Well before the trauma, stress, and burnout from COVID-19, the nursing profession was facing a national workforce shortage. Decision-makers and the advocacy community—including ONS—have had serious policy discussions on how to blunt the impact on the patient population, including promoting federal investments at the Health Resources and Services Administration for more than a year. In August 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration responded, announcing a $100 million awards program to stem the tide.

When mapping out our career journey, many oncology nurses have found ourselves asking: Should I go back to school and get my master’s degree? How do I juggle it all? I am raising a family and trying to work full-time, but I would also love to grow in my nursing career. How can I be successful at it all?

The Senate Health Committee advanced legislation Thursday that would fund community health centers and increase the number of primary care physicians and nurses, despite a clash between the panel’s top members. The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee advanced the bill in a bipartisan 14-7 vote; however, it’s unclear if the bill has the support necessary to pass the full Senate, especially before funding expires September 30.

Recognizing the critical need to expand advanced practices RNs’ education and training and geographically diverse work opportunities, especially in rural and underserved communities, Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Steven Horsford (D-NV) introduced the Educating Future Nurses Act in the U.S. House of Representatives in May 2023. At the same time, Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced the legislation in the U.S. Senate.

To strengthen and advance policies for nurses, U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce (D-OH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Lauren Underwood (D-IL), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) launched the 118th Congressional Nursing Caucus in April 2023. Joyce and Bonamici are the caucus co-chairs, and Underwood, an RN, and Kiggans, a geriatric nurse practitioner, serve as vice chairs. ONS is a sponsoring organization in support of the caucus’s congressional efforts.

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.

In February 2023, the Tandem Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR brought the latest cutting-edge science and technologies in hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy to nurses around the globe. Here are some of the highlights I experienced as an advanced practice provider (APP) in blood and marrow stem cell transplantation.

From supporting the studies that led to the COVID-19 vaccine to championing diversity in the National Institutes of Health itself, women are making a difference in NIH’s halls, divisions, and programs. The agency is highlighting some of its female leaders throughout Women’s History Month in March in the Record, an NIH publication. The first feature includes a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric hematologist/oncologist who shared their experiences and wisdom and offered insight into their careers in science and medicine.

A successful nursing career requires resiliency in the face of uncertainty, Susan Orsega, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, director of the Commissioned Corps Headquarters, said during a career forum hosted by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s (NINDS’s) Building Engagement and Community for Nurses (BEACON) program in February 2022. She joined a plethora of nurse pioneers at the forum to share ways that nurses can collaborate and make significant contributions to and grow professionally in the nursing field.

The United States is investing $103 million to improve healthcare worker retention and respond to the ongoing nursing workforce shortage by reducing burnout and promoting mental health and wellness for healthcare professionals, particularly those in underserved and rural communities, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in January 2022.

We must make a dedicated effort to increase diversity among nursing students at the college and university levels and support the inclusion of underrepresented minority, sexual minority, gender minority, and male student populations. Because of the country’s expanding immigration, increasing globalization, and minority population growth, we must have a diverse nursing workforce to meet the needs of patients and families from all backgrounds and communities.

The oncology nursing specialty is in dire need of a solid foundation of eligible staff. As of 2020, more than 51% of the nursing workforce was aged 40 years or older, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated underlying factors such as stress, physical and mental health, and inequities present in the profession for decades.

Out-of-state RNs can now practice in Maryland and certain qualified nursing students are fast tracking graduation, according to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s (R-MD) September 2021 announcements. The Old Line State’s steps will help increase the workforce and curtail the nursing shortage.

To confront the disparities that minority populations face in health care, organizations across the United States are recognizing that cultural humility is a clinical competency. Implicit and explicit bias are part of human nature, but prioritizing cultural humility as a foundation, diversifying the workforce, and engaging in education and training can help providers overcome those tendencies and achieve patient-centered care.

