BENNINGTON, Vt. — Seline Skoug, RN, has taken on the role of full-time breast health nurse navigator at the Breast Health and Imaging Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care.

 

"My goal is to be an educator and an advocate for those needing breast cancer screening. However, from the moment a patient needs imaging beyond their initial mammogram, I am there to support them, explain the clinical reasons for further imaging or treatment, and remove barriers to care," Skoug said. "I am the nurse who navigates the healthcare pathway for patients and helps them through a potentially stressful time, with the goal of making their journey seamless and connecting them with the services they need."

 

In this new role, Skoug works as part of a multidisciplinary team to coordinate care and will provide ongoing emotional and clinical support in developing a patients' breast health treatment plan. For the relatively few patients diagnosed with breast cancer, she ensures a smooth transition to the Cancer Center team.

 

Skoug has deep roots with the breast cancer population. For 10 years, she was executive director at Casting for Recovery, a national non-profit organization supporting women with breast cancer. She has worked with numerous community organizations in the area.  

 

Skoug has worked as a nurse at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) since 2010 and as a volunteer EMT/AEMT with Arlington Rescue Squad since 2005. She has worked in family practice/pediatrics and the Emergency Department (ED) settings. She earned her associate's in nursing from Vermont Tech and a master's in healthcare administration from Simmons College in Boston. In addition, Skoug sits on the SVMC Nursing Advisory Committee, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She also serves on boards of local community organizations.

 

"Many hospitals our size devote a part-time staff member to this role," said Melissa Spiezio, RT(R)(M), the director of Imaging at SVMC. "By welcoming Seline full time, we are making a commitment to increasing our community outreach, focused on preventative health and building on our successful breast cancer screening and prevention program".

 

Skoug looks forward to using local contacts within community organizations to help identify and reach those who meet breast cancer screening criteria, especially those working with underserved and under-represented populations.

 

"By working together with community organizations" Skoug added, "we become partners with the community to reach more people, share important information about breast cancer screening, and help our patients discover cancer early, when it is easiest to treat."