Skip to main content

Search

Search the site:

News, Views, and Advocacy From the Oncology Nursing Society

News & Views

Advocacy

Stories

News & Views

Latest Articles
Clinical Practice
ONS News
ONS Leadership

Trending Topics

Research
Safety
Nurse Well-Being
Drug Reference Sheets
ONS Congress
Specific Populations

View All Topics

Advocacy

Latest Articles
Get Involved

Stories View All

View All

cozy hospital room with bed and computer

Interprofessional Issues

Novel, Interprofessional Approach Enhances Bed Assignments for Individuals on Antineoplastic Drugs in a Hospital Setting

August 22, 2024

hand touching futuristic screen that represents artificial intelligence

Nurse Empowerment

How AI Can Support Oncology Nurses’ Spirit of Inquiry

August 15, 2024

person with brown clothes holding patient's hand in support on hospital bed

Nurse Empowerment

Sharing Our Stories Supports, Celebrates, and Advances the Nursing Profession

publish with ONS Voice

Nursing Professional Development

Publish Your First Article With ONS Voice

A family of nurses

Nurse Well-Being

When Health Care Is Woven in Our Family Fabric, We Find Support in Unexpected Places

Search

News & Views

Advocacy

Stories

Home

Author Content

Summer’s Dog Days Are Energizing, Not Lazy, for ONS and Its Volunteers

A few weeks in July and August are known as the dog days of summer—the days where the heat makes us feel particularly laid back and lazy. I have always thought that these hottest days of the year, when even dogs languished from the heat, gave us a chance to slow down and offered a break from the intensity of work or school. It was a time for families to enjoy relaxing vacations and children to make memories of new friendships and adventures. I decided to Google the meaning of dog days and lazy days. I found that the term lazy days was similar to my thinking, but dog days has a different meaning.

August 26, 2019

6 or 9? Why Persuasive Public Speaking Is Essential

Oncology Nurse Influence

We Are All Florence Nightingale

At first this seems like a bold statement, but think about it for a moment. What do we know about Florence Nightingale? She is credited as the founder of modern nursing and embodied nursing leadership and advocacy. She improved hygiene practices in hospitals, resulting in fewer infections and deaths. She pioneered statistical analysis on the conditions surrounding the provision of medical care, especially during the Crimean War, and used visual presentations (or early infographics). She created patient services, such as a kitchen that prepared special dietary meals for patients, a laundry to provide clean linens, and a library for patients’ intellectual stimulation.

2019 Will Be a Strategic Bridge Year as ONS Looks Ahead to a New Decade

Oncology nurses have seen many changes in the past decade with significant improvements in cancer treatment, better symptom management and palliative care, and enhanced care coordination. But much work needs to be done as we look toward the future.

January 07, 2019

Your Voice Shaped Oncology Nursing and Cancer Care in 2018

Before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I wanted to thank you, our ONS members, for advancing the voice and contributions of oncology nurses to critical issues in cancer care.

December 14, 2018

Specialty Nursing 30 Years Later: Details May Change, but the Heart of Nursing Remains

While awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Florence last month, I took the opportunity to purge the proverbial closets. One contained dozens of VHS tapes. I had no need to keep most of them, but one caught my attention. “Focus: Specialty Nursing” was produced by the National Nursing Network. The video referenced how changes in the healthcare system were resulting in increased nursing specialization and a growing number of specialty nursing organizations. Leaders of specialty nursing organizations who were attending the National Federation of Specialty Nursing Organizations (NFSNO) annual meeting were interviewed. The tape is not dated, but I am guessing it was produced in the late 1980s because Deborah Mayer, PhD, RN, AOCN^®, FAAN, ONS president from 1987–1989, discussed oncology nursing.

October 01, 2018

Oncology Nursing’s Future—Preparing the Next ONS Strategic Plan

Each spring brings a flurry of annual meetings held by oncology organizations: Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and ONS’s. This year I attended all and was part of panel presentations at ACCC and AACR to bring the nursing perspective to the topics.

August 02, 2018

What ONS Does When the Question Can’t Be Answered Definitively

How frustrating it can be not to have enough evidence to answer a question definitively. That happens often in clinical practice, even as we build evidence for it. Expert opinion can help when the body of research does not. This spring, we have continued work in two areas in which answers are not definitive.

