Nursing & Patient Care
Staff Profiles
Lynn Armstrong, RN, OCN, and M.K. Barr, RN, OCN, Radiation Oncology
Lynn Armstrong, RN, OCN (left), and M.K. Barr, RN, OCN
After caring for patients in many different settings, Lynn Armstrong, RN, OCN, and M.K. Barr, RN, OCN, agree that nursing in radiation oncology is "the best." Explains Barr, "We get to use everything we've learned about oncology nursing. It's all distilled into this environment in a very satisfying way."
Armstrong and Barr get to know their patients well since most receive radiation therapy on a daily basis for a number of weeks. "We meet with patients regularly to help them manage side effects like fatigue and skin changes," notes Armstrong.
Over time, patients begin to share their fears and anxieties. "For some patients," explains Barr, "radiation therapy is the last step in care, and anxiety can flare because they feel they are losing a safety net. We help them start to process what they've been through for the last months and help them identify resources they can use during this transitional phase."
Getting to know patients so well and working with them so closely, says Barr, is the best part of the job. Adds Armstrong, "What can be better than that?"
