Shila Newman
March 2022
Shila
Newman
,
RN, OCN, ONN-CG
Thompson Cancer Survival Center
Knoxville
,
TN
United States
Shila is a fabulous example of the difference between a good nurse and a great nurse. She is compassionate, passionate, knowledgeable, smart.
Nurse Navigator Shila Newman has done many things since we met her just a few months ago that have made a difference in my husband's care. We met Shila in with Dr. C preparing us for my husband's brain radiation treatment and for his stomach tube placement and subsequent radiation treatment on his throat. She helped guide us through all that would be required before and after both treatments and the surgery.
After surgery for the g-tube, J experienced a complication, an ileus. Obviously she has a passion for her patients' care: she texted me so I could text back to keep her updated on his progression through the emergency room. She responded to texts late into the evening long after normal working hours. During his hospitalization, she would ask how he was doing.
After he was released, she continued to check in on him. When it came time for his brain radiation, she fully understood the anxiety J was experiencing and made sure he was treated to reduce the anxiety. She listened to the spoken and unspoken language of her patient.
Most recently, Shila was our rudder during an unexpected storm. We were notified by his clinical trial oncologist that the CT scan showed his g-tube had problems. He told us we needed to go to the ER. No way were we going through the ER again. So I sent her a text requesting help; of course it was after normal working hours. She too encouraged us to go to the ER. She asked many questions about any symptoms or issues he was having with the g-tube. Were there any signs of infection? When she realized we would not go to the ER unless it was life or death, she supported us without agreeing that we were doing the right thing and agreed to see if she could get J into Interventional Radiology in the morning.
Early Friday morning, I received a text that they would work him in to the schedule. She had everything arranged before 8:00 am. It had to be the first thing she did when she got into the office. She has treated J like he was her most important patient. Even the oncology nurse at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center has sung Shila's praises.
VICC needed J's most recent MRI scan done at Thompson Cancer Survival Center. Shila made sure it shipped quickly to them and followed up to make sure they received it. This is totally outside the purview of a nurse. But she took responsibility. Shila is a fabulous example of the difference between a good nurse and a great nurse. She is compassionate, passionate, knowledgeable, smart. She listens to her patients and works with them to achieve the best care for that patient. We are not all alike and she adapts to each person. Without her assistance, our experiences would not have been as good. I just hope that Thompson Cancer Survival Center realizes what an asset she is.
After surgery for the g-tube, J experienced a complication, an ileus. Obviously she has a passion for her patients' care: she texted me so I could text back to keep her updated on his progression through the emergency room. She responded to texts late into the evening long after normal working hours. During his hospitalization, she would ask how he was doing.
After he was released, she continued to check in on him. When it came time for his brain radiation, she fully understood the anxiety J was experiencing and made sure he was treated to reduce the anxiety. She listened to the spoken and unspoken language of her patient.
Most recently, Shila was our rudder during an unexpected storm. We were notified by his clinical trial oncologist that the CT scan showed his g-tube had problems. He told us we needed to go to the ER. No way were we going through the ER again. So I sent her a text requesting help; of course it was after normal working hours. She too encouraged us to go to the ER. She asked many questions about any symptoms or issues he was having with the g-tube. Were there any signs of infection? When she realized we would not go to the ER unless it was life or death, she supported us without agreeing that we were doing the right thing and agreed to see if she could get J into Interventional Radiology in the morning.
Early Friday morning, I received a text that they would work him in to the schedule. She had everything arranged before 8:00 am. It had to be the first thing she did when she got into the office. She has treated J like he was her most important patient. Even the oncology nurse at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center has sung Shila's praises.
VICC needed J's most recent MRI scan done at Thompson Cancer Survival Center. Shila made sure it shipped quickly to them and followed up to make sure they received it. This is totally outside the purview of a nurse. But she took responsibility. Shila is a fabulous example of the difference between a good nurse and a great nurse. She is compassionate, passionate, knowledgeable, smart. She listens to her patients and works with them to achieve the best care for that patient. We are not all alike and she adapts to each person. Without her assistance, our experiences would not have been as good. I just hope that Thompson Cancer Survival Center realizes what an asset she is.