Graduate Students Receive More Than $50,000 in Oncology Scholarships

Graduate Students Receive More Than $50,000 in Oncology Scholarships

Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) students Melissa Arsenault, Casey Brown, Lacie Burton and Kristin Ferguson were recently awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships from the Oncology Nursing Society and the American Cancer Society.

The students share how these scholarships will help them make a difference in the lives of oncology patients and their families.

​Arsenault, BSN, RN, OCN, works as a clinical nurse II at Duke Raleigh Hospital and is a master of science in nursing (MSN) student in the acute care adult-gerontology program with a focus in oncology. Her goal is to work in the oncology field in the inpatient setting.

She was awarded the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation Master’s Scholarship for $5,000. The scholarship is given to registered nurses who are interested in and committed to oncology nursing to continue their education by pursuing a master’s degree in nursing.

“This scholarship will assist me with my endeavors by allowing me to continue my education and work towards my goal of becoming an advanced practice nurse in the oncology field,” said Arsenault. “As an oncology nurse practitioner, my hope is to help patients and their families navigate through their disease process by providing holistic, multidimensional care throughout their journey.”

Arsenault received her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) from Central Connecticut State University and a bachelor of arts in history and social sciences from Eastern Connecticut State University.

Brown, MSN, RN, AGPCNP-BC, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student, works as a nurse practitioner in the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at the Duke Cancer Institute. She was awarded the American Cancer Society Graduate Scholarship in Cancer Nursing Practice with a stipend of $10,000 per year. This award supports graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in cancer nursing or doctorate of nursing practice.

Brown said the scholarship will allow her to continue her goal of providing care to patients and their loved ones through the use of quality care measures while allowing them to have the conveniences and comfort of their hometown and local health care teams.

She said: “My passion is to manage the challenging, often life altering symptoms associated with the side effects of chemotherapy and other therapies utilized to treat oncologic illness. This scholarship will allow the DNP program to provide me with a firm foundation to implement a survivorship program into the unique care of patients with brain cancer as well as help me to implement my short-term project of survivorship care plans in patients with a high grade glioma.”

Once she completes the DNP program, Brown plans to take evidence that has proven to be efficacious in other fields of oncology and apply it to patients with primary brain tumors.

Brown obtained her BSN with a minor in music from East Tennessee State University and then began her career as an RN on a cardiac stepdown unit in Tennessee. She later relocated to Durham, where she began working as a nurse on the Adult Bone Marrow Transplant unit at Duke University Hospital. She returned to school in 2014 and obtained her MSN from DUSON and became certified as an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner with an oncology concentration.

Burton, BSN, RN, a student in the MSN program, has been serving patients from pediatrics to adults in the oncology field for more than seven years. She currently works at the Cone Health Cancer Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the infusion/treatment room where she administers chemotherapy, biotherapy and other supportive care for patients with hematologic conditions and malignancies.

Burton also received the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation Master’s Scholarship for $5,000. She said the scholarship will assist her in continuing her full-time educational efforts to strengthen her contribution to the field of oncology nursing.

“This scholarship will assist me in my future endeavors as an oncology nurse practitioner by facilitating collaboration and networking with key resources and individuals in the oncology nursing specialty as we strive to advance the standard of care,” Burton said.

“My goal is to work as an advanced provider in an outpatient oncology treatment facility associated with a large teaching and research institution. I aspire to participate in the care and management of individuals and their families who are under treatment for cancer and into the survivorship phase,” she added.

Burton received her BSN from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ferguson, MSN, RN, OCN, a student in the DNP program, received the Oncology Nursing Society Foundation Clinical Doctoral Scholarship for up to $7,500. This scholarship is provided to registered nurses who are interested in and committed to oncology nursing to continue their education by pursuing a research doctoral degree or clinical doctoral degree. She also received the American Cancer Society Graduate Scholarship in Cancer Nursing Practice with a stipend of $10,000 per year.

She credits the scholarships with helping her pursue her drive to learn more about evidence-based practice in nursing as well as learn how nurse leaders can positively impact the changing landscape of the health care system.

“These scholarships will allow me to pursue leadership roles that lead to becoming a chief nursing officer without the additional burden of more student loans,” said Ferguson. “In the end, this frees me to fully concentrate on my studies.”

Ferguson currently works as a clinical nurse coordinator for oncology patients at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. After earning her doctorate, she plans to continue advocating for oncology patients. “Being vocal about my nursing experience with patients and participating in professional organizations such as the American Cancer and Oncology Nursing Societies can help promote funding for cancer research and better quality care for patients in the future.”

Ferguson earned her BSN from Boston College and her MSN with a focus in community/public health from the Catholic University of America.

All of the awardees are expected to complete their programs in 2018.

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