I love quotes. I love collecting them from books, movies, speeches, etc. and writing them down to reflect on. The 39th Annual ONS Congress in Anaheim was a gold mine of great quotes and information. Here is a list of some facts and phrases that I collected during my experience at Congress. I think they accurately represent the Congress experience; the sessions span such a wide range from holistic nursing education to inspiration on leadership to geriatric oncology research. I hope they can serve you as valuable information, inspiration, and humor—they sure did for me.

  • “Over 75 years of age—don't screen for cancer.” —Diane Cope, from the Pre-Congress session, “Controversial Issues in the Care of the Older Adult With Cancer”
  • “I don't know if we can have algorithms for cancer screening and treatment decisions in older people. It needs to be personalized.” —Diane Cope
  • “Older adults with dementia are very concerned about chemo brain.” —Lynn Leandro
  • “Palliative care nurses show lower levels of stress and burnout compared to oncology nurses.” —Penny Demaskos, “Compassion Fatigue: Building Resilience in Oncology Nurses”
  • “Burnout is grounded in the work environment versus compassion fatigue which is grounded in the clinical work.” —Penny Demaskos
  • “Individuals develop resilience by experiencing and processing stress rather than through avoidance.” —Penny Demaskos
  • “My life is my work.” —Mary Gullatte, ONS outgoing president quotes Gandhi as she reflects on her past years with ONS. 
  • “Someone on the bottom of the totem pole can still be a leader. Leadership is the process of positively influencing others.” —Devon Harris, keynote speaker and three time captain of the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team and inspiration for the movie Cool Runnings.
  • “You're either green and growing or ripe and rotting.” —Devon Harris
  • “Research shows lavendar has similar effects as Ativan on anxiety levels.” —Marilyn Haas, “Holistic Nursing Modalities: Merging Research Into Everyday Clinical Practice”
  • “Guided imagery used preoperatively saves money and reduces morbidity and mortality.” —Lourdes Lorenz
  • “Vulva is my favorite word, and every chance I get—I manage to get it in somewhere.” —Anne Katz on not being afraid to discuss sexuality with patients with cancer, “Sexuality and Cancer for the Frontline Nurse”
  • “The bar can never be set high enough when it comes to patient care.” —Chuck Wilson at the CURE Extraordinary Healer Dinner
  • “If I wanted to be a doctor—I would, but I wanted to be a nurse.” —German Rodriguez, taking a photo of his audience before sharing his experiences on disaster management during Hurricane Sandy, “Bridge From Disaster to Recovery: Advances in Disaster Management and Continuity of Oncology Care”
  • “Nitrosureas are the only cancer treatment not associated with cardiotoxicity.” —Catherine Sargent, “And the Beat Goes On: Addressing Cardiac Complications in Patients With Cancer”
  • “Research shows that 88% of older adults would rather die than take therapy that causes cognitive impairment.” —Arti Hurria, “Using Geriatric Metrics to Improve Care of the Older Adult With Cancer”
  • “Only 5% of the nation's elders are in nursing homes. Geriatric nursing does not equal nursing homes or long-term care.” —Janine Overcash