Your nurse navigator will be with you every step of the way, providing care, guidance, and supporting you.
A breast cancer diagnosis can be frightening and lonely. At Saint Alphonsus, you are not alone on your journey. Your nurse navigator will be with you every step of the way, providing care, guidance, and supporting you.
The nurse navigator is an important part of the care team. They work alongside oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and mammography technologists. The day after a breast biopsy is performed, the nurse navigator calls to check on the patient. They offer guidance on how to take care of the biopsy site and to see if they have any questions. The nurse navigator can communicate the biopsy results and recommendations over the phone when they become available. This ensures the patient can get their results promptly, which helps decrease anxiety and stress.
Our nurse navigators are registered nurses who have extensive knowledge of breast cancer as well as access to the healthcare system. They help the patient from the initial diagnosis through treatment and can coordinate all aspects of cancer care. The navigators offer needed support and assurance throughout treatment. Often the patient is confused, stressed, and unable to focus on the details of appointments, therapies, and other specifics of their care. The nurse navigator handles the details, so the patient can focus on their health.
For the first few months after a diagnosis, the nurse navigator manages care. Most patients move on to radiation and medical oncology after surgery. At that time, the nurse navigator takes an inactive role in care but is available if the patient has questions. We have had patients reconnect with their navigators years after treatment.
Saint Alphonsus is accredited by the American College of Radiology and distinguished as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. This means our staff and equipment meet the highest established standards of excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Our staff is suitably registered or certified and extensively trained in breast care and mammography. Our state-of-the-art full-field digital equipment delivers accurate images while minimizing radiation.
All women over the age of 40 (or younger with a family history of breast cancer) should have annual screening mammograms. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. It is used to look for breast disease in women who appear to have no breast problems. This screening tool is widely available, and it can detect breast cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages.
A simple 15-minute mammogram can truly save a life. To schedule yours, (208) 367-8787.
Rachael Meiners, RN is a Nurse Navigator at Saint Alphonsus.