Nurse by Degree, Barber by Decree: UW Health worker finds small ways to make a big difference

They call him the “unofficial burn unit barber.” UW Health’s Luke Markus is one of the incredible Wisconsin nurses who takes on tasks outside of his job description just to make his patients smile.

Because people in the burn unit usually have longer stays, Luke learned how to give haircuts.

“Everyone feels better with a haircut,” he said. “I like to say I am a licensed nurse and an unlicensed barber.”

Patients often ask if they can pay him — but he always says it’s on the house!

And that’s just ONE example of how Luke goes above and beyond…

When he noticed doctors were struggling to hear patients’ hearts and lungs through thick layers of burn dressings — he worked with nursing leadership to get new, higher-quality stethoscopes for the unit.

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“It was good for the staff and it was a tangible item that improved patient care for the unit,” Luke said.

He also took his passion for burn and wound care nursing outside of the unit when he partnered with the American Burn Association to develop the requirements for the world’s first burn nursing specialty certification — which was approved last year.

“Being a nurse is the best job in the world,” Luke said. “We often see patients at their very worst and helping them get better is the best feeling.”

National Nurses Week, which highlights and honors the contributions and sacrifices nurses make to keep the public safe and healthy, is held every year from May 6-12.