NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2017 - 12

LACKMEDSOC.ORG

Feature

Passion for Palliation
& End of Life Care

pril 30th marked the 12th anniversary of my father's death due to
metastatic pancreatic cancer
at only 68 years old. My father, widely
known as "The Captain" as he earned
this rank in the Scranton Fire Dept., was
my biggest fan and quite possibly, my
toughest critic. Interestingly, my father
was shocked when I chose nursing as
my major at the University of Scranton.
But looking back, it was his praise and,
at times, criticisms that have driven my
passion and made me the successful
professional that I am today.

To be honest, I never truly enjoyed nursing. In fact, I believe if I was brave enough,
I would have changed my major after clinical rotations began. After earning several
nursing opportunities earlier in my career,
I actually left the nursing profession for a
sales and marketing opportunity. Clearly
I had not yet found the right match in my
nursing career. Seventeen months after
my dad was diagnosed, I was introduced
to Hospice. In response to the tremendous care my dad received at the end of
his life, I promised that if I returned to
the nursing field, I would only return to
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VITAL SIGNS

Hospice and give back some of what my
family received.
12 years later, I am the Director of
Allied Services Hospice. It is definitely
my passion not only to provide outstanding care to patients and their families at
the end of their life, but also to educate
the community regarding the wonderful
benefit of Hospice and all that it provides.
Beyond that, I am also committed to
increasing care to those with advancing
illnesses and am working diligently with
Travis Davis, my co-worker and Director
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2017
