Let's take the time to celebrate National Nursing Week, which falls from May 6–12, 2016. Not by eating ice cream or having dinners—although we can do that too—but by enhancing and elevating our own nursing practice.

I have an energetic dog, Maggie. She’s a lab, German shepherd mix. She always sleeps much better when she has had a nice long walk in the neighborhood. I try to get her out most days, and I always go at least a mile—usually longer. She gets excited when she sees the leash, and we both reap the benefits of walking. It’s a great habit and something feels wrong when I miss a day.

A smile is universal across all cultures. It helps to break down language barriers. A smile is contagious. A smile can be heard and felt over the phone. A smile is not taught, it is simply part of our humanity. Babies smile in the womb. Smiling reduces stress hormones and releases endorphins physiologically helping one feel better. Oncology nurses know the power of a smile.

For many, oncology isn’t just a profession. It’s a devotion and a passion. It becomes an encompassing enterprise through which one strives to make the lives of patients and nurses better. That’s ONS member Marylin J. Dodd, PhD, RN, FAAN. She’s been named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) for her groundbreaking work in self-care, along with her studies in symptom management.

Clinical environments demonstrating a strong culture of safety have optimized communication and teamwork among front-line staff, physicians, and leadership. A safe work environment is one in which the physical health and well-being of all staff are considered prerequisite for safe patient care. Consider for a moment the ways your workplace supports healthy behaviors on the part of employees.

I was recently at a lovely event with a buffet. The food was spectacular and there were many choices for eaters of all palates. What struck me was the large size of the plates provided. It felt like they were encouraging diners to take larger portions or to load up on many different foods. There’s no doubt that many adults and children have no idea what a reasonable portion looks like or even what constitutes a serving. In all honesty, the size of the plate matters more than you think.

At the start of a new year, people often make resolutions about what they’ll do differently during the next 365 days. Perhaps you, the oncology nurse, are in this place of pondering, self-examination, or you’re just reviewing the past year in general. Here’s some food for thought.

We had a problem—we knew it, and we just couldn’t find the right solution. The problem was that we had no time or way to grieve patients' deaths in our outpatient clinic. When a patient would die, some of the staff members would not find out for days or sometimes weeks. This left staff members feeling angry, sad, frustrated, and embarrassed if a family member would call and that staff member did not know about the patient's passing.

The incredibly easy process of making a task list may be something you already do, both in your work and personal life, but lists deserve a quick review of why they are so effective and how they free up working memory—which ultimately reduces stress and improves patient care and workplace interactions.

The importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet to maintain a healthy weight should not be underestimated. Healthy habits often need to be fostered. They need to be automatic and practiced consistently. The earlier they are developed, the bigger the benefits.

When a family member or someone close becomes ill, it's hard for nurses to be objective. The problem needs to be fixed now because we have the tools. I think this is one reason why the nursing profession is so hard—we are always on call.

"Burnout is grounded in the work environment, whereas compassion fatigue is grounded in the clinical work." I don't know if I'd ever taken the time to think about the distinctions between the two, but they are important.

It doesn’t take any longer to eat healthy food, but it does take extra planning and time to prepare healthy meals. Over the years I have come up with some time-saving tips and tools that I think you will appreciate.

A fender bender caused her to get the CT scan that showed a temporal lobe mass. Looks like a glioblastoma the oncologist said somberly. She knew more than enough to understand the magnitude of what she had been told. She was a medical professional—her role was to help people who were having a difficult time after being diagnosed with cancer—she helped them die, but she also helped them live before death.

I finally got to read my pile of journals that had been occupying my coffee table for the summer. I usually take a few volumes and hole up on the couch absorbing the new research that has come out. As always, I was personally touched by Dr. Anne Katz's editorial in the July issue of the Oncology Nursing Forum titled "Scar Tissue in the Heart."

Fos­ter­ing Well­ness and Heal­ing at Work