Tuesday, November 01, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Members of the nursing staff at the Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center were recognized for their dedication and compassionate care by the American Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators (AONN).
The inaugural Administrator of the Year award was presented to a group of eight navigators from the cancer center on behalf of Sharon Murphy, vice president, Forsyth Regional Cancer. AONN called Murphy ‘a pioneer, true believer, and early adopter of the navigation profession.’ Under her guidance, the program has grown from a single breast cancer navigator to six total disease site–specific programs. By encouraging the strengths of each navigator, Murphy has been able to make an enormous impact on the community, one patient at a time, by ensuring that each patient's voice is heard.
Cynthia Smart, RN, OCN, was named Lung Cancer Navigator of the Year. Her compassion and dedication for the patients she guides, as well as their families, has had a tremendous impact in a community of patients faced with a disease often in its later stages. Smart mentors other navigators, works in the community on various events, and advocates for and empowers her patients. She has also developed support groups for patients and their families dealing with a lung cancer diagnosis.
Nurse navigators serve as compassionate and knowledgeable guides, helping to assist cancer patients through the medical process. They meet with patients, review what doctors have told them about their disease and treatment options, and then answer any questions to help patients make informed decisions. Throughout the treatment process, navigators help coordinate the patient's care, staying in frequent contact with them to make sure they are comfortable with the treatment and to answer questions. Navigators help make sure that patients are not only well cared for, but that they also feel cared about.
AONN is the largest national specialty organization dedicated to improving patient care and quality of life by defining, enhancing, and promoting the role of oncology nurse and patient navigators. The organization serves to provide a network for all professionals involved and interested in patient navigation and survivorship care services to better manage the complexities of the cancer care treatment continuum for their patients.
