Rita Morrison, seated, with colleagues from the Center for Human Phenomic Science and the Abramson Cancer Center
Congratulations to Rita Morrison, BSN, OCN, on winning Oncology Nurse of the Year by the Philadelphia chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society! Morrison was recognized for her 28 years of service as an oncology nurse, including 22 as a leader at the Center for Human Phenomic Science (CHPS) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Medicine’s clinical research unit.
Oncology patients encompass 30 percent of the patient volume at CHPS, which offers access to cancer treatments that are not otherwise available. As the permanent charge nurse at CHPS over the last 20 years, Morrison is known as the point person for any oncology-related questions, given her years of experience and passion for the population.
But what truly sets her apart “is the extraordinary care she provides to her patients,” said Ashley Stankiewicz, MSN, CRNI, one of several colleagues to nominate Morrison. “It’s the conversations she has with patients and families while she’s heating someone’s arm in preparation for a blood draw or an IV, or holding someone’s hand after starting a new drug infusion for the first time. It’s her down-to-Earth, old-school, Irish-Catholic upbringing, recalling days gone by and putting people at ease, that make patients and families request her by name.”
Through her years at CHPS, Morrison has built connections and relationships throughout HUP and the Perlman Center for Advanced Medicine that she says have enabled her to handle any patient situation. And while the center has grown significantly over that time, her approach to patient care remains the same.
“I introduce myself, run through what the day will look like, assess their level of comfort with the research and disease process, and make a plan,” she said. “I let patients and families lead the visit and inject pieces of me to gain trust and ease with communication. It's in these moments I learn so much.”