Jackie Ruby, BA, CTR serves as a Quality Control Manager for Registry Partners Oncology Division. She has worked with Registry Partners since September 2016 where she started as a full time Project CTR.
Prior to working with Registry Partners, Jackie spent four years as a Cancer Data Specialist and five years as a Certified Tumor Registrar for Mercy Medical Center in Iowa. Jackie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Iowa and she became certified as a CTR in 2011. She is a member of the National Cancer Registrars Association as well as the Iowa Cancer Registrars Association.
Jackie presently resides in Iowa with her husband and their four children. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, camping, fishing, sports, family game nights, and interior decorating.
Q & A with Jackie:
Q: What are the best resources to maintain your understanding the continually evolving changes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer?
A: 1) Educate ourselves on disease processes rather than “registry rules” so that we have a deeper understanding of the information we are recording. This can be done through reviewing NCCN Guidelines for treatment recommendations or through open conversations with clinicians. 2) Stay sensitive to the fact that these are real people’s lives and our job has an impact and opportunity to help develop better treatments for cancer. Use this as a driving force to always stay on top of the game and have the most recent knowledge. 3) Maintain the ability and drive to look up answers in the many resources provided to us. We can often get busy and overloaded in this industry and it’s important to always look up information in our accrediting body manuals, on the CAnswer forum or ask questions among our peers to ensure we are doing things correctly.
Q: What are your family’s favorite games to play together?
A: We enjoy playing many board games such as Telestrations, The Game of Things, Apples to Apples, Balderdash … we also have competitive wiffle ball games and ping pong matches!
Q: Do you have any recommendations for individuals considering a profession in cancer registry?
A: I highly recommend considering a profession in cancer registry. It has evolved tremendously over the years. I work with such talented and educated individuals; I am proud to call myself a CTR. If you are detail oriented, like business, like writing, like healthcare, just to name a few… you will find some aspect you enjoy about cancer registry. As a mother of 4 children, I needed a career that was flexible. Being a CTR gave me a career to grow in. Being a CTR/QC Manager for Registry Partners gave me a career that is flexible and allows me to better manage, not only my work responsibilities, but my family responsibilities also. And the growth and opportunity for advancement is endless.