CARIBOU, Maine — Cary Medical Center has announced additional promotions in the department of nursing. Chelsea Szabo, RN has been named outpatient nurse manager and Kaitlyn Umphrey, RN has been appointed oncology nurse manager and will continue her role as patient navigator. Jen Plant, chief nursing officer said that Cary is growing leadership from within the organization.
“We are blessed with some very talented nursing professionals”, said Plant who was appointed to the CNO position earlier this summer. “We are taking advantage of this talent by promoting individuals to key strategic positions within the organization. Their experience and their engagement within the Cary culture provides for a great foundation for mentoring of new staff and building the strength of our specialty nursing divisions”.
Szabo has taken on the role of outpatient nurse manager and will oversee all nursing functions serving outpatients who visit the hospital for various services including the emergency department. Born in East Millinocket, Szabo earned a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from Husson University. She also has passed the Critical Care Course and holds Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Certification. She joined Cary in 2007 as a registered nurse on the acute care unit and served in a charge nurse position. From 201013 she was appointed charge nurse on the special care unit.
In 2013 Szabo stepped away from Cary to become RN clinical coordinator for Health Access Network serving Millinocket, Medway, West Enfield and Lee. She rejoined Cary in 2015 as special care primary charge nurse and served in that role until her recent promotion. Szabo said that she was privileged to take on the new leadership role and had high praise for the Cary nursing service.
“I took on this role during a very unique time,” said Szabo. “COVID 19 has impacted virtually every sector of the hospital. The virus has created a lot of anxiety for staff, patients and families. The experience has been extremely bonding for all of our staff and we plan to build on and strengthen those relationships. The past several weeks have really put our culture to the test and our people have taken on the challenge. I don’t think I have ever felt more pride and confidence in our team.”
Umphrey has been appointed oncology nurse manager for the Jefferson Cary Cancer Center. Umphrey earned an associate degree in nursing at Northern Maine Community College and is currently enrolled in the RN-BSN degree program at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. She is projected to earn that degree in 2021.
Umphrey is a Certified Oncology Nurse Navigator and a Certified Oncology Nurse. She also holds certification in chemotherapy and biotherapy administration as well as advanced cardiac life support. She began her career as a staff nurse at Cary in 2008 and in 2011 opted for home care nursing with Visiting Nurses and Hospice of Aroostook. In 2012 she returned to Cary to work as an oncology infusion nurse, and now serves as oncology nurse navigator in addition to her most recent promotion. Speaking of her new role Umphrey said that she hopes to look at new opportunities to serve cancer patients.
“One thing that COVID did was to increase our use of tele-medicine, which, for some patients, was wonderful,” said Umphrey who also currently serves as a patient navigator. “I believe this trend will continue. I am also looking forward to the potential for clinical trials and to continue our tradition of going above and beyond for our patients and their families”.
Both Umphrey and Szabo took on their new roles this summer. Cary Medical Center welcomes health care professionals looking to expand their opportunity of leadership to contact the hospital’s human resources department or visit www.carymedicalcenter.org.
