"Doing the best I can to fully understand a patient's situation, their feelings, and their social factors really help put together the puzzle on how to best approach them and develop their care plan. Patients diagnosed with cancer will come from all ages, all different home situations, and the full spectrum of socioeconomic situations. Having empathy for their situation will be vital as an oncology nurse. I think back to a time when a patient I was caring for was avoiding eye contact and remaining very withdrawn when asking questions about their condition. I knew from the conversation that there were some personal things in their life that were impacting their health, so I asked as many questions as I could to better understand the full picture. While it took a while and many times together, it was clear that financial burdens and the ability to find steady work were impacting the care the patient was receiving. I did everything in my power to connect them with a financial aid counselor with my clinic and give them all the resources they would need to best care for their condition at home."
