Print this article - Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal
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Print this article - Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal
What is your present role? What do you do in that role? I am currently a Collaborative Practice Leader at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto. In this role, I provide leadership support to Advanced Practice Clinical Educators across the organization, specifically with integrating scholarship into their practice. As a practice leader, I support practice, education, evidence-based care, and process standardization where appropriate across programs and health systems. I also lead the implementation of best practice guidelines and quality improvement initiatives, and evaluate complex change processes across the organization. What drew you into nursing? What influenced you to become a nurse? My mom is a nurse, and she has greatly influenced my decision to enter into the profession of nursing. I was in my third year of biology when I realized that I wanted to get into health sciences and work in a field where I could work directly with people and make a difference. With my mom’s encouragement, I applied into nursing school and was lucky enough to have been accepted into the second-entry nursing program at the University of Toronto. What drew you into oncology nursing? What influenced you to become an oncology nurse? I actually did not know what field I wanted to specialize in when I was a nursing student. After completing a clinical rotation at the Princess Margaret Hospital (Toronto), I knew that oncology was the field I wanted to pursue. So, I’d say that I stumbled into oncology serendipitously. And I’m really glad I did. I loved the fact that I was learning something new every day. But more importantly, I felt a sense of belonging, and great satisfaction after each of my shifts. I was able to make meaningful connections with patients and families. And, to me, that was important. I still remember many of the patients I took care of as a nursing Communiqué Nurse to Know: Charrisa Cordon student. I remember one patient in particular, Mrs. T. My preceptor and I took care of her when she had her induction for AML. I still remember her illness trajectory, such as when she got her tunnelled line inserted, her first dose of chemotherapy, when she had to cut her hair shorter to prepare for her alopecia, and when she had myelosuppression and febrile neutropenia. I remember when we gave her discharge instructions after her hospital stay, because it was a happy moment for everyone. I think it was around this time that I decided that I really liked being an oncology nurse. How would you characterize or describe the driving forces for you regarding your practice as a nurse? Empathy, altruism, and passion drive everything I do. I use these principles every day, as a nurse and as a nurse leader, such as when making decisions, or leading projects/initiatives. To me, empathy is important, because I need to always be aware and have an understanding of other people’s lived experience; this is what drives the care or service that I need to provide. Altruism is equally as important, because it means that I am doing the ‘right thing’. The ‘right-thing’ could then mean providing evidence-informed care, or making evidence-informed decisions, and balancing these to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Lastly, passion—I am passionate about what I do, and I put a lot of energy into it. As a result, I am always driving myself to do things better. What do you find most exciting about being a nurse? What I find most exciting about being an oncology nurse, is the endless possibilities of the initiatives we can do to improve patient outcomes. For example, now when I meet a nurse at social events, I am always asking them how they are improving patient safety events, or what programs their organizations have in place to support nurses with leading quality improvement initiatives. I think there is so much we can do; the Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal • Volume 25, Issue 4, Fall 2015 Revue canadienne de soins infirmiers en oncologie possibilities are endless, and we are in a position where we can transform the system and shape oncology patients’ experience with their care. What have you seen as the biggest changes for nurses over the years of your career? I have been an oncology nurse for a little longer than 10 years now. I think that the biggest change that I have observed over the years of my career is related to technology and the Internet. I find that patients now are becoming more informed about their disease, and their treatments, because they can easily get information from the Internet. I also like that there are mobile apps available for nurses, such as CancerCare Ontario’s Clinical Apps for Symptom Management Guides. What do you see are the biggest challenges for oncology nurses or oncology nursing today? One of the biggest challenges for oncology nursing today is related to the complexities associated