What it Means to be Patient First in Cancer Care

Cassidy Lockwood, a Smilow Breast Center oncology nurse, is a 2024 Extraordinary Healer Award nominee.

Cassidy Lockwood is the definition of what it means to be a nurse, especially one who provides oncology care. She practices as an oncology nurse at Smilow Breast Center at Yale New Haven Hospital, has experience as a floor nurse in malignant hematology and continued her career as a practice nurse now at the breast center. As a result, I have gained arguably the best colleague I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside and a lifelong friend. There are too many reasons that Cassidy should receive the Extraordinary Healer Award, and I’m hoping this essay can provide a snapshot of why this is so well-deserved.

A nurse is defined as, “a person trained to care for the sick or infirm.” Cassidy constantly practices to the top of her training as an oncology nurse. She demonstrates expert knowledge on the treatment protocols she counsels on routinely, and when discussing concerns that patients call in with.

My colleagues and I often find ourselves going to her for answers, and she is always willing to help. It is clear that she is constantly learning and practicing the most up-to-date, evidence-based medicine within her scope. She is not afraid to ask questions and seeks out opportunities to learn more for the betterment of the people she serves. Furthermore, she is keenly aware of the limits of the scope of her training and will gladly reach out to her team when there is a concern or question that she may not be the best person to answer.

She practices with maximum effort, often works late after arriving early for the day, and is always willing to help with whatever she is able to. She triages messages, assists with office visits, enters orders and even helps cover for infusion nurses when there is need, along with cross-covering for other nurses when they are out for their teams. These are just a few of her day-to-day responsibilities that she excels at and expertly manages.

She is the epitome of a team player – constantly and effectively communicating with her colleagues and ensuring that every aspect of each person’s care is addressed and tucked in, with acute attention to detail. When there is a problem to be solved, she is dogged in her persistence to find a solution, or right a wrong that has occurred.

Beyond her expert knowledge and dedication in oncology care at Smilow Breast Center, in infusion and with her history as a floor nurse in malignant hematology, she performs all her duties with modesty and recognition of the team approach to patient care. As part of this, she brings a jovial spirit to the workroom and when interacting with patients, regardless of what may be happening in her own life.

While working with her, I notice that everyone’s mood is uplifted by her presence and the compassion she demonstrates. She is also not afraid to be herself, which adds to her charm and ability to bring a smile to anyone’s face. Each day, she is friendly, personable and has her own catch phrases that we all know and love. We have dubbed them “Cassidyisms,” such as, “I’m very teachable,” when talking with patients about learning their needs.

That is perhaps the loveliest part of Cassidy as an oncology nurse – she puts patients first. From the first moment of meeting them, she goes out of her way to learn about their life, their values and what they want out of their care. She then applies this knowledge to her practice of patient-centered care by safeguarding their values and sharing with the team when there is new information about someone that we may not have heard yet, and that could influence their care.

She is thoughtful and intentional with each person. As one such example, we had a young adult breast cancer survivor in her early 20s with newly diagnosed triple-negative breast cancer, who was overwhelmed by the diagnosis and was not responding to follow-up calls to get her in and start treatment. In an effort to ensure she had a good outcome and to get her started, Cassidy went out of her way nearly each day over a month to reach out to her personally.

The first hurdle she overcame was just getting in touch with her, but also then provided support and understanding of her situation – someone who should not have experienced such a thing for her age. She helped her understand the importance of initiating treatment and convinced her to come in for care and start her treatment. Then throughout the treatment, she continued to provide close support for her and helped get her through it, making it a lot less of a scary and daunting experience for her.

As a result, she had a pathologic complete response with no residual disease left once she went to surgery – the best outcome we could have hoped for. She did all this with the utmost compassion and empathy – traits that she brings to every patient she cares for, and with the effort that let’s each person know that they are the priority and feel that they have their team’s full dedication.

I want to reiterate - Cassidy Lockwood is the definition of what it means to be an oncology nurse, but furthermore, serves as an example of how we should all be practicing healthcare. She sets the standard with her patient-first approach, genuine care, expert knowledge and going to the extraordinary lengths that she goes to for each individual she has the privilege of caring for. She is an absolute pleasure to work with. I fully trust her as an oncology nurse, and I am reassured and comfortable knowing that our patients have her care and support. It is for these reasons among many more that she deserves to receive the Extraordinary Healer Award for her service as an oncology nurse.

Nominations are open for the 2025 CURE Extraordinary Healer award.

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