Nurses who specialize in oncology need specific knowledge and skills to ensure they are prepared to deliver high-quality patient care. That need is particularly pressing in low- and middle-income countries.

Oncology nurses care for a complex patient population, and the inevitable emotional exhaustion and compassion fatigue that result can lead to decreased productivity, high staff turnover, and increased use of sick days. In a poster session on April 25, 2024, during the 49th Annual ONS Congress^®, ONS members Jacqueline Anorga, RN, Meghan Manthorpe, BMTCN^®, RN, BSN, and Maria Weinstein, MSN, RN, DON, described how they formed an oncology nursing peer group to provide connections and interventions to address burnout, fatigue, and turnover. 

Amid the rising nursing shortages, new graduate RNs (NGRNs) and new-to-oncology nurses need on-the-job training as they enter inpatient and outpatient roles. Nurse residency programs are one strategy to address the competency gap. In a clinical session on April 27, 2024, during the 49th Annual ONS Congress^®, ONS members Julianne Luttrell, MS, RN, CNL, NPD-BC, and Leah Scaramuzzo, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, AOCN^®, described how nurse residency programs have been successfully implemented in urban and rural healthcare settings.

As chemotherapy administration shifts from the inpatient to outpatient setting, inpatient nurses may have fewer opportunities to develop and retain high levels of chemotherapy competency in their practice. During a poster session on April 25, 2024, at the 49th Annual ONS Congress^®, ONS members Heather Askren, DNP, NP-C, RN, OCN^®, and Brittney Henady, BSN, RN, OCN^®, described how their institution standardized care and helped maintain nurse competency throughout the hospital by assigning inpatient RNs to quarterly shifts at the outpatient cancer center.

Today’s ever-evolving healthcare industry requires versatile, adaptable healthcare workers. To meet that need, some institutions are upskilling medical assistants (MAs) and transitioning them to more complex roles in ambulatory cancer clinics. In an April 25, 2024, poster presentation at the 49th Annual ONS Congress^®, ONS members Tara Delgrippo, RN, MSN, NE-BC, OCN^®, and Sarah Porzig, MSN, RN, OCN^®, described the process at their institution.

Efficient communication and care coordination are critical for high-quality patient care in ambulatory oncology settings. Electronic huddles, where the cancer team connects in a virtual space to share critical insights and make collective decisions about patient care, leverage technology to facilitate interprofessional communication and decision-making. During a poster presentation on April 25, 2024, at the 49th Annual ONS Congress^®, ONS members Tara Delgrippo, RN, MSN, NE-BC, OCN^®, and Sarah Porzig, MSN, RN, OCN^®, described how they implemented the innovative approach at their institution.

Given their work and involvement in an individual’s cancer journey, oncology nurses can help motivate and influence patients. Sometimes this motivation leads to particularly special circumstances. Whether you consider it a moment of luck or a chance of fate, everything can fall into place. That was the case for ONS member Robert Zamora, RN, OCN^®, a retired oncology and stem cell transplant nurse living in San Antonio, TX, when Linda Hart-Garrahan was put under his care in fall 2015.

Signing off from Congress, thank you for making this year's conference a huge success. Attendees leave today rejuvenated, refocused, and revitalized after connecting with their peers, and they're taking the knowledge they learned home to transform their own organizations, institutions, and practices. Hear from members of the ONS Congress Planning Team and 2023-2024 ONS President Danya Garner, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, OCN^®, CCRN-K, about our time in San Antonio, TX.

Coming to you from Congress, where attendees, ONS chapters, and Fun Run participants poured out overwhelming support for the Oncology Nursing Foundation. In total, the Foundation raised nearly $60,000 to reinvest in the future of oncology nursing through its awards, grants, and scholarships.

Coming to you from Congress, as our coverage wraps up, we're reminded once more of the strength and compassion oncology nurses demonstrate every day. On Saturday evening, we celebrated all of you during the ONS Congress attendee reception at the Stars at Night Ballroom in the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. 

Coming to you from Congress, volunteers from the local ONS chapter are sharing resources, promoting ONS membership, and serving as helping hands for attendees as they navigate the 48th annual conference—all with a San Antonio Fiesta flair.

Coming to you from Congress, where on Friday evening, guests celebrated and honored 2022-2023 ONS President Jeannine Brant, PhD, APRN-CNS, AOCN^®, FAAN. Join us as we look back at the previous year and reflect on our accomplishments in oncology nursing.

Coming to you from Congress, attendees were up bright and early on Saturday morning to participate in the 30th annual Oncology Nursing Foundation/Pfizer Fun Run/Walk and Wheelchair event in San Antonio, TX. Take a look at some of the excitement.

