Cancer care requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving every member of the team to utilize their unique knowledge, skillsets, and experience. An individualized approach must be taken for each patient, as they all experience different barriers in the healthcare system. We must work together with those on our team, from other facilities, and other organizations, to provide optimal and inclusive care.
AONN+ spoke with Penny Daugherty, RN, MS, OCN, ONN-CG, Oncology Nurse Navigator at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, AONN+ member, and Co-Chair of the AONN+ Conference Planning Committee, about her experience with AONN+ and the valuable partnerships that can be made with outside organizations.
1. How did you get involved with AONN+?
I was co-editing a textbook on navigation when I first met Sharon Gentry, Program Director of AONN+, who was co-writing a chapter in the book. Sharon asked me to present a breakout session on GYN oncology at the 2013 AONN+ Annual Navigation and Survivorship Conference. The conference was so welcoming. I had been part of other cancer care organizations, but AONN+ was naturally inclusive and every person at the conference made me feel like I was a part of something great.
