Patricia Smith-Allen, BSN, RN

Hematology/Oncology

For more than 30 years, Patricia Smith-Allen has been caring for patients and their families, and her expertise provides exceptional comfort to oncology patients facing a frightening diagnosis.

“Although the improvements in cancer care have made leaps and bounds over the years, when patients first hear they have cancer, their world is torn apart,” said Colleen Zidik, BSN, MBA, RN, Quality Program manager of Hematology/Oncology, who nominated Smith-Allen for this award. “When faced with a potentially life-changing diagnosis, the care received from a nurse like Patti can help make all the difference.”

Smith-Allen’s expertise and dedication make her a role model for all nurses in Hematology/Oncology and her students at Simmons College, where she is a nursing instructor.

“Patricia is a strong resource nurse to newer, less experienced staff as well as seasoned staff,” said Eileen Molina, RN, nurse manager of Hematology/Oncology. “She has high standards for herself and others, as well as admirable clinical skills.”

As a member of the discharge education task force, Smith-Allen leveraged her years of oncology nursing experience. She recalled the struggles her patients encountered learning what they needed to know by discharge. “She became acutely aware of patients’ continued learning needs when she conducted day-after discharge calls,” Zidik said. “Patti used all of these experiences to help advocate and construct the current ‘Going Home Guide’ for oncology patients.”

Her colleagues know that they always can count on her for support and advice. “Her clinical knowledge and the ease with which she cares for very complex oncology patients make it look easy,” Zidik said. “She prefers to stay out of the limelight, but what she does each day makes a dramatic difference to each patient she cares for.”

“When the phrase ‘a nurse’s nurse’ comes to mind, one person in particular springs into my consciousness immediately: Patti Smith-Allen,” said Ruth Muller, MS, RN, AOCNS. “One of the most unique facets of Patti’s career is her unparalleled ability to gracefully step up and meet the needs of the service in many different capacities and then shift gears and seamlessly move back to the staff nurse role she loves.”

Her love of the profession is so palpable that her son, Michael, 20, was inspired to become a nurse and recently was accepted into the UMass Nursing program. Though Smith-Allen never pushed him to consider it as a career, he always has enjoyed listening to her stories about work and liked that she was home when he was home from school.

Smith-Allen, too, is going back to school to earn her masters in nursing education at St. Joseph’s College of Maine.

In addition to her current role as staff nurse in Hematology/Oncology, Smith-Allen also has served in positions including assistant nurse manager and interim nurse educator for Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant and nurse in-charge on med-surg and oncology units. She also has worked as a per diem nurse for the Boston Visiting Nurse Association and supervisor of orientation, education, development and evaluation of home health aides at Best of Care in Quincy.

She earned her BSN from the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and her diploma from the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital School of Nursing.