How ONS Is Advocating for Our Patients and Our Profession

A responsibility of the ONS president, Board members, and senior staff is to advocate for our patients and our profession. To say that 2017 was a busy year is an understatement. This column, whether written by the president or by me, often describes where ONS has been, who has represented the organization and you, and what our advocacy or education has been.

February 06, 2018

Nominating Colleagues for Nursing Awards Is a Professional Responsibility

At two national nursing events in October 2017, ONS members received prestigious awards. You may have seen the news about them in your ONS Voice weekly emails. They did not receive these awards without the work of colleagues who prepared their nominations.

December 12, 2017

National and Local Leaders All Play a Role in the ONS Enterprise

The annual ONS Leadership Weekend brings together the boards of ONS, ONS Foundation (ONSF), and the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC); the ONS Leadership Development Committee; the ONCC committee chairs; and leadership representatives from all of our chapters. Many national office staff join in the planning and activities too. The weekend is a valued, traditional investment in volunteer leaders at the local and national levels. In one session during this year’s meeting in July 2017, the questions that were asked indicated to me that understanding ONS and the roles and responsibilities of the various groups in the ONS enterprise could be helpful.

October 12, 2017

Becoming a Healthy You Contributes to a Healthy Nation

The American Nurses Association (ANA) launched a grand challenge this year: Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation. The premise is that we are the largest health professionals group but also rate poorly on health indicators. If we improve our health, we can be role models for our family, friends, patients, and community. ONS is supporting the ANA challenge, and I hope you have seen the weekly ONS tips that will help in this challenge.

August 10, 2017

Members Meet to Lead ONS Into the Future

As Oncology Nursing Month, May saw celebrations at the ONS 42nd Annual Congress and in our workplaces. Nurses on ONS staff enjoyed recognition and celebration of their commitment to our mission and you. They partner closely with members who volunteer their time and expertise in developing initiatives and priorities for ONS. I would like to describe a few of those initiatives and work groups that have met at the national office in the first six months of 2017.

ONS Board of Directors

No System Shall Endure Which Does Not March

Two years ago, I became ONS’s third chief executive officer and the staff partner to a Board of Directors that had a clear vision for a system that marches. If, as a member, you feel that ONS has undergone many changes in the past two years, you are correct.

October 04, 2016

Cancer Healthcare Advocacy

Nursing Is the Skeleton of the Healthcare System

As a faculty member, I always enjoyed graduation celebrations. Watching the future workforce receive their diplomas, from novice nurses to our next generation of nurse scientists, is an affirmation of the commitment and investment that faculty make to their students and the future of nursing.

August 02, 2016

Our Work to Define the Elusive Optimal Staffing Levels

A question often posed to the ONS clinical inquiries inbox is what ONS recommends for staffing in inpatient cancer units or chemotherapy treatment centers. This question is asked by members, nonmembers, and non-nurse practice administrators. Our colleagues at the Association of Community Cancer Centers also see their members raise this topic, and it’s not unique to oncology nursing.

Maximize Your ONS Experience by Making Your Membership Work for You

Do you know that more than 1,000 of your colleagues and more than 100 ONS staff work for you year-round? You probably know about the volunteer boards who govern ONS, ONS Foundation, and the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. Add to them the members who volunteer to oversee the content planning for the annual Congress, review award and grant submissions, develop test questions for certification exams, and serve as advisors to various departments. And you also probably know your chapter leadership, and you may know a special interest group (SIG) coordinator or two.

February 02, 2016

First page
Previous page
Page 1
Current page 2

To discuss the information in this article with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.

To report a content error, inaccuracy, or typo, email pubONSVoice@ons.org.

content['#byline_profile'].image_alt_text

Brenda M. Nevidjon, MSN, RN, FAAN ONS Chief Executive Officer

Brenda M. Nevidjon, MSN, RN, FAAN, is the chief executive officer of ONS.

News, Views, and Advocacy From the Oncology Nursing Society

Contact Us

Advertising

Newsroom

Conferences

RSS Feed

Sitemap

Legal Notices

Subscribe to ONS Voice Updates

Oncology Nursing Foundation

© Copyright 2024 Oncology Nursing Society

Back to Top ▲