Shauna Smith,DNP, FNP-BC

Shauna Smith, DNP, FNP-BC, joined Cancer Treatment Centers of America^® (CTCA) in September 2022, as Nurse Practitioner at the CTCA^® Outpatient Care Center in Downtown Chicago. Smith monitors the care and well-being of patients undergoing active treatment for solid tumors, working to ensure that each patient receives the compassionate, quality cancer care tailored to his or her individual needs.

Smith says that she wanted to join the team at CTCA because of its individualized approach to cancer treatment. “Time and time again, I have heard from patients that when they came to CTCA, they finally felt like their concerns, opinions, and preferences were being considered,” Smith says. “I strongly resonated with the patient-first focus at CTCA, and I have seen that in practice day in and day out at the Outpatient Care Center in Downtown Chicago.”

Smith received her Family Nurse Practitioner certification in 2022 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, but her nursing career began in 2015, when she served as a registered nurse at a number of cancer hospitals across the United States. Smith’s first experience with oncology, which came during a clinical rotation in nursing school, had a profound impact on her career path.

“I fell in love with the patients I worked with for my oncology clinical because I felt like I was genuinely helping make lives a little better,” she says. “Cancer is one of the biggest challenges a person can face, and I learned that if I could make the journey even the slightest bit better, I was making a difference.”

Through this experience, Smith developed an immense respect for the ingenuity involved in cancer treatment, fascinated that the field of oncology is constantly growing and changing with each new innovation in treatment.

Smith earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Rush University in Chicago, Illinois, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. While completing her DNP degree, she participated in multiple clinical programs in the Chicago area and conducted research on social determinants of health.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. During her time at Saint Mary’s College, Smith received the Professional Development Council National Conference Attendance Scholarship and the Presidential Scholarship. She made the Dean’s List and served as a member of the Honor Society of Nursing Sigma Theta Tau International. Smith also spent a year studying abroad at University of Alicante in Alicante, Spain.

In addition to her professional and educational experience, Smith has been on 5 medical mission trips, volunteering with One World Surgery, helping to provide education and medical care to patients in Honduras—a role that benefited from her proficiency in Spanish.

Outside of CTCA, Smith loves spending time with her parents, her three siblings and her nephew, all of whom live in Chicago. An avid runner and skier, she enjoys traveling with her husband and getting to immerse herself in new cities and cultures.