Staff Profile: Megan

provider, many people depend on me, including the staff, my fellow nurses, advanced practice providers, the residents, the attendings, including Dr. Shenot, Dr. Gomella, and most importantly, the patients.

Other things that drive me are that throughout my years here I’ve precepted nurses and nurse practitioners and encouraged them to further their education. And I feel like I learn something new every day.

Is there an area of urology that you like in particular?

Bewick: Neurogenic bladder, voiding dysfunction, and overactive bladder conditions. Evaluating patients requires patient engagement and education. I feel I could manage their care and improve their quality of life. That is not to say that I do not enjoy taking care of general urology and uro-oncology patients.

Darlene Bewick, DNP, CRNP, CUNP, has been with the Department of Urology for the past 20 years and has developed expertise in the field of neurourology. Pictured is Darlene with her dog, Keefe.

What do you see as your strengths?

Bewick: My strengths are communication and patient engagement. Precepting other nurses, nurse practitioners, and other staff is a strength.

The love of learning would be considered a strength. A staff nurse here who I precepted encouraged me to return [for my doctorate in nursing practice 2018]. She was going to get her nurse practitioner and said, ‘Darlene, you are always talking about returning to school. Let us go back together.’ I said OK. Sometimes we need someone to give us that little push, and she was there for me.

And I am not done. Now I am enrolled in a Post-Master’s Nurse Educator Certificate at Villanova.

How might that fit into your future?

Bewick: If I had my way, I would like to continue as an advanced nurse practitioner caring for patients three days a week and perhaps teach nursing education at a university with nursing students. Even if I retire, I could work part-time teaching a nursing course at the university level. I feel like I am going to be a student my whole life.

Regardless of the field, anyone who works in health care and medicine experiences lifelong learning by attending grand rounds, a medical conference, or a medical journal review. I love interacting in the classroom on Zoom or in person.

I am dedicated to the future nursing profession to offer nurses support and encouragement in achieving their professional goals. I feel profoundly grateful and fortunate to have a supportive network along my nursing journey who have inspired me throughout the years.

What about your life outside of work?

Bewick: Robin, my significant other for 40 years, enjoys travel, outdoors, and sporting events. We do not have any children. I regret that, but I have nieces, nephews, and godchildren who I love. We have a dog. He is our furry baby--an Irish Setter who just turned 11 years old. His name is Keefe, which means lovable, gentle, handsome, and noble in Irish.

My hometown is Mount Carmel, not far from Pottsville, where they brew Yuengling Beer. My parents worked hard their whole life. Neither of them went to college.

My mom's family ran a restaurant selling tacos along the roadside, which grew into something much bigger. They thought I was going to stay and run the restaurant, and when I told them I wanted to become a nurse, my mother was upset, but my father said to go for it.

I followed that dream but still love to cook. Maybe someday I will run a health food restaurant and check your blood pressure when you come in.

Megan Sabonjian, MBA PMP, the new administrator at Jefferson Urology, said the department’s people are what inspired her to apply for the job after serving as interim administrator.

“I joined because I love the challenge. I don’t know a thing about urology but love how passionate the staff and doctors are and want to be a part of that,” she said.

Sabonjian does know about operations management and information technology (IT). Having had experience in those areas in prior roles at Jefferson, Sabonjian joined Jefferson in 2015 and worked as a telehealth project manager during the early days of Jefferson’s telehealth expansion. She was a critical partner in Jefferson Urology’s ability to rapidly expand its telehealth services during the pandemic. Sabonjian also was a clinical informatics in the Emergency Department and served as operations manager for advanced practice providers before transitioning to urology.

Among her initial focuses at Jefferson Urology are to oversee the growth of the new Cherry Hill and Abington practices.

“I come with a fresh set of eyes, which is useful when we talk about doing things a different way or how we want to go forward,” Sabonjian said.

Sabonjian said she looks forward to coming to work because of Jefferson Urology’s staff and physicians—their love for patients and their drive to make Jefferson Urology the best it can be.

“I want to assist the providers in getting where they need to be with clinical trials, new equipment, the necessary procedures,” said Sabonjian, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Stockton University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Rutgers University, Camden. She also received her Project Management Certification which will be very helpful in managing the many different projects Urology has on the horizon.

When she’s not at work, Sabonjian spends her time with her husband Nate, two stepchildren Miller and Noa, and beloved golden retriever Petey. Her favorite pastimes include keeping up with Philadelphia sports and spending time with the kids (and Petey) at their homes at the beach in Ventnor, NJ, and in Old City, Philadelphia. Like many of her coworkers in Urology, Sabonjian is an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan (and as of November 2022 is already looking for hotel rooms in Arizona for the Super Bowl).