Jessica MacIntyre, ARNP, NP-C, AOCNP, executive director of Clinical Operations for Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses a nurse-led program designed to initiate early referrals of patients with cancer to nutrition services.

MacIntyre oversees various programs including oncology social work, cancer support services, nurse navigation, cancer survivorship, cancer prevention, and phase I clinical research operations. She recently presented at the 47th Annual Oncology Nursing Society Congress about a navigation nurse-driven protocol, which resulted in early referral and intervention to nutrition services.

Timely referral to support is linked to better outcomes; however, nutrition referrals are not typically made prior to the first appointment with the oncology team. This protocol, MacIntyre explains, sought to overcome that barrier by empowering nurse navigators to make referrals based on specific criteria, including a diagnosis of head and neck, thyroid, or pancreatic cancer, verbalize an interest in a nutrition consult, receiving total parenteral nutrition or enteral nutrition, and/or report unintentional weight loss of: 1% to 2% total body weight in 1 week, 5% of total body weight in 1 month, or at least 7.5% body weight in 3 months.

MacIntyre J, Lovan P, Torrents S. Integrating early referrals to oncology nutrition services through the cancer navigation program: the experience at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC). Presented at: 47th Annual Oncology Nursing Society Congress; April 27-May 1, 2022; Anaheim, CA. Abstract P360.

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Jessica MacIntyre, ARNP, NP-C, AOCNP, discusses empowering oncology nurse navigators to refer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy to nutrition services. 

Jessica MacIntyre on Utilizing Nurse Navigators to Connect Patients to Nutrition Services

Open communication and regular check-ins are a key component of the advanced practice fellowship at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, explained Jessica MacIntyre, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP.

MacIntyre, executive director of clinical operations at Sylvester, spoke with Oncology Nursing News about how the fellowship strives to create bonds between the fellows and establish a feeling of trust among the blossoming nurse practitioners. She explains how this bond is the key difference between participating in a fellowship after receiving NP certification vs going straight out into practice.

“We go through their progress and we check off everything. [We see] where they're at in each area, making sure that they're on point to meet the requirements,” she said. “So, we do get to know them very well. We do understand and recognize that a lot of these things are not easy for them, and [we] want to make sure that we support them as much as possible. We try to maintain a very open line of communication with them, because we want to make sure that if they're struggling with something they can tell us right away.”

“The difference between the fellowship versus actually going out into real practice,” she added. “I think a lot of people fear saying that they don't know something, saying that they need help, especially if you're talking to a physician colleague instead of like a peer colleague. So, we really develop that mentorship over time.”

Jessica MacIntyre, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP, explains how Hematology/Oncology Nurse Practitioner Fellowship at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center prepares fellows for success. 

Personal Bonds Make NP Fellowship Programs Advantageous Choice For Recent Graduates

The Hematology/Oncology Nurse Practitioner Fellowship at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, Florida, has successfully retained 100% of its fellows, shared Jessica MacIntyre, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP.

MacIntyre, executive director of clinical operations at Sylvester, spoke with Oncology Nursing News® about how the fellowship operates and their goal as a program. She also explained that the program seeks to identify concentrations of interests for its fellows and allows them the opportunity to rotate through them as an elective.

“It’s been a great program that actually started from a gap we noticed and now we’re looking at expanding to other subspecialties. We have done a stem cell track, as well, so people who really wanted to somewhat focus just on stem cell, they still got the full rotations and experience, but at the end, and this is with every fellow if we identify an area that they like to concentrate in, the last 3 months are really for that, it’s kind of like an elective; they focus on an area they would like to subspecialize in. Or if there’s an opportunity for a job there, and they are interested, they can rotate there at the end, so they can sort of transition slowly with that group as well.”

Jessica MacIntyre, executive director of clinical operations at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains how the small market for experienced oncology nurse practitioners prompted their institution to design a successful Hematology/Oncology Nurse Practitioner Fellowship.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s NP Fellowship Successfully Retains 100% of Fellows 

The Hematology/Oncology Nurse Practitioner Fellowship at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, Florida, is a 52-week training program, explained Jessica MacIntyre, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP.

MacIntyre, executive director of clinical operations at Sylvester, spoke with Oncology Nursing News® about how the fellowship operates and their goal as a program. She also explained that while some nurse practitioners may want to cross over to oncology through the program, the fellowship is really geared towards recent graduates who have just been certified as nurse practitioners.

“We provide them rotations, across the health system in different subspecialties of oncology, so they can rotate through breast and GI, so they get solid tumor, hematology, stem cell, inpatient outpatient, and as an introduction, we actually have them rotate through our cancer care services, our social services, palliative care, the full scope of what it is to take care of on oncology patient and what are the resources and knowledge they need to be successful after they complete the program.”


The Hematology/Oncology Nurse Practitioner Fellowship is a yearlong program which seeks to train those who have recently received their NP certification. 


Jessica MacIntyre, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP

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Jessica MacIntyre on Utilizing Nurse Navigators to Connect Patients to Nutrition Services

Personal Bonds Make NP Fellowship Programs Advantageous Choice For Recent Graduates

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s NP Fellowship Successfully Retains 100% of Fellows

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