Nurses’ skills, experiences, leadership, and voices are more relevant than ever before, and more and more ONS members are sharing their knowledge and expertise beyond the bedside to improve health throughout the community.

Oncology nurses have a responsibility to continually enhance their career and practice—for their patients, for their profession, and even for themselves. Two strategies for doing that are certification and mentorship. Combining the two is an even more powerful approach.

This September, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) will host the second annual ONS Bridge™, the premier virtual conference that connects oncology nurses to resources and education covering two themes: care coordination and updates in therapy.

Nurses and other healthcare providers at the point of care use evidence-based practice techniques to ask and answer clinically relevant questions to promote quality, safety, and improved patient outcomes. Evidence-based practice is the process of shared decision-making that incorporates the best available evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences and values.

In nursing, we talk about progressing from novice to expert. I remember my feelings as a new nurse, of being overwhelmed by the many things that I didn’t know. Over time, I became comfortable in my growing knowledge. I developed skills, learned about diseases and treatments, and adapted to the politics of my particular unit and the people in it.

Oncology nursing is an immensely rewarding calling, but the emotional burdens and stressors can feel overwhelming. Office politics, career changes, and providing end-of-life care are difficult to navigate alone, but partnering with mentors helps nurses work through challenges and grow as leaders. As I look back on my career accomplishments, I can’t deny the influence from several mentors sprinkled throughout that trajectory. Each one gifted me with the insight to develop specific skills that enhanced my practice.

ONS released ONS On-Demand™, a new distribution platform that provides an efficient solution to deliver ONS evidence-based education to institutions and healthcare networks. The tool gives administrators the ability to assign courses to staff and offers reporting on course completion activity. The product supports nursing continuing professional development reporting requirements for accreditation programs and staff continuous professional development.

Dedication to their patients and each other and an innate passion unrivaled by most other professions are two of the reasons why oncology nurses make great leaders—I know that from my daily work with colleagues both near and far as well as my experience as part of ONS’s Leadership Development Committee. 

With the aging population of clinicians and patients, nursing is in desperate need of a stronger workforce. To advance nurses at all levels of practice, on February 9, 2021, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced its plan to increase funding for the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program by $200 million through its section of the American Rescue Plan.

When you picture a nurse leader, what do you see? The thought of being a leader or taking on a formal leadership role can seem intimidating for so many nurses. But age, citizenship status, ethnicity, or gender are strengths, not obstacles. Every nurse enters the profession with the foundation to be a successful leader. 

How does a new graduate nurse develop connections and community in the nursing world? We asked ourselves that exact question before graduating from Boise State University’s School of Nursing, where we served as copresidents of the school’s student nurses’ association. We wanted to bridge the gap between students and professional nurses, and the answer came soon after, when our local ONS chapter invited us to join and serve as student liaisons to its board of directors.

Interviewing for a job is often described as a highly stressful life event. When they’re virtual, job interviews have become even more stressful and challenging. How can you conduct a successful job interview virtually? How can both sides get to know each other without meeting in person? How do virtual job interviews differ from in-person ones?

“Nursing is at the forefront of symptom management, and nurse-designed interventions lead the way,” Gwen Wyatt, RN, PhD, FAAN, FAPOS, recipient of the 2020 ONS Distinguished Nurse Researcher Award, said in a session at the inaugural ONS Bridge^TM virtual conference in September 2020. She shared lessons from her career journey and told nurses that ONS can help them get their ideas “off the drawing board.”

Cancer care is always changing, new science is constantly developing, and oncology nurses must work to keep up. ONS’s philosophy is that every nurse has room to develop knowledge, practice, and research. As an organization, we embody a commitment to lifelong learning and professional development because we understand that both are crucial to oncology nursing and patient outcomes.

When I sat for the very first Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurse (CPON^®) examination through the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation in 1993, I had no idea how obtaining my certification would positively affect my career. I was one of four nurses from the University of North Carolina Hospitals who felt strongly as a group that we could and should pursue our CPON^® certification, and we all passed the exam together.

