An Exemplary Oncology Nurse Navigator

It is my pleasure to nominate oncology nurse navigator Kimberly Zwibel, B.S.N., RN, BMTCN, for the Extraordinary Healer® Award.

Kimberly is a true asset to our patients. She helps them to face the complicated health care system, making sure patients can get all the testing and treatment they need. She is always on top of where our patients are in their treatment and has a keen skill in being able to anticipate issues before they arise.

I recall one patient who received a diagnosis of aggressive lymphoma. He was fearful of what to expect, was depressed and considering not going forward with treatment. Kimberly met with him, went over the treatment plan again in detail and ultimately empowered him with the information he needed to feel confident in the management plan. Two years later and he is now in remission.

There are many more examples such as this where Kimberly has been instrumental in helping our patient. In addition to her role as a nurse navigator, Kimberly has helped to establish our outpatient stem cell transplant program. She works on all elements of transplant planning, including helping with pre-transplant testing, getting informed consent, enlisting patients’ family and coordinating the transplant and subsequent care.

She is always willing to take on more tasks, and she is smart, empathetic and overall a kind person. I often receive feedback from our patients about how helpful Kimberly has been. Our patients are extremely fortunate to have Kimberly help coordinate their cancer care. I feel she is truly deserving of this honor.

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