Columbus Dispatch: Doctors, nurses, chaplains feel privileged to work with cancer patients

Cancer patients generally receive support from many different people – friends, family, co-workers and more. Another group they receive moral support from, in addition to medical care, is their clinical team – the doctors, nurses, chaplains and hospital associates they interact with.

During these interactions, bonds are inevitably formed. And sometimes, there can be challenges for these caregivers. Specifically, when they have to give bad news to a patient or if a patient passes away.

Recently, The Columbus Dispatch profiled caregivers about their work with cancer patients, including nurse Jessica Batey, RN, BSN, OCN, who is the infusion team leader at the OhioHealth Bing Cancer Center.

“You definitely have to have strength and empathy,” Batey told Dispatch reporter JoAnne Viviano. “When any patient hears the word cancer, you have to understand that every patient’s going to react differently.

“You need to understand their response to it so you can understand how best to help them through it.”

Batey told The Dispatch that it’s important for caregivers to take care of themselves outside of work. She enjoys doing things like going for walks or cleaning her house to clear her mind.

“At times, it can be difficult,” she said. “You’re dealing with people at a time where they’re going through something so hard,” she said. “I can walk and think and kind of remember, especially when I’ve lost a patient that I was really close to.

It’s not all sad, though. Batey said it can be very rewarding to hear from former patients who are thriving down the line. And spending time with patients and their families can be inspiring.

“It’s a reminder that my problems are very small and to think about the big picture,” she said.

To read the full article that appeared in The Columbus Dispatch, click on their logo.