Sequoia Regional Cancer Center

The Sequoia Regional Cancer Center is part of the Kaweah Delta Health Care District. Located in Visalia, in the heart of California’s San Joaquin Valley, the cancer center offers a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care with a team of specialists who collaborate on helping patients navigate their cancer journey through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. The combined efforts of the multidisciplinary team allow for the treatment of cancer utilizing all oncology specialties, ensuring that the best care possible is available for each patient.

The Oncology Nurse-APN/PA spoke with Ellen Woods, BSN, PHN, RN, OCN, RN-BC, about her role as clinical educator for oncology at the Sequoia Regional Cancer Center. Although she is responsible for educating the staff of both the inpatient and outpatient facilities, the interview focused on her role in the outpatient setting.

Describe your role as clinical nurse educator in the outpatient clinic.
Ellen Woods (EW): I am responsible for coordinating education activities for all of the patient care staff at the cancer center. I provide education support to 4 radiation oncology nurses, 10 medical oncology nurses who deliver chemotherapy, radiation therapists, and medical assistants who mix the chemotherapy, and office staff.

What are the biggest rewards of your job?
EW: My biggest reward is seeing the staff become independent and able to care for patients, becoming a resource for patients during this stressful time in their lives. I get great satisfaction watching them become competent and engage in this intimate relationship with patients. Some patients live for many years, and the oncology nurse becomes like part of the family.

What are some of the challenges of your job?
EW: I work within a complex medical system. It can be difficult to know whom to talk to about certain issues. I find that bringing together all the stakeholders to discuss certain issues takes time, effort, and coordination, at the same time that I am doing my regular job as educator. Some issues we might need to discuss include new policies, changes in regulations, and providing education about errors that have occurred or can occur and how to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

What are you excited about right now in the field of oncology?
EW: The biotherapies, which are enabling patients to live longer. Over my 36-year career I have seen many changes. When I first started, children with leukemia had a 20% 5-year survival rate, and now more than 90% live 5 years or longer. I am excited about the Genome Project and the promise of making therapy unique for each patient’s cancer. Also, some of the biotherapies have had exciting results for off-label applications. For example, Herceptin—originally developed for HER2-positive breast cancer—may be effective in other solid tumors that express HER2, and that is now being studied.

Has the role of the oncology nurse changed over the past decade?
EW: Yes, it has changed a lot, mainly due to the complexity of cancer treatment. Schedules are more complex with newer protocols. This is challenging. Learning oncology-specific information takes a longer time than it used to. Oncology nurses have to make a greater investment in time and effort to learn new information and quickly adapt the concepts into their work flow. The only constant in healthcare is change, and cancer care is evolving daily.

What inspired you to be an oncology nurse?
EW: Cancer patients are the patients who need you the most. I wanted to be able to make an impact at this scary time of life. It is rewarding to gain patients’ trust and be able to help them.

What advice would you give to a nurse who wanted to become a certified oncology nurse?
EW: Be sure you have the heart for this job. It is a unique opportunity to make an impact on patients’ lives. You also need brain power. The learning never stops. You have to acquire a lot of knowledge and at the same time know how to hold someone’s hand when they get bad news.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
EW: I would volunteer to work with cancer patients.