Sharron Docherty is the Director of the New Pediatric Acute/Chronic Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the School of Nursing
By Lauren Shaftel
October 25, 2002 | DURHAM, NC -- As a young staff nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Sharron Docherty made an observation that would shape the course of her career. While working in the pediatric bone marrow transplant unit, she noticed that experienced nurses seemed to have a sixth sense about their patients.
"I wanted to investigate how certain nurses always seemed to be able to intuitively predict which kids would do well with chemotherapy, and which wouldn't," she said. "I was interested in finding out what they were able to pick out about these kids, and so I wanted to develop some research skills."
After earning her master's degree at the University of Western Ontario, Docherty pursued her doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied children undergoing chemotherapy and their physiological and emotional reactions to their symptoms. "If we can understand it, we can maybe design interventions that will help kids better respond to chemotherapy and the side effects," she said.
Docherty earned her Ph.D. in 1999 and her certification as a pediatric nurse practitioner in 2001. She joined the Duke staff in January 2002 where, in addition to clinical and teaching responsibilities, she is the director of the new Pediatric Acute/Chronic Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the School of Nursing.
Docherty said her mission is to develop and expand the program. It is one of only a handful nationwide that gives nurse practitioner students the option to focus their studies and training on caring for acutely ill children. The timing for the program is right, she added; a national certification exam will soon be required of those entering the field.
"Right now the program is really in its infancy," Docherty said. "Traditionally, students have gone through the pediatric nurse practitioner program, and then some of those students do a post-master's certificate in acute care at the end. What we are going to be doing is offering a full master's program in acute care, focusing right from the start on the acutely ill child as opposed to the healthy child."
Docherty also plans to continue her research at Duke. Her primary areas of research include symptom distress in children with cancer and childhood coping with chronic illness. "I'm really interested in the quality of life these kids have," she said.
An illness that kept her close to home for college led Docherty away from her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian and instead following in her mother's footsteps as a nurse.
"I wasn't sure I wanted to be a nurse," the native Canadian said, "but there were no vet schools near my home and there was a nursing school. As soon as I got into it I loved it, and I really loved working with the children."
She found her first job in the bone marrow transplant unit by chance. "I don't even think I knew what bone marrow was at the time, but the job was open," she said. "And I just loved it. I think you find with nurses that once they get a taste of that level of intensity, it's hard to look back."
Though her observations there drew her toward research, she had early reservations about teaching. "I didn't think I would like teaching because I was so passionate about being a bedside nurse, and I didn't want to give that up," she said. "But I found that if I could inspire students to feel passionate about bedside nursing, it felt just as good to me."
After becoming certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner, Docherty wanted to gain some clinical experience to better serve her students. Her search for a position as a nurse practitioner led her to Duke and Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, director of the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program.
"She's wonderful," Docherty said of Kurtzberg, who told her she could, in effect, design a position where all of her skills would be utilized and her interests addressed. "I was able to construct this position where I practice one day a week in her clinic and then I teach and I'm developing this program that previously wasn't around."
Docherty's research won't be restricted to her patients. "One thing I'd like to study is the stress on parents of acutely ill children who are undergoing a bone marrow transplant," she said.
Her multiple responsibilities keep her busy, but Docherty said this is a dream come true for her. "I never imagined I'd be able to find a job that was such a great fit."
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