Margaret Gosira: A Heart of Moffitt

Since 2001, Margaret Gosira has been a shining light at Moffitt Cancer Center, bringing dedication, compassion, and joy to her role in Environmental Services. Known for her infectious smile and uplifting spirit, Margaret sets the standard for excellence in patient care and teamwork. Whether she's training new employees, greeting patients with kindness, or supporting her colleagues like family, Margaret embodies the values that make Moffitt a special place.

Her story is one of resilience, pride, and deep connection—from helping patients feel seen and heard, to celebrating her U.S. citizenship with the support of her Moffitt family. Margaret reminds us that every role is vital, and every person matters. She is more than a team member—she is a cornerstone of the culture that defines Moffitt. 

What You'll Learn From Margaret

• How a positive attitude and a smile can make a difference for patients, families, and coworkers.

• The vital role environmental services play in patient care and hospital safety.

• Why treating patients like family helps foster compassion and connection.

• The importance of teamwork, trust, and support among colleagues.

• Margaret’s journey to U.S. citizenship and how her Moffitt family celebrated that milestone with her.

Podcast Transcript

MARGARET

I'm Margaret Gosira, and I started working at Moffitt in 2001. I employ as a ES2 tech, environmental service. I do discharge cleaning. I train new employees.

I am Keith Hall. I am the patient care manager of 3 North, and I've been at Moffitt for six years now. Margaret comes in with a big personality. I mean, you can't miss her. She's very positive. She always goes by my door, makes sure she says, hello, Mr. Keith, how are you? Her enthusiasm obviously is passed on to all the others that she works with.

My name is Evelyn Maldonado. I'm EVS supervisor for 14 years. Margaret has positive attitude. She's smiling all the time. She helps co-workers. She deals with customers upstairs in the floors. She has great, great attitude. I'm so proud of her to be a part of my team.

She has great, great attitude. I'm so proud of her to be a part of my team.
  – Evelyn Maldonado, EVS Supervisor  

MARGARET

When the joint commission comes, they always come to me.I guess everybody else be scared, and Imthe only one who is always running my mouth, talking, talking.

KEITH

When they show up, it's, you know, Margaret, get ready, because she's the one you go to. She answers their questions. She shows them exactly what needs to be done, what they're looking for. She's sharp. Margaret sets the standard for that department. When they come to my department to go look around, they rarely find anything wrong. And I mean, they're talking about getting on top of these machines and putting their hands up there to check for dust. They find nothing. And Margaret makes sure that the people that work with her do the same thing.

Margaret sets the standard for that department.
- Keith Hall, Patient Care Manager  

MARGARET

If I go in a patient room, I always knock on the door and say, hello, good morning. I'm Margaret Gorsira from environmental service. It's okay for me to clean your room. They say, oh, you got a wonderful smile. When I'm feeling grumpy, if I leave home and I'm feeling grumpy, nobody don't really know if I'm feeling grumpy, because I come in at Moffitt and still got a smile on my face. I think with working with patients, you don't want to come in here and let the patient see you having a bad day, because they're going through a lot of stuff.

They're going through their own thing with their family member, you know. You don't want them to see that you're having a bad day, because sometimes you might be cleaning a room, and then you go in and you see the family member crying, and then I can start crying with them.

KEITH

Patients talk to them when they're in there cleaning the room. They're not a threatening person. They're just in there to clean the room, and they talk and expound and share things that they don't share with the nurses.

And sometimes, and Margaret has done it, we'd come to the nurse and go, you know, he's got this, this, and this going on, and shares that kind of information that we probably would have never gotten. So it's, they're a very, very important part of our team.

MARGARET

I meet all different kinds of patients. You just imagine that that's your mom, your dad, or some family members laying there, and I'm here for the patient. The most important thing, I'm here for the patient. I love the patient.

I got a wonderful team. All of us treat one another like family. My supervisor, Evelyn, she is so super. I remember when one day we get like a flat tire, was a cold morning, I come into work, and I call her, I said, Miss Evelyn, you at work? Could I get a ride?

And she said, okay, and she came and got me. And I was so appreciated with, because, you know, she came and got me.

EVELYN

The team member feel in my team like a family.

We help each other. We are like a big, huge family in our department. On our team, we try to create good communication, build trust each other. We have huddles all the time, every week, because I want to give them appreciation how they work and what they're doing every day. And the employees feel comfortable and happy when we do this for them.

KEITH

I made a little poster, put it on my door when COVID was going on that, you know, everybody's thanking the nurses and, you know, you're going so far, you're doing great. And I put a picture on the door and I put all their little pictures that come to our floor and thank them because they're the front line. If they mess up, they're going to mess us up.

And I wanted them to understand that they are incredibly important. We are a team, not just the nursing staff are a team, but we also include our environmental service team, our case managers, social workers, respiratory, you know, those ancillary departments that are always on the outside. We are a team and we make sure that they are included.

We are a team, not just the nursing staff are a team, but we also include our environmental service team, our case managers, social workers, respiratory, you know, those ancillary departments that are always on the outside. We are a team and we make sure that they are included.
  – Keith Hall  

When Margaret got her citizenship, we didn't know about it. We, I hadn't heard anything about it. She kept it on the down low.

And then it was like a day or two before she said, we got to talking about what are you doing this week or how's your week? And she said, Oh, I'm going to get my citizenship this week on whatever day it was, Monday or Tuesday. And I was like, what?

And she goes, yeah, I'm becoming a citizen. I was just so touched.

MARGARET

In 2017, when I did my citizenship, I look in the council and I see my, my director, my manager, my supervisor supported me. That was a blessing. I was so supported, man, because I had nobody, no family, nobody there.

So it was touching.

In 2017, when I did my citizenship, I look in the council and I see my, my director, my manager, my supervisor supported me. That was a blessing.
  – Margaret Gosira 

EVELYN

When Margaret got her citizenship, we went to support her in that very important time for her because we want her to feel comfortable, happy, because she don't have many family in here in this country. And when we support her, she was the most happy person.

And when she see our faces over there, she was so happy. She started doing with the flag like this. I said, Oh my God, Margaret, Margaret, we take pictures.

And that day she was, Oh my God, awesome for her.

MARGARET

I remember the next day when I came to work, Mr. Keith Hall, the Free North manager, he brought me a cake with American flag on it. It was so wonderful too.

He said, welcome being American. It makes me feel so appreciated. I appreciate it.

We asked Margaret if she had anything to say to our team members.

MARGARET

All I can say, Moffitt is a wonderful place to work. And all we got to do is be, be a family, come to work and have fun, you know, have a smile on your face, be nice to everyone, treat others with respect. And you know, those sort of stuff. Because we want to treat everyone with respect, no matter what race you are, what color you are, treat everyone with respect. They treat us like a family.

That's our Moffitt team.