It’s National Oncology Nursing Month and it’s a time to spotlight nurses who provide patient care for those going through treatments in their fight against cancer.

Greene County Medical Center has an oncology department and Dr. Zeeshan Jawa is in Jefferson the second Thursday every month to see patients. However, Chief Nurse Executive Katie Heldt says the nursing staff can help provide cancer treatments to patients anytime from referring providers, so that Greene County residents don’t have to travel outside the county to receive services. Heldt adds that even though all nurses have compassion, the four nurses that work in the oncology department have a different kind of compassion for patient care.

“It’s not just compassion for the patient, but it’s understanding for the patient, the family and how this disease process is impacting the patient and the family and their relationships. And how it impacts going to the grocery store and get groceries, how it impacts those types of friend relationships and those types of things. Part of being a nurse is being a good listener, but I think in this role particularly, there’s a lot of relationship building. And a lot of empathy, not sympathy, empathy for what’s happening in these patient’s lives.”

Heldt appreciates the work that the nursing staff does in the oncology department of the medical center.