Sheila Hunt, RN, Baylor Scott and White McClinton Cancer Center, discusses how she manages day-to-day stress as an oncology nurse.

Before approaching a patient, Hunt takes a deep breath to calm herself. Since she is constantly running around from department to department, this brief moment to gather herself is important so that she does not bring her stress and anxiety to the patient. Also, Hunt frequently reminds herself of her purpose as an oncology nurse. She is not there to “check things off her list,” but to be there for the patients and their families.

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Sheila Hunt on Reducing Stress as an Oncology Nurse

Sheila Hunt, RN, Baylor Scott and White McClinton Cancer Center, discusses how she reduces her patients’ anxiety by writing out treatment plans on a whiteboard.

Spelling out the day’s treatment plan on the whiteboard is especially important for new patients, Hunt says. It gives them the opportunity to see which medicines they are receiving besides chemotherapy, and get a better idea of how long each process will take, greatly reducing stress and anxiety. 

Sheila Hunt, RN

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Sheila Hunt on Reducing Stress as an Oncology Nurse

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