When a year winds down, we often find ourselves reflecting on our key moments, events, and accomplishments. Although our challenges from COVID-19—and now the flu and RSV—remain, ONS, the Oncology Nursing Foundation, and the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation are proud of serving and supporting you this year. We celebrate your commitment to the profession, to your continued career development, and to our organizations.
Returning to an in-person ONS Congress® in April 2022 was a joyful celebration, and the smiles and energy in the Anaheim Convention Center were contagious. We applauded the accomplishments of members who received awards and learned from colleagues who proudly presented their work and showed their expertise through podium speeches, panel discussions, and poster reviews.
ONS Bridge™ in September extended our celebration of individual and team successes, and we all made positive connections in the conference’s virtual milieu. September also brought us an in-person ONS Capitol Hill Days, where more than 100 ONS members visited their elected House and Senate members to seek support for five ONS priority issues: oral drug parity, lymphedema supplies, palliative care education and training, youth tobacco use, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health Act. Overall, they met with 150 offices and achieved bipartisan support for bills that advance the transformation of cancer care. Congratulations to all the attendees for their advocacy.
Many ONS chapters have also returned to in-person meetings, offering local opportunities to gain new knowledge and build new relationships, such as those who are inviting prelicensure students to attend your meetings. Chapter leaders, the ONS Board of Directors, and staff celebrate the difference you make for nurses in your communities.
We must also pause to reflect on the loss and continued stress we felt in 2022 from the pandemic as well as organizational failures to support staff. Many nurses left not only their positions but the entire profession. We celebrate the difference they made and grieve their loss as colleagues. We also celebrate the lives of nurse colleagues and friends who died this year, which are recorded in the In Memoriam ONS Community. Please add information for any other nurses in your network.
As we look toward 2023, we thank the many, many volunteers who partnered with our staff to advance the missions of all our corporations. We wish you the best of holidays.