One Nurse’s Perspective
How Did You Continue to Provide Cancer Care for Patients After a Natural Disaster?
When a severe tornado hit Joplin, MO, on the evening of May 22, 2011, the situation was serious. St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin was hit so hard that it is still unusable. It needed to be evacuated, nearby Freeman hospital became quickly overwhelmed with patients, and the surrounding community prepared for action.
How Do You Administer Chemotherapy in Non-Oncology Settings at Your Institution?
At our institution, chemotherapy, biologics, hormonal agents, and targeted agents are given in the intensive care (ICU), progressive care, and telemetry units and the emergency department. In addition to patients with cancer, the drugs are being administered to patients with autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis as well as women with ectopic pregnancies.
What Challenges Do You Face in Caring for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer?
It recently hit me that one of the most difficult challenges I’ve had lately is educating patients and family members about the real side effects of concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
How Has Genetic Testing Changed Treatment Approaches for Patients With Lung Cancer?
In the past, patients with lung cancer were diagnosed primarily as having either non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer. As NSCLC subtypes, squamous cell and adenocarcinoma were treated as if they were the same disease. We now know that’s no longer true and that these cancers respond differently.
What Makes a Good Nursing Mentor?
Qualities that make for a good mentor are patience and the passion to teach or share knowledge with others. Good mentors do this in a way that allows others to understand them and not feel insignificant or stupid. Good mentors admit when they do not have an answer and actually go through the process with you to figure out how to find the right answer. They are easily accessible and approachable.
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