Infusion nurse reflects on 23-year career serving cancer patients
- News
Jennifer Bixby, RN, OCN, outreach clinic infusion coordinator, has spent 23 years serving oncology patients in various roles. Now at Mission Cancer + Blood, part of UI Health Care, she’s been able to build her job from scratch, leaning on both her deep knowledge of oncology care and her love for organizing. We asked her to share more about her role, and her outlook on the integration of Mission and UI Health Care.
Would you share more about your role at Mission Cancer + Blood and how it has changed?
When I first joined Mission eight years ago, I was hired as a chemotherapy nurse. A few months after joining Mission, I became the traveling infusion nurse visiting the Centerville outreach clinic twice a week. In this job, I prepped, packed, and transported treatments that I would then administer to patients.
I did this for several years and really felt a sense of ownership over the entire process of managing that clinic. As Mission continued to expand and serve more patients, we realized how challenging it was for the nurses who were traveling to outreach clinics to also do all the prep and organizational work. A few years ago, a new role was created to centralize those duties. Organization is my strength, so I raised my hand for the role and here I am!
In the few years I’ve been doing this, my work has expanded to 10 of Mission’s outreach clinics. I am proud of the work I’ve done to build this role from the bottom up because it didn’t exist before.
What does a typical day look like?
In my role at Mission, I wear many hats. Put simply, I organize, prepare, order and pack treatments and supplies to be taken to 10 of our outreach clinics, while also coordinating closely with the staff traveling to those clinics.
I arrive at 7 a.m. and first check the visit lists of the clinics that will be in session for the day. I run reports, print orders, prep wrist bands, order drugs, unpack the drug order from the previous day, and prep for the upcoming clinics – either the next day or the next week, depending on the clinic.
To stay on top of everything, I am constantly monitoring each clinic’s daily schedule and providing support to the infusion and pharmacy staff that are on site during those clinics. I’m also regularly reviewing patient lists, confirming who is being treated, and noting any dosing changes that may be charted during their session so that it will be reflected in their next session.
I am also the pharmacy support for Des Moines-based clinics and assist the pharmacists in placing drug orders daily. I am cross trained as a chemotherapy mixer, and I fill in as a pharmacy tech, as needed. There are a lot of odds and ends some days!
You took a more non-traditional route to nursing—what was your career path?
A few years after high school, I had my son and decided it was time to make a plan for my career! I always looked up to my Aunt Brenda, who had been a nurse since before I was born. I decided to go to Indian Hills Community College and graduated with a registered nurse (RN) degree in 2002. I immediately started working weekends at a hospital in Des Moines on an inpatient oncology floor. Later I transitioned to be an outpatient infusion RN, where I really fell in love with the pace and workflow of infusion work. After a few different infusion roles at the hospital and at a clinical office of a provider, and after suffering the personal loss of my husband dying unexpectedly, I landed at Mission Cancer + Blood in 2017 as a chemotherapy RN. I was drawn to Mission because in addition to getting to care for patients undergoing cancer treatment, it offered a consistent schedule – something I had been missing.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I am always busy. I hit the ground running every morning! I get a lot of satisfaction from prepping a clinic and having it all tucked in and ready to go, then watching it roll out the door. I love to solve problems and there are always problems to solve, so there is never a dull moment. Organization is essential in my role, and I thrive on organization!
Change can be challenging, but are there aspects of the Mission and UI Health Care integration you are excited about?
I am excited about Mission and UI Health Care joining forces because we have more opportunities to provide care for patients throughout Iowa. Our Mission model of dedicated care teams is special, and our referring providers and patients love our approach. Now, as a part of UI Health Care, we will have more possibilities to expand that model to patients while also being able to tap into the support and resources of the only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated comprehensive cancer center in the state. Our practice can only get better from here!
On a more personal level, as we adopt the protocols and procedures set forth by UI Health Care, I am looking forward to a more streamlined approach to our work and our roles. As I mentioned earlier, I thrive on organization! And now as we begin to work within the framework of UI Health Care, it will bring an additional level of resources available – including more pharmacy resources here at Mission, meaning more backup for my role.
What makes Mission special?
Mission is a team. I feel like I belong to this family. I’m not just a person who works for a company; I am a PART of that company. I know I am valued and appreciated for all my hard work, and I know none of that will change as we continue to integrate. What makes Mission special now will continue to make Mission special well into the future – and that is the care we provide for our patients and for each other.
You’ve seen a lot of change in cancer over the past 23 years as an oncology nurse. What is your outlook on cancer care in the state of Iowa?
Although cancer rates are on the rise in Iowa, so are the rates of people who are living longer with cancer because of the advancements that have been made in cancer care. We are finding cancer and treating people sooner, and the type of care is so specific and there are sometimes three or four options for care we can provide to fight it. I see us caring for patients for many more years than we have ever been able to in the past, especially as we continue to bring on new treatment options and clinical trials. The type of care we are giving patients is top notch and I only see that improving every day.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
My boyfriend and I have two dogs, Maverick, a five-year-old Australian Shepherd, and Goose, an almost one-year-old Aussie Doodle. Both are high energy – especially the puppy! When it’s nice outside, we like to work in the yard and take the dogs on walks and to the soccer fields to play fetch. We also enjoy cooking together and doing home projects – we are currently in the middle of a bathroom remodel.
My son who was a baby when I went to nursing school is now 27 and a pilot for American Airlines flying out of Charlotte, North Carolina. I am so proud of him, and I try to visit when I can.