Cathy Baker, R.N.
Caring connection
An important goal of the Long-Term Follow-Up Program is to stay in touch with patients after they've been discharged back to their home communities. One of the key factors in that continued connection is the nursing staff. Cathy Baker is the newest member of that staff, but she has a long history of nursing behind her.
After being a pediatric nurse for 20 years, Baker transferred to adult oncology while working in Portland. "I just loved it. It was really challenging and oncology nursing provided new learning experiences. I also worked as a clinical research nurse for about five years," Baker said. "When I moved back to Seattle, I took a job at SCCA as a transition nurse."
As a transition nurse, she worked with transplant patients to plan their transition from the hospital to the outpatient service. She worked in research for a while, but missed having contact with patients, so she found a place in LTFU, where she's been since July.
"All of the people we work with are patients that have been discharged and have returned to the care of their home physicians," Baker said. "We teach a class for those patients that are going home and try to prepare patients and their caregivers for some of the issues that they may face as they recover from their transplant. We also review recommendations for preventing infections and stress the importance of their prescribed medications. We let them know that we are available for phone consultation and support to patients and their local oncologists. The best part about teaching the class is that we meet people face to face, so can 'recognize' them when they call."
Patients often call to clarify the follow up plan, have a specific transplant-related question answered, or to report new symptoms.
Follow up care after transplant can be complex. "Oncologists have varying levels of experience with post-transplant care but they all want the best thing for their patients," Baker said. LTFU can provide suggestions for working up a problem and provide recommendations for treatment.
Three times a week, Baker and her colleagues sit down with an attending physician to determine how to advise patients. As the point of contact for local physicians and patients, Baker and the other LTFU nurses are constantly working to track down information to build a more complete picture.
"Sometimes, there's a lot of detective work to try to figure out why a patient is having symptoms. We really want to put the pieces of the puzzle together and provide help for the patient so they have the best post-transplant experience possible," Baker said.
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