I remember a time that I had a family member in the hospital and I sat down and talked to
the nurse and just kind of fell in love with the profession, so I said as a very young girl to my
mom, I was like "Mom you know what, I want to be a nurse one day and I want to work at Northwestern
because I want to help people the way that they helped our family." My family has a history of
pancreatic cancer and we've had a couple family members pass away from it. Knowing the emotional
care that oncology patients need from first-hand experience, I wanted to be a part of that care,
because I know what it's like, I know what people need to hear. I chose Northwestern Medicine
because I have high expectations for myself. So naturally I would also have high expectations for
my place of employment. It's by far the best place I have worked. We have great facilities
and everything else but it's also very friendly. There are many things that set Northwestern apart
from other hospitals and other places we could practice medicine. At the Academic Medical Center,
Northwestern Memorial Hospital is a four-time magnet designated. It is the gold standard of
nursing practice. Northwestern not only having magnet status but being a teaching institution and
being a place that really fosters an environment of wanting nurses to not only start here but stay
here. The Academic Medical Center provides a unique practice environment for professional
nurses. We also want nurses to come here that can grow and develop. Working at Northwestern has been
an incredible place to help focus on my education and my professional life. At the same time there's
a big emphasis for everyone that works here to, you know, advance their careers if they so choose
to. A typical day being an oncology nurse, it is fast-paced, you're going to be on your feet,
and you're going to be working hard, but at the end of the day it's always worth it. It's bustling
in the clinic, all you can really do is focus on the patient that's in front of you. You're able to
see and work with all the different oncology divisions that make the cancer center running
center. There is not only one modality you use for most cancer patients. You need to bring everything
together. We work with a number of incredible folks, our pharmacists, our nurse practitioners,
our physician assistants. Every different care provider brings their own paradigm of thinking
and education to the care team. There's so many different disciplines that come together and you
get to really guide a patient's care because you know like the nitty-gritty of their life
and their symptoms. There's no way I could do what I do without the nurses that I work with. We are
always in each other's corner and always willing to help and lend a hand. It's so cool to have a
community that really cares about these people. Not only do they want to help you out but it's for
the patients that they're doing it. What keeps me at Northwestern Medicine is the people that I work
with, the patients I care for, and the benefits that Northwestern offers. Including medical,
dental, and vision benefits, as well as tuition reimbursement, and the reimbursable well-being
fund. 401K match up to six percent of your salary. Recently there was a change made to the benefits
that we're providing for fertility coverage and my husband and I are having trouble conceiving
and so we are going to be doing IVF. It does make me feel like I work somewhere that not
only supports me in my job but in my life. Just so you all know, I'll try to do it without crying,
I'm being treated for breast cancer right now so I have first-hand experience. I've been the
recipient of the amazing care that our oncology nurses provide. Getting an oncology diagnosis is
horrifying, it's life-altering. When you give someone the power back that you're better
than this and that you're going to face this treatment head on, and that we're going to be
with you every step of the way, that's why I'm a nurse. To help people through those tough times.