Roswell Park, Buffalo Black Nurses team up for event
Building on a relationship that’s lasted almost 10 years, Buffalo Black Nurses and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center are co-hosting a “speed dating”-style networking event on June 24 from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Gaylord Cary Meeting Rooms, 665 Elm Street.
“Roswell Park has been supporting the Buffalo Black Nurses’ Scholarship Gala for quite some time now and we just want to take the partner ship a little bit further,” says Rhonda Wilson, BA, LPN, founder and president of Buffalo Black Nurses. “One of the missions for Buffalo Black Nurses is leadership, so we’re going to have a networking event with stations focused on leadership pathways and professional development, things that will have a high impact for our members.”
Currently there are around 20 open nursing positions at Roswell Park, including both full- and part-time opportunities, confirms Jewel Askew, a nursing recruiter. “We are seeking passionate, commit ted professionals who want to grow their careers in a supportive and collaborative environment. At Roswell Park, nurses benefit from strong mentorship, career advancement, ongoing education and hands-on experience in oncology care, all while working alongside experts who value teamwork and professional development.”
The event will feature Roswell Park speakers from various departments with information on the kinds of opportunities at the National Cancer Institute-designated center, coupled with professional networking sessions structured like “speed dating” events in which nurses can have quick conversations about the roles available here.
The event is open to members of Buffalo Black Nurses in addition to recent or soon-to be college graduates who are not members of the organization, plus Roswell Park staff members and other healthcare professionals.
It’s important for patients, especially those from com munities and backgrounds that have been historically under served or overlooked, to feel understood and comfortable in a healthcare environment; that means having the diversity of the Fruit Belt neighborhood, where Roswell Park has been located for more than 100 years, represented in the nursing corps.
“It’s important to have staff at Roswell Park who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve because patients often feel more comfortable and understood when they see caregivers who look like them,” Askew added. “Representation can help build trust, improve communication and allow patients to feel that their cultural experiences and perspectives are respected and understood.”
Events like this, and the relationship that already exists between Roswell Park and Buffalo Black Nurses, are a way to help move that goal forward. “It will always be at the forefront for Black and Brown nurses to advocate for our patients and our families, because we’re all going to be a patient one day. We are hopeful that this will be an absolutely wonderful event.”
More information on the networking event can be found at https://www.buffaloblack nurses.com/