Serving on Boards Allows Nurses to Improve the Nation’s Health

Brenda Nevidjon

As the largest healthcare profession and the one most trusted by the public in the annual Gallup survey, nurses have the power to improve the health of communities throughout the country by bringing their expertise into the boardroom. However, we are an absent voice in so many of those boardrooms.

Cancer Death Rates Continue to Fall; Biden Continues Work on Cancer Moonshot; GOP Looks to Revise Replacement Healthcare Plan; ONS Submits Letter of Support for New ICD-10 CM Code

Capitol Roundup

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2014. According to the report, cancer death rates fell for 11 of the 16 most common cancers in men and 13 of the 16 most common cancers in women. Death rates fell for female breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancers, among others. The report also notes that incidences of cancer decreased in men but plateaued for women in the same time period.

FDA Approves Marketing Ipsogen JAK2 RGQ PCR Kit to Help Evaluate Suspected Polycythemia Vera

FDA Update

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing authorization to ipsogen JAK2 RGQ PCR Kit, manufactured by Qiagen GmbH., to detect mutations affecting the Janus Tyrosine Kinase 2 (JAK2) gene. This is the first FDA-authorized test intended to help physicians in evaluating patients for suspected Polycythemia Vera (PV).

Physical Activity Benefits Patients and Nurses Throughout Life

Walking the dog

My husband is a gerontologist. My oldest daughter is an RN working with acutely ill elderly patients at a busy academic medical center. They both know that living to 90 or 100 years old is becoming the norm. They’ll also tell you that the habits formed throughout a lifetime can make a big difference in the quality of life as one gets older.

Mindfulness Meditation Can Improve Safety in Your Practice

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is a popular topic in the media now. Research has already demonstrated the clinical benefits of mindfulness-based stress reduction for patients with chronic pain or anxiety disorders. Although there’s been limited research about the benefits of mindfulness stress reduction for oncology nurses and their patients, some evidence suggests that engaging in mindfulness exercises could lead to a safer environment.

Study Finds Increased Colorectal Cancer Rates in Younger Adults

Colorectal Cancer Rates in Younger Adults

Although overall rates of colorectal cancer have been falling since the 1970s and ‘80s, incidence of the disease has been increasing dramatically in patients younger than 50 years, according to the results of a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

ONS’s 2017 Financial Priorities Are Based on Member Feedback

Member Feedback

The ONS budgeting cycle is not unlike what occurs annually at each of our healthcare settings. ONS staff and senior leadership work to develop a budget each year. In March 2017, the ONS Board of Directors met with staff to review the year-end financials for 2016. This review helps us prepare for the treasurer’s presentation during the Business Meeting at the 42nd Annual ONS Congress in Denver in May.  We will meet again in September and October to review and approve the proposed budget for 2018.

What Is ONS’s Process for Creating Oncology Nursing Competencies?

Heather Mackey

The ONS Oncology Nurse Generalist competencies define the fundamental knowledge, skills, and abilities that nurses new to oncology practice should develop or acquire within the first one to two years of oncology practice. The target audience includes both beginning nurses new to practice as well as seasoned nurses who enter the oncology specialty after working in another area.

Competencies Create Expert, Accountable Nurses Delivering Quality Care

Nursing Competencies

When the National Academy of Medicine, formerly the Institute of Medicine, released its 2010 report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, it cited a need for improvement in nursing education and practice through the implementation of nursing competencies.

Executive Order to Fight Opioid Epidemic; Trump Administration Proposes Cuts to Spending in 2017 and 2018; White House Supports April as Cancer Control Month

Capitol Hill Roundup

President Trump is a preparing a new executive order that would outline recommendations for the nation’s fight against opioid addiction. According to report released in STAT, the executive order would form a commission of four top Trump aides, including Attorney General Jeffery Sessions, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, and Defense Secretary James Mattis. The commission would be led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and would be fleshed out with another five other yet-to-be-named officials from the state government level, law enforcement, and other areas potentially impacted by the national crisis.