![Melissa Bassis](https://www.mskcc.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/node/19965/image/bassis-130322-03.jpg)
I joined Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2001 as a unit assistant in the bone marrow transplant unit.
Inspired by the dedication of nurses there, I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. With the help of Memorial Sloan Kettering I worked and went to school part-time, and obtained my nursing degree in 2005 – which is when I became a registered nurse in the bone marrow transplant unit. Over the following years I continued to further my education and ultimately earned my Master of Science degree in nursing from Adelphi University in 2011.
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Today I am a nurse practitioner in the same unit where I began as a unit assistant just a few years ago. I am responsible for caring for people in the inpatient unit, educating them about the treatment they are about to receive and what to expect from the transplant. Among other activities I also administer autologous/allogeneic peripheral stem cell transplants and schedule follow-up visits.