Maria Kadlec, BSN, RN

At an early age, I was fortunate to understand that kindness, compassion, and courage were not traits to seek, but qualities of character to exemplify. As I considered professional opportunities early in my career, it was clear I needed to select a field that would allow me to embody such qualities of character. For me, Nursing was a field that inspired and lived in this spirit. At that moment, I knew Nursing was for me.

As college tuitions increased and money was often tight, I began my career in healthcare as a Medical Assistant for a multidiscipline geriatric practice on the Temple University Hospital – Jeanes Campus. With the dedicated support of family and friends, I was able work full-time in the practice and pursue BSN degree on weekends at Holy Family University. In 2001, I graduated from Holy Family’s Nursing Program and began my career at Fox Chase Cancer Center, in the Graduate Nursing Program. At Fox Chase, I was afforded the opportunity to work with top-tier healthcare professionals who personified aspects of kindness, compassion, and courage while remaining leaders in the field. During my 11-year tenure at Fox Chase, I was primarily devoted to the Thoracic/Surgical Stepdown Unit, assisting in lung patient recovery after surgery. While in this unit, I was also presented with the opportunity to work in various medical inpatient units, as well as the ICU.

Briefly following Fox Chase, I accepted a new challenge working as a home care nurse. While this experience offered many new opportunities, I knew my ‘home’ was at Fox Chase.

With a position as Nurse Navigator, I returned to Fox Chase in the summer of 2013. As a Nurse Navigator, I am able to offer my professional experiences gained in the healthcare field in order to guide lung cancer patients with respect to CT scan results, diagnosis clarification, in addition to a broad-range of questions concerning treatment. With this position, aided by the exceptional staff and medical professionals at Fox Chase, I am able to continue to demonstrate best practices in the field while embodying qualities of kindness, compassion, and courage for my patients.