Jennifer Frith, nurse manager, operations of Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic is Duke Today's Blue Devil of the week.
What she does at Duke:
Frith ensures the roughly 40 nurses she oversees are attentively caring for patients in the Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic in Duke’s North Pavilion. About 100 patients visit the clinic daily for routine appointments in addition to apheresis, chemotherapy, stem cell reinfusion and supportive care.
With treatment lasting two to 10 hours, patient care can vary. For Frith, it can mean anything making sure her team is appropriately staffed to support patients. For nurses, Frith is always ready to offer thanks and words of encouragement. Frith always tries to lead by example and offers her assistance when possible.
“I’m trying to make sure patients and nurses have everything they need, emotionally and physically, during their stay,” Frith said.
What she loves about Duke:
Frith spent the first 10 years of her career as a traveling nurse, working in about 12 hospitals across the country. Duke is the last stop.
“When I landed at Duke, I saw the high-quality care the nurses administered in addition to the nursing and leadership support within the program,” Frith said. “I knew this was exactly what I had been looking for in my career.
Once Frith was hired at Duke full-time in 2008, she quickly noticed the comradery between nurses, advanced practice providers and physicians. She wanted to continue this positive environment and eventually initiated a work culture committee with another colleague which is still in place on the unit till this day.
“I absolutely love my staff,” Frith said. “The patients are very sick. It’s emotionally taxing, but the staff are very strong and look out for each other.”
A special object in her office:
Within Frith’s office are pictures of her two black Labrador-Newfound dogs, Tucker and Cole, her undergraduate degree from Carlow University and a master’s degree from Western Governors University. But the object she’s proudest of? The Evelyn Morgan Award for Excellence in Oncology, which she received from Duke in 2013.
The award is named after Duke’s first oncology nurse clinician and is given to a staff member who shows leadership and mentorship to coworkers.
“It means everything to me knowing that it was submitted by colleagues who I respect so much and worked with daily,” she said.