Job: Chemo Processor, Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Atlanta
What I Do: "I assign patients to the nurses and I process the orders that come in from the doctors. I make sure the chemo orders are put in correctly. If they are incorrect, I talk to the clinic to make sure we get the correct order for the patient."
How I Got Into This: "I've always been passionate about oncology through family members having cancer. With nursing, you can change around and work in different areas. Now that I've worked in oncology, I can't see myself doing anything else."
Best Part of the Job: "I love forming relationships with our patients. We triumph in their successes and cry with them in their hardships."
Most Challenging Part: "The hardest part is losing some of your patients. You know their families. It's hard when you have patients who are teenagers and have stage four cancer. You become so attached."
What People Don't Know About My Job: "This isn't your typical business model. It's a family. We support each other and take our work home with us. We think about our patients all the time."
What Keeps Me Going: "You realize that it's not about you and how you feel in your chaos. How would you want your family member treated? I've sat on the floor with patients, cried, held their hand and prayed with them. Even on the bad days I wouldn't do anything else!"
Preparation Needed: "You have to be a licensed nurse but you don't necessarily need an oncology background. My background was in critical care. I knew nothing about chemo, but they trained me and I got my certification. Compassion is very important. You must be able to instill hope in someone because that keeps them going."