Coming to you from Congress, meet the newly appointed ONS directors-at-large. These three nurses will serve on the ONS Board of Directors through 2026 and are part of the first incoming class appointed by the ONS Leadership Development Committee. Hear about their previous Congress experiences and what they are most excited about at the 48th annual conference.

Coming to you from Congress, we're speaking with some of the key speakers presenting at the the 48th annual conference. Here, Tamryn Gray, PhD, RN, MPH, Chris Snyder, and Lauren Ghazal, PhD, FNP-BC, talk about their sessions and ways you can learn more about important topics like caregivers, safety and violence in health care, and nursing sustainability.

Coming to you from Congress, attendees visited the ONS Poster Pavilion to talk with poster abstract presenters to learn more about key oncology nursing topics, directly from leaders and experts. Take a look at one of this year's poster sessions.

Coming to you from Congress, we're taking a look at the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation's (ONCC's) recognition breakfast for oncology-certified nurses. As attendees enjoyed their breakfast with their colleagues, they also recognized the 2023 Certified Nurse of the Year Award recipients; learned from keynote speaker, humorist, and author Jess Pettitt; and even earned NCPD contact hours.

Coming to you from Congress, get a peek at the ONS Learning Hall, where attendees can connect with oncology nursing colleagues; chat with industry experts, sponsors, and advocacy partners; and even find a space to prioritize their well-being. Watch what's in store for attendees in the Learning Hall through Saturday.

Coming to you from Congress®, we get to know the 2023 ONS President's Award recipient, Heather Ferguson, the founder and executive director of the Lymphedema Advocacy Group. Ferguson had a pivotal role in advocating with ONS for the Lymphedema Treatment Act, which was finally passed into law in December 2022 and improves access to care for patients and survivors.

Coming to you from Congress, it's the event you've been waiting for. Bright and early on Thursday morning, attendees at the 48th annual conference made their way to the doors of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX, for the opening ceremony and keynote address. Watch as oncology nurses from near and far arrive on our red carpet.

Coming to you from Congress, we're speaking with members of the ONS Congress Content Planning Team and giving you a behind the scenes look at what attendees can expect in the Learning Hall at the 48th Annual ONS Congress.

Coming to you from Congress, join us as we speak with Oncology Nursing Foundation President Laura Benson about what attendees can expect at the 48th Annual ONS Congress and how oncology nurses everywhere can support the profession.

Bringing together more than 3,000 oncology nurses and other cancer care providers, the Oncology Nursing Society hosts its 48th Annual ONS Congress in San Antonio, TX, from April 26–30, 2023. As the largest, most comprehensive oncology nursing conference in the United States, the annual event offers educational sessions, networking opportunities, and groundbreaking nursing research reports.

ONS honored a long-time member, Margaret Hansen Frogge, MS, RN, for a career of contributions to cancer care with its 2022 ONS Lifetime Achievement Award during the 47th Annual ONS Congress® in Anaheim, CA. The award commemorates Frogge’s passion for the profession through decades of oncology nursing practice and leadership. 

In a fitting tribute to a life that touched so many others, ONS honored member Catherine Lyons, RN, MS, NEA-BC, FNAP, posthumously with a 2022 ONS Lifetime Achievement Award during its 47th Annual ONS Congress® in Anaheim, CA. Before her retirement and death in November 2021, Lyons was an executive consultant for oncology services. 

Every year, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) recognizes oncology nurses, employers, and researchers through its awards program. Today, the Society announced the recipients of the 2022 ONS Awards at the 47th Annual ONS Congress in Anaheim, CA.

Oncology nurses make diverse contributions to cancer care from direct care of patients to building the evidence for practice, educating the next generation of oncology nurses, and advocating for quality care. The past year has amplified the dedication that oncology nurses have to their profession. Each year, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) recognizes the recipients, from the previous year, at ONS Congress. 

With nearly half a century of outstanding contributions to the field of oncology nursing, ONS member Betty Ferrell, PhD, MA, CHPN, FAAN, FPCN, was selected by the ONS Board of Directors to receive the Society’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award. Ferrell is the director of the division of nursing research and education at City of Hope in Duarte, CA, principal investigator of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) project, and a world-renowned author and lecturer.  

During its April 28, 2020, conference call, the ONS Board of Directors collaborated with the Leadership Development Committee (LDC) to create a virtual recruitment process for candidates in the 2021 election.

To address travel restrictions from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic while delivering important learning and resources ONS members rely on, during its March conference call the ONS Board of Directors made several decisions to host its meetings and content virtually throughout 2020.

The ONS Congress Planning team really nailed it this year. In Just four words, using the theme of Growing Together, Transforming Care, they were able to describe the essence of why we will gather as a professional organization for ONS’s annual meeting.