Kristin McCabe, MSN, RN, CNRN, never fails to be impressed by her patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In an effort to maintain a normal day-to-day routine, her patients stay up-to date on their research and understand their bodies well.
“I respect the amount of self-teaching they do,” McCabe says. “They’re willing to do the research to stay on top of what they know is a lifelong disease.”
It’s one of the reasons she’s proud to serve as the MS Nurse Manager for Penn’s Department of Neurology’s Multiple Sclerosis Center, a relatively new position that allows McCabe to help improve the quality of patients’ care.
McCabe has a deep history with Penn. She spent 11 years as a clinical nurse in the inpatient neurology unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania before joining the center in 2018. She earned her MSN from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 with double minors in patient safety processes/quality improvement and organizational dynamics – skill sets that she uses regularly to manage day-to-day operations for the center.
Helping Multiple Sclerosis Patients
“MS is growing rapidly, so my role is to look at the big picture and supervise our everyday workflows to accommodate this growth,” McCabe says. “We strive to be as efficient as possible, so our patients get superb care in a timely manner.”
In her first year in this position, one primary focus has been streamlining the center’s ability to offer Ocrevus infusions for patients with relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive MS.
“At this point, we’re making small adjustments to these processes while continuing to develop close relationships with area infusion centers,” she says.
Projects like this are by no means solo ventures. McCabe is motivated by her team’s ability to turn new challenges into opportunities for patients.
“The clinicians and staff at the center give 110 percent every single day, in every single thing we do,” she says. “This team mentality translates into wonderful outcomes for our patients.”