Comfort & Coping - Julie Bekius

A cancer diagnosis can cause feelings of disbelief, fear, anxiety and other negative ruminations. Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Julie Bekius, MSN ’01, works with patients across the state through Spectrum Health to help navigate these life-altering events.

For close to 10 years, Bekius has treated patients from all walks of life during their most vulnerable moments, which has deepened her perspective of life itself.

“There’s a good way to die and bad way to die,” she said.

As grim as it sounds, Bekius is referring to her essential responsibility, which is to navigate treatment and quality of life. The patient is at the center of everything carried out by the palliative care team at Spectrum Health and their goals of care reflect the patients’ wants.

“One of the most important things is to get to know the patient and know what they want. You can never presume what the patient wants depending on their age,” she said.

Her team has grown from one part-time staff member to two full-time providers and is equipped with social workers and chaplains, who better serve those experiencing anxiety, depression and other emotions regarding their diagnosis.

Theresa Tanis serves as the practice manager of palliative care and hospice at Spectrum and has worked alongside Bekius the past seven years. “Julie is our ‘go-to’ person in the clinic,” said Tanis. “She [Julie Bekius] has an extreme amount of passion for everything and always has the highest scores for patient satisfaction.”

The pandemic has shifted the day-to-day work of Bekius and her colleagues housed at the Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion. Gaining access to patients in rural areas has been a silver lining to it all.

“COVID has provided new ways to see patients and our telemedicine has taken off,” she continued. “We work with four cancer facilities around the state now, which are in Reed City, Fremont, Greenville and Ludington.”

As new opportunities to provide remote care increase, Tanis is responsible for connecting providers, like Bekius, with those patients. She receives requests from other practice managers or does her own research on aging populations in the state.

“The goal is to bring our services closer to patients, so they don’t have to drive one and a half hours away,” said Tanis.

Modern medical equipment brings a personal touch to remote care, despite patients sitting, in some cases, close to 100 miles away.

“We listen to heart and lungs with a Bluetooth telescope. Short of touching the patient, it feels like you’re in the room with them,” said Bekius. Virtual home visits are also done as far as Traverse City and Cadillac, Michigan.

Bekius is grateful for her role in palliative care, the raw nature of her work is what allows it to be so rewarding. She often feels humbled by the trust shown from patients and their families.

“You’re seeing humans in their most vulnerable form,” said Bekius. “I give my life to this, it’s not just a career.” Even at home, she lives and breathes her work. While studying for her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, Bekius keeps the blankets of one her former patients on her lap.

As an early adopter of remote learning, the Michigan State University College of Nursing was instrumental in allowing Bekius to complete the Family Nurse Practitioner program while working full-time. The program also gave her the tools to effectively communicate with patients.