Notable Women 2019: Susanna Smith, Lynn Land, Michelle Sanford, Kara Boutwell and Skyler Martin, Southern Cancer Center

The nurse practitioners of Southern Cancer Center have become an essential piece of our team-based approach to cancer care, guiding patients through their journeys and raising the bar across our practice.

The nurse practitioners of Southern Cancer Center have become an essential piece of our team-based approach to cancer care, guiding patients through their journeys and raising the bar across our practice. Photo by Chad Riley

What role do your nurse practitioners play?
The field of oncology is changing daily, and the role of a Southern Cancer Center nurse practitioner has evolved to handle these changes. Fully integrated into patient care, our nurse practitioners work alongside our physicians and other members of the care team to set treatment goals and provide relief from side effects of both cancer and its treatment.

What sets them apart?
Attention to detail. Cancer is complex and so is the treatment. Our nurse practitioners are uniquely qualified to provide care in a variety of ways. They teach individualized chemo education, manage patient symptoms and side effects, and advise the patient on diet and nutrition during treatment.

They also develop individual survivorship care plans and follow patients for several years after treatment is complete.

How do they benefit your physicians?
Having versatile nurse practitioners available at each of our clinics gives our physicians more time to spend with patients and their families, allowing for more personalized, one-on-one care. By alternating visits with their physician and their nurse practitioner, patients are treated by two sets of experienced eyes.

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What’s next for SCC’s nurse practitioners?
Beginning this summer, these women will oversee our Genetic Risk Evaluation and Testing program, providing comprehensive counseling and genetic testing for patients with a family or personal history of cancer. This is an important service, helping patients along the Gulf Coast understand cancer risks and prevention.

The nurse practitioners of Southern Cancer Center continue to advance the way we provide care. They have a true passion for their patients and show no signs of slowing down.

5 locations in Mobile and Baldwin County • 625-6896 • SouthernCancerCenter.com

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