35 Years In, Oncology Nurse Reflects on Advocacy and the "Why"

In an interview with CURE, oncology nurse Jill Winther, who has spent 35 years caring for patients with cancer, discussed why understanding the reasoning behind treatment matters in oncology nursing, and why advocating for patients is central to the role.

Winther, the winner of the Extraordinary Healer Award, has worked across inpatient and outpatient settings and bone marrow transplant units, holding roles ranging from infusion nurse to education to leadership. Asked what inspired her to become a nurse, she said it came down to a simple desire to help people.

"I think what inspired me to be a nurse is really just wanting to help people," Winther said. "I've truly loved being a nurse, and I've loved being part of the care of the oncology patient. Obviously, I didn't go into nursing set out to enter the field of oncology, but I ended up there almost from the beginning, and obviously there's been something there to keep me there."

Understanding the "why" behind treatment

Winther has said it's important for nurses to understand the reasoning behind their practice, not just the steps. Asked why that matters in oncology care, she explained that grasping how cancer grows or how a medication works in the body gives nurses a foundation that makes patient education far more effective.

"I feel like it's very important for the nurse to understand the why, because if you understand how the cancer is growing, or you understand how the medication is supposed to work within the body, I think it gives you a nice foundation to understand what the side effects are, and also it makes it a lot easier to teach the patient," Winther said. "To put it in layman's terms, we have so many new treatments nowadays. It used to be just chemotherapy, but now we're adding immunotherapy, and it's a whole different side effect profile that follows that. So I think it's important not to just treat them and street them, but to educate them and understand how it's working. I just think it makes us better nurses."

The role of advocacy in oncology nursing

Advocacy, Winther said, is a core part of nursing in any setting, but it carries particular weight in oncology. She noted that patients often hold back details from their providers, only to share them later with the nurses administering their infusions, leaving nurses to bridge that gap.

"Dealing with patients is very important," Winther said. "Many times patients won't talk to their provider about all the things that are occurring in their lives, but then they'll come back to the infusion room, and the nurse, and they'll be like, 'he said this' or 'he said that.' So there's many times where I go back to the provider and say, 'Hey, this is kind of going on too, and what should we do about it?'"

That advocacy extends beyond the infusion room. Winther, who works on an oral agent program, pointed to the cost of many cancer medications as another area where nurses can make a difference by pushing for change at a higher level.

"I think it's important we advocate for, I work on an oral agent program, and some of these drugs are very expensive," she said. "So as we advocate with our political leaders, etc., to get things more cost affordable for patients, I think I'm a link for a lot of those things."

For Winther, advocacy and education are deeply connected. Understanding the why behind a treatment doesn't just help nurses teach patients, it equips them to speak up when something isn't being addressed, whether that's a side effect going unmentioned to a provider or a cost burden that's quietly weighing on a patient's life. After 35 years in the field, she sees that combination of knowledge and willingness to speak up as central to what makes oncology nursing meaningful.

"After interacting with an oncology nurse, I hope that patients know that it's going to be okay," Winther said. "We're there to help them, we're just a phone call away. I think we open our arms to them and kind of embrace them and take care of them during their journey."

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