Methodist Hospital Employee Spotlight: Kerry Gallagher, RN

Kerry Gallagher, a nurse navigator in oncology working with head, neck, and gynecological cancer patients, has had a nearly 35-year career with Methodist Hospitals. 

The deep and varied expertise she has gained during the course of those years has made her an ideal choice for her current role, in which she guides cancer patients throughout their treatment and recovery journeys.

Kerry’s career at Methodist began in 1992 with a nursing externship during college. After graduating and completing her externship, she transitioned to the hospital’s Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) for five years.

While in the IMCU, Kerry earned both Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certifications and learned a lot about cardiac arrhythmia, which prompted her to transition to Methodist Hospitals’ emergency room (ER). While working in the ER, she obtained her CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse), PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support), TNCC (Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum), and NIHSS (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale) certifications. After 12 years in the ER, Ms. Gallagher moved to case management where she spent over a decade managing cases in oncology and six years managing cases in orthopedics.

While in case management, Kerry obtained authorizations, assisted with medical transfers to higher levels of care, and helped families with discharge planning, including rehabilitation, home health, and other services. She eventually found that she missed working directly with patients and saw the transition to the nurse navigator role as a way to give back. 

“I just felt like it was time to give back and work with people on this side of the hospital operation, so I could really help people,” she said. “It’s very rewarding for me.”

When working with patients as a nurse navigator, much of Kerry’s early interactions with them are over the phone. As patients begin coming in for treatments, she makes every effort to build more personal relationships. “I try to walk over whenever they’re here for an appointment,” she said. “They may come in for a radiation treatment or a hysterectomy and I will walk upstairs to see how they’re doing. I always like to introduce myself in person, too, and let them know that I’m here to help refill prescriptions, schedule appointments, and answer any questions they may have in the future.”

Kerry helps coordinate a welcome package for patients so they are well informed and supported in their health journey. The welcome packet includes the staff’s contact information, information about a patient’s specific cancers, any treatments they may encounter, and information on what they can expect before, during, and after treatment.

“When it comes to gynecological cancer, beyond the usual support I show my patients, I am with the patient physically during their high dose rate radiation, also known as brachytherapy, a targeted internal radiation,” Kerry said. “I’m there to make sure the doctor has all of the equipment he or she needs and to be of moral support for each patient, even holding their hand as needed. After treatment, they usually require additional counseling and support regarding the effects of radiation and I’m here to answer their questions.”

For patients with head and neck cancer, her work varies a bit to align with the specific hurdles that come with these cancers.

“Our head and neck patients are typically dealing with tracheostomies and peg tubes that can impact verbal communication and breathing and pose nutritional challenges, which impacts their overall well-being,” Kerry said. “Obviously, verbal communication plays a huge role in forming a relationship so I do everything I can to overcome this hurdle. For example, oftentimes I will go back and forth over email with these patients when they are unable to speak much or at all and I always try to make my emails very thoughtful and personal.”

Through it all, Kerry Gallagher and the team at Methodist Hospitals are determined to give all of their patients the greatest care possible. Throughout her career at Methodist Hospitals, Kerry has always kept this top of mind. As she works directly with cancer patients fighting for their lives, it has taken on a whole new meaning.