From left: KAREN M. REYES BENZI, M.S.N., RN, OCN and MONICA BEVILACQUA, RN
PHOTOS BY JOEL CALLAWAY
It’s arduous to place into phrases what a rare nurse Karen M. Reyes Benzi, M.S.N., RN, OCN, is. Karen was one in all my preceptors in a specialty that I knew little about. She taught me every little thing she might about hematology, with out the topic being overwhelming.
She is the nurse I’d need for my household. She leaves no stone unturned when assembly and assessing sufferers. She realizes that typically the oncology nurse could be a affected person’s solely fixed help, and she or he offers every affected person 200%. She realizes how scary most cancers might be and treats every affected person with compassion, dignity and respect.
There are a lot of extraordinary issues she does. For instance, Karen maintains a garments cupboard for sufferers who’ve toileting accidents. Reasonably than the affected person having to put on soiled garments for a number of hours or being despatched house in a hospital robe or paper pants, this permits the affected person far more dignity. Additionally, Karen began a program that helps veterans going through most cancers to entry providers. She greets every veteran with a token and salutes them to acknowledge their service to our nation.
Karen is aware of the significance of straightforward issues comparable to inserting her title close to the affected person’s chair. I can’t inform you what number of occasions I ask a affected person who their nurse is, and so they don’t know. It looks like a foolish factor, nevertheless it actually makes the affected person really feel extra comfy and related. As somebody who watched her father battle most cancers, I can inform you firsthand how a lot of a distinction this may make in a affected person’s journey.
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