Two exclusive interviews

How cannabis can change oncology nursing

“I was a research coordinator prior to being a navigator. Our state organization, which is part of ASCO, also known as GASCO, had an initiative to start with navigation, and I was very interested in that. It has a lot of crossover to research because you're basically shepherding the patient through their journey, and I became interested in how our hospital absorbed our very big private practice. I asked our leading doctor at the time to let me be his navigator for his patients, because I knew most of them. He sat right down and called the director of oncology and she said, “Okay.” I learned and I joined AONN, which is a fabulous organization for any navigator, to learn, and to network, and to bounce things off of as you go into it.”

Penny Daugherty is an Oncology Nurse Navigator at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her bachelor’s in Nursing Sciences form Florida SouthWestern State College. She has a masters degree in science and Clinical Psychology from Olympic College. In the past, she has worked as a Clinical research Coordinator and Director of Clinical research for numerous different companies. In 2018, she became a member of the Astra Zeneca Lecture Bureau. Since 2010, Penny has worked as an Oncology Nurse Navigator at Northside Hospital, where she provides navigation services to oncology patients and education to nursing interns.

Facilitating mentorships through nonprofit work

“I have been a nurse for about 12 years now. It's funny because I feel like I’ve always known I wanted to be a nurse–one of those cheesy stories. I don't remember ever wanting to be anything else, besides a teacher when I was in elementary school. I really just followed my dream and decided to pursue nursing and really didn't have any type of contact with nurses that I can recall where I could ask questions and learn more about career. Other than that, I had a favorite show that was called “Rescue 911.” When I was young, I used to watch it and I remember just loving and enjoying what the nurses did.”

Renee Omoyeni is the Executive Director and Founder of CompassRN, a nonprofit organization which raises awareness of the nursing field to students who are underrepresented in the industry. She received her BSN in nursing from Bethune-Cookman University and her master’s in health education and promotion from Walden University. Before founding CompassRN, she worked as a care manager, infusion nurse, and nurse navigator. She still works part time as an infusion nurse based out of Houston, TX.

NurseDeck’s Insider’s Perspective magazine is a 100% free publication established to spread awareness and build valuable connections with the nursing community. We do not work with advertisers.