A Compassionate and Collaborative Oncology Infusion Nurse

Megan English, RN, BSN, is an experienced oncology infusion nurse at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She has been incredibly devoted to the care of oncology patients. I work with her to care for patients with all stages of breast cancer. She is incredibly kind and compassionate with patients and has excellent clinical judgment.

She is great with communication with patients, their families and with the larger oncology treatment team so that everyone is on the same page. She makes sure to either walk over to talk in person, or to send a quick email to the patient's oncologist and advanced practice provider (APP), depending on the situation, so that there are no miscommunications and so that the patient voice is heard, and she follows up to make sure issues are resolved.

Her care has been instrumental in managing many challenging clinical situations, where she always has the patient's best interests at heart. She has developed long-term relationships with patients, especially those with metastatic breast cancer, who frequently are treated for many years and who form very close bonds with Megan over time.

She has been an important sounding board for patients and their families when it comes to side effect assessment and management, but equally, she has often been critical in helping to guide patients as they make difficult decisions, such as transition to end-of-life care. Her patients absolutely adore her, and many request her specifically when they book future infusion appointments.

As a testament to the enduring impact she has on patients, she has been awarded the Dana-Farber Daisy Award, which is given to nurses who have exhibited skillful and compassionate care for their patients.

Additionally, as part of a Salute to Nurses that was organized by the Boston Globe, one of her patients wrote, "Megan has been with me through my four-year cancer journey. She knows all my anxiety triggers and quirks, and how to distract me from them. I feel so at ease knowing she will be taking care of me. Even though my doctor moved to the Chestnut Hill location, I still go to the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care just to have treatments with Megan as my nurse. She’s kind, compassionate, funny, and the best nurse anyone could have. I’m so thankful for her care and friendship."

An Exemplary Nurse

Megan English, RN, exemplifies what it means to be an oncology nurse. She has been a critical member of the nursing team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for 10 years, specializing in the care of patients with breast cancer. As an infusion nurse, she is tasked with helping patients in their most vulnerable moments: starting a new chemotherapy regimen, managing a hypersensitivity reaction, coping with bad news they just received from their provider and the list goes on. She does all of this and more with compassion, grace and empathy.

She is a champion of primary nursing, emphasizing continuity of care and responsibility acceptance for her patients. She remains extremely balanced in her approach to advocating for the needs of all patients in a thoughtful and lighthearted way.

Megan not only soothes patients’ experience, but she is also a liaison to other staff in the breast oncology department. Almost immediately after joining Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, she embraced more leadership roles in our infusion unit as charge nurse, triage nurse and preceptor for new staff. She mentors new nurses without criticism or judgment, hoping to instill in every nurse her ideal of patient-centered care.

She also has a level of rapport with physicians and APPs in the breast oncology department that is unmatched. She helps to orient new providers to the infusion unit, sharing with them the critical role that infusion nursing plays in the shared care of our patients. In this way, she has become the “go-to” nurse on our unit for providers to discuss patient issues, workflow logistics or tackle systemic needs. She participates in working groups to build relationships among team members. She is thoughtful in her questions and her tone.

Megan is a cherished and invaluable member of our team. I would be hard-pressed to find anyone who disagreed and would be devastated if our opportunity to work together ended.

Nominations are open for the 2025 CURE Extraordinary Healer award.

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