Skip to main content

HL20: Sharon Gentry, RN, MSN, AOCN, CBCN—Mapping a Course for Each Oncology Patient

 |  By Alexandra Wilson Pecci  
   December 13, 2012

In our annual HealthLeaders 20, we profile individuals who are changing healthcare for the better. Some are longtime industry fixtures; others would clearly be considered outsiders. Some are revered; others would not win many popularity contests. All of them are playing a crucial role in making the healthcare industry better. This is the story of Sharon Gentry, RN, MSN, AOCN, CBCN.

This profile was published in the December, 2012 issue of HealthLeaders magazine.

 "If that patient identifies a barrier to care or a not-pleasant experience, as navigators we need to hear that."

Facing breast cancer is a frightening thing. The chemo. The radiation. The surgery. The survival odds. The lonely hospital rooms and the herds of specialists. The unending appointments and the cost of treatment. And the daunting task of somehow getting through it all with dignity.

Enter Sharon Gentry, RN, MSN, AOCN, CBCN, a breast nurse navigator at Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"One of the philosophies of navigation is you walk in the shoes of that patient," says Gentry. "It's someone to take that patient's hand when they're told that they have a cancer diagnosis and you make sure that they have a safe journey throughout the treatment continuum."

Today, the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators has more than 1,700 members and hosted its third annual conference in September. But when Gentry became one of North Carolina's first nurse navigators 12 years ago, there was no blueprint, no roadmap for her new role.

Instead of following a blueprint, Gentry created a new one.

After decades as an oncology nurse, Gentry had just completed her master's degree in education from nursing school when the cancer center asked if she'd be willing to give nurse navigation a try. She jumped at the chance. Her first challenge was trying to figure out how to eliminate the "bumps in the road" that patients encountered as they entered and moved through the health system.

"If that patient identifies a barrier to care or a not-pleasant experience, as navigators we need to hear that," Gentry says. "I've been very fortunate to work in a system that listens to the feedback of the patient."

For example, she discovered that women in Winston-Salem were resistant to having mammograms done at the hospital, so they have kept open the mammography center a mile down the street and Gentry meets with patients at both facilities.

Gentry has been working to smooth patients' paths ever since. Her work starts as soon as a patient receives a breast cancer diagnosis. She not only teaches patients about the specifics of their type of breast cancer, but also walks them through the entire treatment process, explaining which specialists they'll see and what kinds of things they'll discuss.

But navigation goes beyond simply guiding patients through treatment. As a navigator, Gentry also understands that there's more to a patient than simply her disease.

"You start looking at all the socioeconomic factors around her as well as educating her on the specific type of disease that she has and what to expect next in the journey," Gentry says.

Everything Gentry finds out about the patient will help shape her care. Is she the single breadwinner in the family, and if so, how can the care team customize treatment so that she can hold down her job? Does she have young children or is she caring for aging parents? What's her family history; does she need to meet with a geneticist? Does she have insurance? Does she have transportation to and from treatment? What are her spiritual needs? All of these factors add up to care that is tailor-made for each patient. 

"We're looking at the individual," Gentry says. "You've reached out to the patient, and you've respected their very personalized care plans."

Gentry says that navigation is "another true nursing role." Nurses are not only compassionate advocates for patients, but they're also able to explain and direct the clinical aspects of care, from scheduling appointments to figuring out whether the patient is eligible for clinical trials.

"The one thing that makes a nurse stand out in this role is you do a more holistic evaluation of the patient. You can read that clinical report, and you know that patient A's report is much different than patient B," she says.

The navigation program at Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center has grown substantially in the 12 years since Gentry started blazing the trail there. The center now employs nine navigators in various specialties, such as urology and gynecology. Organizations are increasingly seeing the value in navigation programs, which Gentry says have not only been shown to increase survivorship, but also keep patients in the system of care.

"You're giving the best care to that patient," she says. "And we can show that when patients come into our system, they stay in our system for care."

Eventually, Gentry hopes that navigation will be covered by insurance (it's now often paid for by grants and by the hospitals themselves). She also would love to see a certification process for nurse navigators. But although navigation is still gaining recognition as a valuable part of healthcare, Gentry sees the value in her work every single day.

"What motivates me is seeing the patients do so well," she says. "It motivates me to come into my cancer center and there's one of my survivors at the door who volunteers here at the cancer center."

Pages

Alexandra Wilson Pecci is an editor for HealthLeaders.

Tagged Under:


Get the latest on healthcare leadership in your inbox.