Our Nurse of the Week is Czarina Cecilio, a 33-year-old registered nurse (RN) at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Multiple Myeloma Center in New York City. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a type of bone marrow cancer and in addition to performing her nursing duties, Cecilio is also responsible for a lot of paperwork because the medication administered to many MM patients is experiencing a national drug shortage.
Cecilio works 10-hour shifts on a regular basis, helping keep her patients comfortable in the midst of this drug shortage. Cecilio’s role at the Multiple Myeloma Center is Clinical Nurse Liaison. She serves as head RN of the practice and her responsibilities include educating patients on their therapy regimen and helping them get medication, supervising medical technicians, and keeping the clinic workflow organized.
However, she also spends a lot of time on the phone with manufacturers and drug providers in an effort to secure treatment for her patients. Many MM patients are treated with an intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), but production for the medication has slowed, causing increased demand.
Cecilio tells businessinsider.com, “With myeloma, it’s an incurable disease, [but] it’s treatable, so that’s why we see these patients all the time. You get to build a relationship with these patients.”
Cecilio didn’t always want to be a nurse. She received her undergraduate degree in anthropology and then decided to go into medical research. She eventually ended up in an entry level nursing job as a medical technician, but found herself unable to answer many of her patients’ questions regarding their care, so she decided to go to nursing school. Now, she loves her work as a nurse in the multiple myeloma clinic because it allows her to form bonds with patients who are typically receiving long-term treatment.
To learn more about Czarina Cecilio, a registered nurse at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Multiple Myeloma Center in New York City, read Business Insider’s coverage of their day spent shadowing her here.
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