Nurse Practitioner Week Spotlight: Laura Hendren

During Nurse Practitioner (NP) Week, we will be spotlighting NPs to highlight the important roles they play at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Meet Laura Hendren, a Nurse Practitioner in the Cancer Centre.

Education/Training

Bachelor of Nursing Science from Queen’s University (2013). Masters of Nursing/Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner from University of Toronto (2018).

Why did you become a Nurse Practitioner?

I enjoyed working as a nurse and appreciated the time it afforded me to spend with patients. I wanted to expand my skill set to better serve patients, while still practicing through a nursing lens.

What is your role within the Cancer Centre?

I primarily see patients on chemotherapy/immunotherapy to assess their fitness for treatment. The NP role allows me to write prescriptions for supportive medications, and order diagnostic imaging, as needed. A few mornings per week, I do bone marrow biopsies, often training medical students, residents, and NPs how to perform this procedure. I also run a smoking cessation clinic, and have recently expanded this role to help patients with vaping, and cannabis use, as well. Depending on my availability, I assist with admissions to the inpatient oncology unit, and do initial inpatient consults for the medical oncology team.

What is the most challenging part of your profession?

Patient care is becoming increasingly complex as individuals live longer with multiple chronic illnesses. This is especially true in cancer care; in certain circumstances, our patients live years even with advanced disease. In our current healthcare system, we are facing a lack of human resources to manage these medically complex cases. As Nurse Practitioners, we are often asked to fill gaps from both a nursing and medical perspective, which can lead to burnout.

What is the most rewarding part of your profession?

As a Nurse Practitioner, I am fortunate to have longer appointment times compared to my physician colleagues, which allows me to establish good rapport with our wonderful patients at the Cancer Centre. I find it very rewarding to support patients throughout their cancer journey.

Do you have any advice for those considering a career as a Nurse Practitioner?

Spend time working in your specialty of interest. It helps to understand the nursing perspective, and have familiarity with common patient presentations, prior to becoming an NP. I would also recommend a commitment to life-long learning, as advances in medicine are occurring every day. This is a very exciting time to consider becoming an NP.