Children’s Minnesota is the proud recipient of the new Hematology, Oncology Point of Care through Survivorship Research Endowment from the Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund (PTACF). It will provide an astounding $1 million toward research aimed at addressing the unique long-term physical, mental and social challenges patients can face months or years after completing cancer treatment. Uniquely, the research will be led by nurses with care delivery and patient outcomes at the forefront.
Meet the nurse scientist
Meet Nicole Beckmann, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, a dedicated nurse scientist leading this life-changing research. At just 16 years old, she began her career as a
nursing assistant in a long-term care unit. At 18, she took her talents to a rural hospital setting.
“During the evening, overnight, and weekend hours, the nurses were the only health providers in the building. They were fearless leaders, skilled clinicians and could meet any challenge that walked through the door,” Nicole described. “I was in awe of their versatility, calm amid chaos and the genuine care they put into each patient’s experience. I was hooked!”
After receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, she went on to hold nurse practitioner roles in urology, hospital medicine and the special care nursery. Up next was a PhD program in nurse science, where she combined her passions for clinical research and patient care delivery.
Currently, she serves as the nurse scientist at Children’s Minnesota, a role in which she mentors nurses and advanced practice providers as they pursue innovative quality improvement projects and research studies. In this role, Nicole and the health care professionals she’s empowered have made significant contributions to improving the patient experience, mitigating treatment side effects and supporting families every step of the way.
The newly funded research
Nicole will lead implementation of endowment funds and support the research of nurses and advanced practice providers across the organization. Their research, made possible by the Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund, will focus on topics like minimizing symptom distress during pediatric oncology treatment; management of disease and treatment toxicities; and improving the cancer care experience for patients and their families, from diagnosis and treatment into survivorship. It will also enable nurses to explore innovative solutions to practice problems they encounter caring for children with cancer.
Nicole’s first experience with this patient population was as a nurse practitioner in a pediatric blood and marrow transplant program. “I saw how difficult the transplant process was for children and their families and wanted to research how to make it easier,” she shared. “What I found through my initial work is that families felt nurses were an essential support system when their loved ones couldn’t relate to their experiences. I wanted to understand what could be done to better support caregivers of children with life threatening or life limiting illnesses.” This newly funded research will make great strides toward doing just that.