with the patient population, and the environment in which we work. Our patient population is becoming more complex. As we deal with an aging population, we see patients with many co-morbidities or with secondary malignancies. Our work environment is also complex. For example, there are always new advancements in health care and in 491 Communiqué technology (including information technology). As nurses, we not only need to keep our knowledge and skills current, but we also need to understand how to best interact with the different systems within our work environment in order to provide great care to our patients. What is your greatest hope for the future of oncology nursing? My greatest hope for the future of oncology nursing is for oncology nurses to continue to lead innovative activities (through research, education, and practice) that would improve the care and experiences of oncology patients and their families. What is the best advice you would give to an individual who is considering becoming a nurse or an oncology nurse? My advice for individuals who are considering becoming an oncology nurse would be to think about the reason(s) why they want to be a nurse. This is because I strongly believe that being an oncology nurse is a calling; you need to be in it for the right reasons, and it needs to be the right fit. We are in a field where we care for patients and their families during one of their most vulnerable times, during a time of uncertainty, grief, and suffering. Being an oncology nurse is both a challenging and rewarding career. I don’t think I have ever ended a shift feeling like I did not accomplish anything, or that I didn’t make a difference in someone’s life. Sometimes, our patients would come to visit us after they have completed their treatment, and that feeling is wonderful. So, an individual considering becoming an oncology nurse would need to find these factors appealing, in order to be successful in the field. A career in oncology nursing means that you are in a field where you will learn every day and you will make a difference in a patient’s life every day. It is a very rewarding and meaningful career. Une infirmière qu’il fait bon connaître : Charrisa Cordon Quel est votre rôle actuel? Quelles sont vos fonctions en vertu de ce rôle? Je suis responsable de la pratique en collaboration au St. Joseph’s Health Centre de Toronto. Mon rôle consiste à apporter du soutien aux instructeurs cliniques en pratique avancée de l’organisation, notamment pour les aider à intégrer les résultats de recherche dans leur pratique. Chaque fois qu’il est approprié de le faire, j’appuie la pratique, l’éducation, les soins fondés sur des données probantes et la normalisation des processus dans l’ensemble des programmes et du système de soins de santé. Je dirige aussi la mise en œuvre des lignes directrices sur les pratiques exemplaires et des initiatives d’amélioration de la qualité, en plus d’évaluer les changements qui se produisent dans l’organisation. Qu’est-ce qui vous a attirée vers les soins infirmiers? Qu’est-ce qui a influencé votre décision de devenir infirmière? Ma mère est infirmière, ce qui a grandement influencé ma décision de le devenir à mon tour. J’étais en troisième année d’études universitaires en biologie lorsque j’ai réalisé que les sciences de la santé m’intéressaient vraiment et 492 que je souhaitais travailler directement auprès des gens et les aider. Je me suis donc inscrite, sur les conseils de ma mère, à l’école des sciences infirmières de l’Université de Toronto, où j’ai eu la chance d’être admise. Qu’est-ce qui vous a attirée vers les soins infirmiers en oncologie? Qu’est-ce qui a influencé votre décision de devenir infirmière en oncologie? Pendant mes études, je ne savais pas en quoi je me spécialiserais. C’est après un stage clinique au centre de cancérologie Princess Margaret de Toronto que le déclic s’est fait. C’est donc en quelque sorte un coup de chance, mais je n’ai jamais regretté cette décision. J’apprends quelque chose de nouveau chaque jour, ce que j’adore. Mais plus important encore, je termine toujours mes journées avec le sentiment d’être au bon endroit, notamment parce que j’ai pu tisser des liens de valeur avec des patients et des familles. J’en retire une grande satisfaction. Je me souviens encore des nombreux patients que j’ai suivis étant étudiante. Une dame en particulier me revient à l’esprit. Ma préceptrice et moi en avions pris soin durant une induction pour une LMA. Je me souviens bien de sa trajectoire de soins : quand on lui a inséré un cathéter tunnellisé, quand elle a reçu sa première dose de chimiothérapie, quand elle a fait couper ses cheveux pour prévenir l’alopécie, quand elle a eu une myélosuppression et une neutropénie fébrile. Mais aussi quand elle est sortie de l’hôpital, car c’était un moment de joie pour tous. Je pense que c’est à peu près à ce moment-là que j’ai décidé que la carrière d’infirmière en oncologie me plairait vraiment. Volume 25, Issue 4, Fall 2015 • Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal Revue canadienne de soins infirmiers en oncologie