Becky Baker is truly an extraordinary nurse who goes above and beyond for her patients at the Hillcrest Cancer Center. Her compassion is unwavering but it's her patient advocacy and attention to detail that really set her apart.
She recently took care of a patient receiving chemotherapy and noticed that this patient was more lethargic and anxious than on her previous visits. She took a look at the patient's medication list and noticed that she was on 15+ medications for pain, nausea, and anxiety but did not understand why or when she was supposed to take the majority of her meds. Suspecting that the bulk of this patient's symptoms were secondary to polypharmacy, Becky came to the Palliative Medicine office during a break and asked if we could see the patient on short notice.
Fast forward one month and the patient has now been seen by a Palliative Medical MD multiple times, is taking only very minimal pain medication and has marked improvement in her energy level and anxiety. Becky's problem-solving and quick referral greatly improved this patient's quality of life.