Nancy began working with Registry Partners Incorporated as a Project Specialist in 2013 and promoted to a Project Manager in December of 2014. Nancy works with Commission on Cancer accredited programs managing a team of CTRs onsite and working remotely. Nancy is dedicated to her projects and works both remotely and onsite.
Prior to working with RPI, Nancy worked for Clarion Hospital in Clarion, PA as a cancer registrar where she was tasked with all aspects of cancer registry operations and in a program working towards accreditation. She organized cancer conferences, cancer committee meetings, prepared for survey, etc.
Prior to becoming involved in the cancer registry, Nancy’s work history has included various areas of the healthcare field. Nancy was a volunteer for a Crisis Intervention/Information and referral hotline in Massachusetts and then in Washington DC as her assignment with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Nancy has a BA degree in Psychology Pre-Med, and has taken additional coursework in Physical Therapy. She became certified as a CTR in September 2009 and is a member of the National Cancer Registrars Association as well as the Pennsylvania Association of Cancer Registrars.
Nancy resides in Shippenville, PA with her husband. She has two sons, one of which has recently completed his BA degree and another who is a senior in high school. In her spare time she enjoys singing in the choir, reading, and trying to guess crossword clues before her husband .
Q & A with Nancy:
Q: How has your education prepared you for a profession in Cancer Registry?
A: The interest in the biological sciences and anatomy and physiology have been very helpful in abstracting. The psychology background and administrative experiences have been helpful in dealing with committees, and have given me a special interest in the new psychosocial cancer program requirements.
Q: Does your knowledge of medical terminology help with many crossword puzzles?
A: Ha! Funny question! Sometimes, although my other education in languages usually helps more. I studied French in junior high; French and Spanish in high school; Italian and Latin in college; and have been working on Italian, German and Irish on a Duolingo app for the past 4 weeks. A love of old movies and books is also helpful….
Q: What do you see as the CTR’s role as a member of the cancer committee?
A: Ideally, we’re the resource person for the Committee, I think; We know what data is collected, and is available for studies; we are supposed to be the experts on the CoC standards, what they are, which projects fulfill the standards, and which don’t, etc. Through our involvement in abstracting, we get a good overview of the patient treatment, and might be able to point out process/treatment/follow-up problems. (Oftentimes, we’re also the workhorses….but, ideally, we’re the resource person. )