglund has worked alongside him for the past two decades.

“I continue to be her loyal assistant. And I do whatever she tells me to do,” he laughed.

They see mostly geriatric patients, people Berglund has known since he moved to Watford City in 1977.

“They were in their 40s and 50s when I came here,” she recalled. “So just seeing them over time and seeing them go through that cycle of life.”

It’s a job Berglund is happy to do because a few months ago, she became the patient.

“I had a mild stroke on the right side of my brain,” she said.

He had to take a few weeks off, but is now on the road to recovery. She said work helps. She is grateful to be back at work and everyone at McKenzie Health is happy that she is back.

“She is a strength by example for our organization and the staff we have here,” said McKenzie Health CEO Pete Edis. “She is truly an icon in the world of healthcare.”

She is an icon who earlier this month was surprised to be inducted into the Nursing Hall of Fame.

“I was stunned,” she admitted.

However, she hopes this award could inspire others to follow their breastfeeding dreams.

At 79, Berglund finally started thinking about retirement. She plans to call it a career at the end of 2025. If she does, Dr. Ramage said he will retire, too.

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