Oncology Nurse Interview Report

The fourth step in Dr. William B. Ventres’ five stages of professional growth is to evaluate a personal capacity to look beyond all the challenges and complexities in today's medical environment and thrive rather than be hindered. As a girl, going into the medical field I have to go in knowing that I will not only experience all the stressors that my male counterparts face, but deal with additional stressors. When Mrs. Tammy Ballantyne, an oncology nurse at the Washington Hospital Cancer Center agreed to an interview, I wasn’t sure what I could learn from her that would be different from what I had already learned before. I was however, very much mistaken. Mrs. Ballantyne had a unique perspective on her relationship with patients and the medical field in general.

I rehearsed my interview questions as I walked up the stairs of the Washington Hospital West Wing to Suite 277. I was a bit nervous about the interview, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I opened the door to the waiting room and smiled at the familiar faces behind the receptionist desk. Suite 227 was also where my grandmother came

Women are often regarded as less competent than men, even when they possess the same type of experience and qualifications. Sonali M. Smith, MD, of the University of Chicago School of Medicine and Lead of the ASCO Professional Development Committee’s Women in Oncology Work Group, identified a troubling trend in her own institution, “it’s very male-dominated at the top,” she said, “there are very few section or department chairs who are women(Smith).”. According to the same study, 58.7% of participants believed that work–family balance was the greatest challenge to progressing in their careers. There are so many stereotypes which keep women from being successful in this field and it is because of these things that we must evaluate our capacity for the career and assess what we are willing to