PINEHURST- FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care recently welcomed nurse practitioner Skyler Rogers to the team.
Rogers is no stranger to FirstHealth. She previously worked as an inpatient cardiac nurse at Moore Regional and a nurse practitioner with FirstHealth Cardiology.
Rogers earned her associate degree in nursing from Sandhills Community College and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She went on to earn her master’s degree in nursing, adult/gerontology nurse practitioner degree from Duke University.
In her new role with FirstHealth Hospice & Palliative Care, Rogers will serve as an inpatient palliative care nurse practitioner for patients who have been diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness. She joins a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and social workers who work together to provide the best possible care for patients.
Rogers said she has always had an interest in hospice and palliative care. “My mother and both of my grandmothers were hospice patients, and all of their team members always exemplified the greatest amount of compassion and humility possible,” she said. “Hospice and palliative care is a discipline that strives to help both patients and their families in some of the toughest points in their lives, from being newly diagnosed with a life changing disease, to approaching the end of life with a terminal illness.”
According to Rogers, her cardiology experience will benefit her in this role because so many of the palliative care patients carry a cardiac diagnosis. “Having a deeper knowledge and understanding of many of these chronic cardiac conditions will prove beneficial in helping to improve the quality of life of my patients, as well as being able to educate patients and families about the expected disease progression and prognosis.”
Palliative care at FirstHealth is provided by a team of professionals dedicated to relieving suffering and improving quality of life for patients and families affected by serious illness. Palliative care is offered along with all other appropriate medical treatments. The focus is on the needs of the patient, whether those needs concern pain and symptom control, counseling, spiritual needs or coordinating links to other community services.
When Rogers isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, baking and being outdoors. A Moore County native, Rogers is married, and she and her husband are the proud parents of a young son.
