Cancer Institute of New Jersey

The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) was established in 1991 as a partnership between the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the New Brunswick Affiliated Hospitals. The groundbreaking ceremony in New Brunswick took place in 1994. In 1997, CINJ received its Clinical Cancer Center status from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and was designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2002, confirmation of its position as a leader in treatment, research, and education.

Janet Gordils-Perez, MA, APN-C, AOCNP, Director of Oncology Nursing Services at CINJ, answered our questions about the role oncology nurses play in patient care.

What are you excited about right now in the cancer field?

Janet Gordils-Perez (JGP): We are excited about “precision medicine.” This is a personalized approach to prescribing cancer treatment. CINJ has always been on the cutting edge of providing the latest treatments, and now efforts are directed at how molecular and genetic information is being used to diagnose and treat cancer. Lorna Rodriguez, MD, PhD, is leading CINJ’s initiative for precision medicine.

What approach does your institution take to treating people with cancer?

JGP: As 1 of only 41 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers and the only one in New Jersey, CINJ is dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, treatment, and care of patients with cancer through the transformation of laboratory discoveries into clinical practice. We are committed to providing treatment options that are as unique as the patients we are treating.

How does that translate to better outcomes for your patients?

JGP: Breakthroughs in diagnosis and drug treatment as well as technology and biomedical informatics will allow clinicians to tailor cancer treatments to individual patients and will expectantly lead to better patient outcomes. This can have a profound effect in the prevention, prognosis, and treatment of many cancers.

How has the role of the oncology nurse changed over the past 5 years?

JGP: I think nursing has always used the idea of personalized medicine—treating the individual patient and not just the disease. Not on the genetic or molecular level, of course, but by taking into consideration what makes up the individual patient (culture, beliefs, past experiences, family dynamics, etc) to be able to better understand and address all of the patient’s distinct needs.

What has changed in nursing is that the care we now provide is not based on tradition or rituals but on evidence-based practice. We now use the latest research findings and translate these into our nursing practice to improve patient care and outcomes. Nurses are able to incorporate best practices with clinical competence and patient preferences, values, and beliefs. We personalize the evidence to fit the patient’s particular situation. We provide patient-centered care that is evidence based. Evidence Source Equation = clinician experience + patient preferences + scientific findings.

What inspired you to enter the field of oncology nursing?

JGP: As a high school senior applying to colleges, I knew I wanted to go into nursing. However, I wanted to work on a surgical unit. When I completed my BSN, the college counselor suggested that my first interview be at an institution I really wasn’t interested in to practice my interviewing skills. So I scheduled my first interview at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City. After touring 2 of the units, I knew where I needed to work: at a cancer center where cutting-edge research was taking place. Fortunately, I was hired, and my career in oncology began. And what a wonderful journey it has been and continues to be!

Any advice for nurses just entering the field?

JGP: My advice to nurses just entering the field is to keep learning and asking questions. What you have learned in your educational preparation is just the foundation. You need to build on this through continuous learning—by attending conferences; furthering your education to receive a BSN, master’s degree, DNP, or PhD; reading journals to keep updated on the latest therapies; becoming certified in your specialty; etc. This will help you to maintain competency in nursing practice and provide your patients with the best nursing care possible. Nursing is such a rewarding field, and there are so many varied roles in nursing that one can hold.

If you weren’t working in this field, what would you be doing?

The following are responses from some of the nurses at CINJ:

Treatment Area Nurse Manager
Carla Schaefer, BSN, RN, OCN: A photographer. That is my biggest hobby. I like to shoot nature shots—flowers, bugs, and landscapes.

Staff Nurses in the Treatment Area
Andrew Kass, BSN, RN, OCN: I would be in the restaurant business. I would manage a restaurant. I like to make people happy. This is what I do.

Kira Lynn Voitle, BSN, RN, OCN: I would have a high-end wedding boutique with designer dresses.

Alissa Coslit, BSN, RN, OCN: I would be a dolphin trainer. I like to have fun in what I do—this seems like fun!

Cho Chan, BSN, RN, OCN: I would be a teacher. I love teaching my patients, and just seeing how they learn is very rewarding.

Associate Director of Nursing and Patient Education
Leah Scaramuzzo, MSN, RNBC, AOCN: I wouldn’t be anything else but a nurse—perhaps a nurse forest ranger. I love the outdoors, and I love nursing, so I would be doing both.

Advance Practice Nurses
Janice Germain, MSN, APN-C: I would still need to be in medicine. I would be a doctor. There has never been any doubt, I want to help people. When I was 13 years old, I was hospitalized and saw what doctors and nurses did for me; I was influenced by what they did. I love medicine.

Carmela Hoefling, MSN, ANP-C, AOCNP: I would probably be teaching. It was between nursing and teaching to begin with. Never wanted to be sitting at a desk all day.

Research Nurse Clinicians
Marjorie LaRosiliere, RN: I would be a teacher. I enjoy working with kids.

Sherri Damare, RN, MSN, OCN: I would love to teach. My MSN is in education. I enjoy teaching patients and nurses.

Pediatric Staff Nurse, Treatment Area
Dawn Yuhas, RN, CPON: I would be working somewhere in education (kindergarten to high school).

Pediatric Nurse Manager
Deena Centofanti, RN, MSN, AOCN: As a kid I was going to play the piano at Carnegie Hall. I didn’t really like to practice; hence, I wasn’t good enough. Once I decided to be a nurse, it was only oncology. Now, if I had to pick something, it would be in education. I guess that’s why I ran for school board.