Inspired by her mother’s breast cancer journey, a physician assistant finds her path

Inspired by her mother's breast cancer journey, a physician assistant finds her path

Hayley Jureller, MPAS, PA-C, a physician assistant at the Cuda Women's Health Center, knew from the age of 7 that she wanted a career in healthcare.

"When I was 7 years old, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while she was pregnant with my brother," she said. "She was treated for her breast cancer during the pregnancy and was healthy enough to deliver my brother. It was a lot for her to go through; she was the strongest woman I know."

Jureller was 9 years old when her mother passed away.

"The care my mother received while she was ill and the support my family was given by the healthcare team is something I've never forgotten," she said. "It inspired me to go into medicine and has shaped my career. I want to help others the way the team helped my family."

Path to Becoming a Physician Assistant

While Jureller wasn't sure of her career path at first, she spoke with her uncle who was a physician assistant (now more commonly known as "physician associate") and later in life went back to school to become a physician. She also met another PA while attending college for a Bachelor of Science degree and decided she liked that idea. She discovered that a PA does not need to specialize in a specific area, but in order to take the board for national certification, they do need to graduate from an accredited PA program with either a Master of Physician Assistant Studies, Master of Science or other degree. 

Before attending a PA program, you need to have some medical experience, she said.

She became an emergency medical technician (EMT) and later a patient care technician in one of the pediatric hospitals in Washington, D.C. These two experiences and others culminated with her MPAS from Sacred Heart University.

Jureller said she was unsure what area of medicine she wanted to go into, but she was attracted to breast and oncology.

"When I graduated from PA school, I knew my husband and I were moving to Seattle, Washington, so I applied for a position at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center at the University of Washington," she said. "I accepted that job because I was excited to work in a breast specialty and they had a great training and onboarding process where I learned a lot about surgery and breast cancer treatment before I started in my position."

Jureller and her husband were in Seattle for two years before deciding to return to their roots and families in the East.

"I reached out to Cape Cod Healthcare and I was so excited to hear they had such a great breast care program on Cape Cod," she said.

Over the past two years, she has seen firsthand the value of the Cuda Center and its providers.

"The staff is incredible and empathetic," she added. "It is really special that we take extra time with patients who have breast concerns when they come in for imaging or additional workups. We do our best to make sure their voices are heard and they understand their results."

Her Role at Cuda Women's Health Center

Jureller works at Cape Cod Healthcare Breast Surgery and in the breast imaging department at Cuda Women's Health Center, both located at Wilkins Outpatient Medical Complex in Hyannis.

"When I am working in breast surgery, I meet with patients who are at high risk for breast cancer, patients who have a history of breast cancer, and patients after they have had breast surgery interventions," she said,

In the breast imaging department, she assists the radiologist with breast biopsies, and once the results come back, she will call patients to give them their results, whether they are benign, malignant or abnormal.

She also meets and supports patients who are having a mammogram because they have a lump in their breast.

"They are usually very anxious, and I meet with them to talk with them about their concerns," Jureller said. "Before the mammogram, I'll do a clinical exam, mark the location of the lump and, when the imaging is complete, I will sit down with them and explain the results. They have their results before they leave and an opportunity to have their questions and concerns answered. It is a really great program."

She clarified that this is not done for routine, annual mammograms.

The Importance of Breast Awareness and History

Jureller offered the following tips around breast care:

• Self-breast awareness is very important. Know your breast tissue and know what is normal for you. If you ever feel something is changing, let your provider know, so imaging can be done.
• If you have a personal history of breast cancer, talk about it with your family members, especially a daughter, sister or other female relative. They can be evaluated for their own risk.
• If there is a family history of breast cancer, meeting with a genetic counselor can be helpful.