Cora Spain, BS, CTR is a Project & Quality Control Manager for the Registry Partners Oncology Division.
Prior to joining Registry Partners, Cora worked as an Oncology Registrar at Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette, LA, where she performed various registry operations functions, coordinated oncology conferences and trained new employees. Prior to entering into the oncology field, Cora served as a patient access representative, guiding and helping patients through the admission process and served as an executive assistant to the Medical Staff Director, working closely with physicians and administrators.
Cora attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Health Information Management and is a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR). Cora is a member of the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA) and the Louisiana Cancer Registrars Association (LCRA) where she has served as Secretary.
Cora presently resides in Louisiana with her husband and five children. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, volunteering at church and enjoying her backyard.
Q & A with Cora:
Q: When mentoring a new CTR or someone seeking their CTR certification, what do you find most rewarding about your interaction with the mentee?
A: What I find most rewarding when mentoring someone seeking their CTR certification, is the passion that they exhibit along the way. When first starting in the cancer registry field, most of them do not completely understand what it entails, as most of us. But upon introducing them to different areas of the registry, they gain a greater understanding of what CTRs do and develop a passion for being a part of this great cause. It is also so rewarding to see the growth of each mentee over time as well as growth in myself.
Q: What do you find the most rewarding about your career in the cancer registry field?
A: What I find most rewarding about the cancer registry field is that even though we don’t engage in direct patient involvement as physicians, nurses, or other health care professionals do, we do have a direct involvement in providing the best quality data which is instrumental in providing the proper care for the patients. Each case is different and all of the data that is collected is extremely important. It is rewarding to know that the work that I do every day is used for this great cause!
Q: Do you like working from home or do you miss the interaction within an office setting?
A: I love working from home! Initially, it was a bit of an adjustment. I am a people person and I love to talk, so I do sometimes miss the interaction within the office setting. But ultimately, working from home has provided me the opportunity to spend more time with my family, attend school functions for the kids, and just overall flexibility which means everything!