Jeni Schiffman

Learning for life in nursing

Although she jokes that she is not a morning person, Jeni Schiffman manages to fit all her work into the day. Since July 2006, Jeni has been one of the friendly voices you hear when you call LTFU. She helps former patients reach physicians or nurses for advice, keeps track of follow-up appointments, or simply locates needed forms.

But her day doesn't end when she hangs up her headset. After eight hours of work at LTFU, the Seattle native heads to Shoreline Community College for nursing classes. Weekends are spent poring over textbooks and hanging out with Edgar, her 90-pound German shepherd named for Seattle Mariner's baseball great Edgar Martinez. "It's pretty hectic, but right now, it's all about the long-term goal," Schiffman said.

Her long-term goal is to become an oncology nurse — the result of years spent working with patients. During her time as a political science student at the University of Washington, Schiffman worked at Virginia Mason, and then took a full-time position in a gynecologic oncology practice there after graduation. "I just loved it. I fell in love with the patient population; they're such strong individuals," Schiffman said. "After being there for a few years, I wanted to broaden my knowledge of oncology a bit."

Schiffman has been involved with medicine since being a 16-year-old file clerk in a medical office. She's been a medical receptionist, then in a back office, and then became the surgery coordinator at Virginia Mason. "So I started with a very basic knowledge of internal medicine and finally ended up in oncology. Once I was exposed to it, it was fascinating and challenging," she said.

She'll finish classes in 2009 and plans to specialize in surgical oncology, but working with LTFU is giving her a strong background for her nursing career. "The nursing staff and physicians here are amazing. Their knowledge base is absolutely unreal," said Schiffman. "I'm constantly learning."

Patient contact is still her favorite part of the job. "This is a really hopeful situation for many people; they've already been through their transplants and they're on the other side of cancer treatments," Schiffman said. "It's an honor to have the opportunity to be a contact for patients in that position."