“I hope you all remain healthy and never require medical attention, but if you do, I think Sheba is the place for treatment.”
Professional caregivers face many challenges, dedicating themselves to ensuring every patient is taken care of, cared for and feels safe. Today, we would like to pay tribute to one of them: Netanella.
An oncology nurse who has been working at Sheba for ten years, Netanella shares that “following stints in internal medicine and gastroenterology, I’ve now been part of Sheba’s oncology hospital for the last three years, and I really love my job. It can be tough, but there’s also a lot of satisfaction.”
At Sheba, Netanella gets to help patients from across the globe, “which we treat using some of the most advanced therapies, including some that I find particularly fascinating. Sheba is a very professional place, and that’s important to me.”
When it comes to international patients, Netanella explains that it is all about teamwork, particularly in relation to the medical coordinators from Global Patient Services, who guide the patients throughout their treatment process and answer their unique needs. “Recently, we had a young patient from Bulgaria, and I called a medical clown to make her feel less anxious during treatment. She couldn’t stop laughing, and from then on, she always asks me where he is.”
While professional curiosity drives Netanella, she told us the emotional aspects of her position are also incredibly fulfilling. She sees her and her colleagues’ impact on patients’ lives and says it fills her with “hope and happiness.”
Out of the many patients she treated, she mentioned a patient who particularly impacted her.
“She was 35 years old when starting treatment, looked very anxious and scared, and was hardly able to speak. During the first 4 hours of treatment, I mostly talked to her husband. She returned to Sheba for treatment every week, gradually opening up to me. Whenever she sees me now, she hugs and kisses me, telling me about her family. We’ve become very close. Being able to help, provide comfort and create real connections fills me with joy.”
This particular story, Netanella explained, moved her because of the importance she attributes to the personal connection with patients. “I want my patients to see me as more than a nurse or another stranger; it’s important to me that they feel I am their friend.”
Thank you, Netanella!
