Dear Colleagues,
I was able to attend a huddle at our Oncology Unit last year and would like to tell you a bit about the work the great team does here.
Located on the eighth floor of the patient care tower, the team in our Oncology Unit cares for both surgical and medical oncology patients. They take care of everything from head and neck, to gastric cases, to gynecologic surgeries, as well as inpatient chemotherapy and biotherapy.
The huddle I attended was led by Tara Sunderland, RN, OCN, who now serves as practice manager of our Fayette and Boonville family medicine clinics. Taylor Overstreet, RN, currently serves as the interim nurse manager in charge of the Oncology Unit.
Most of the nurses on the unit are certified in chemotherapy/biotherapy through the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. The unit recently started offering a new radiation treatment called Lutathera, which some nurses on the unit underwent specialized radiation therapy to be able to administer.
The Oncology Unit staff get to develop relationships with their patients since they see them frequently for treatments. It’s clear they care deeply for our patients! They raise money to fund Christmas families every year, as well as other activities with which we can assist our patients and families.
Thank you for all you do for our patients and your colleagues in service lines across MU Health Care!
Sincerely,
Rick Barohn, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
University of Missouri
rbarohn@health.missouri.edu