Caring for patients with cancer is a complex subspecialty of nursing. In most of their day-to-day work, oncology nurses function independently and require time management, communication, and prioritization skills in addition to extensive clinical knowledge and expertise.

Technology is synonymous with modern-day health care, and the experiences of 2020 have shown that telehealth allows clinicians to provide care along every inch of the cancer continuum. Although we’ve seen it used most recently to provide continuity of care from the safety of patients’ homes, one of telehealth's bigger purposes is overcoming geographic and practical disparities to enable more patients to access quality cancer care.

Career experts often advise individuals to develop short- and long-term goals as steps to reach their career vision. Professional development activities help support achieving those goals.

In honor of Oncology Nursing Month this May, board members from five ONS chapters across the United States shared why ONS means so much to them. 

Oncology nurses can use various types of awards, grants, and scholarships to advance their careers. Through the ONS Foundation, ONS’s charitable arm, nurses have many options. Linda Worrall, RN, MSN, executive director of the ONS Foundation, presented an overview of the awards, grants, and scholarships that the Foundation has available for oncology nurses. 

Nurses can attain several levels of practice leadership to grow their professional development, including the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and the clinical nurse leader (CNL). However, both roles are very different in their daily duties and responsibilities. Nancy Froggatt, MN, RN, CNL, of the Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, WI, and Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, BMTCN®, of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA, provided advice on the CNS and CNL roles and how to assess which might be best for your career. 

Presenting in front of a crowd is not an easy task but might be an important step in your nursing career. By using general guidelines and honing your presentation skills, oncology nurses can become stronger speakers, opening the door to new opportunities for advancement. 

You have one hour, right now, to make a good impression on a possible future employer. Can you do it? Interviewing for a new job can be a scary situation but is a necessity in the world of career advancement. Effective interviewing skills can turn a mediocre meeting into an impressive interview— and a better chance to land the job you want. 

Writing resumes and curriculum vitae (CVs) can seem like an easy task at first but can quickly become overwhelming and cumbersome; even small mistakes on your resume or CV can hurt your chances at getting hired. Heather Costa, SHRM-CP, a recruiter for the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center-the James, in Columbus, presented tips and tricks that oncology nurses can use to make their resumes and CVs effective, clean, and concise. 

Oncology nurses can benefit from various types of certifications for professional development. Angie Caton, BSN, RN, OCN®, CHPN, and Melody Ann Watral, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC, CPON®, presented tools on how to better prepare for certifications, how to choose test preparation resources, and ways to assess your personal learning needs. 

What really makes a great leader? In order to be an effective leader, one needs to be able to motivate and influence others to contribute toward organizational success. As companies, employees, and policies change, so do leaders and ways they motivate their team. 

Getting published is an important part of an oncology nurse’s professional growth, but it can be intimidating to get started. Who do you contact? Where do you submit your manuscript? How does the process work? It may seem daunting, but getting published is achievable—and it can do wonders for your career in the long run.

Reading is essential to growth—both professionally and personally. Unfortunately, reading for enjoyment rapidly declines after age eight, and one in four Americans say they haven’t read a book in the past 12 months.

I have learned a good deal about leadership through networking and leadership opportunities with my local ONS chapter, project teams and task forces, and serving as a board member.

I still remember what it felt like to sign my name in the chart for the first time after passing the OCN^®—and later the AOCN^®—examination: excitement, accomplishment, relief, and pride. I knew that the credential didn’t automatically make me a smarter or better clinician, but it did validate the knowledge and skills that I had been working so hard to achieve over my years of practice as an oncology nurse.

Whether it’s with your smiling patient who always brings sweets to her appointments, the colleague Who started when you did, an inquisitive family member, or your supervisor, relationships are an ever-evolving component of successful oncology nursing careers. Fostering professional relationships among colleagues can often lead to mentoring opportunities that are mutually beneficial for mentors and mentees.

Young authors have so much to share, and they shouldn’t think that what they have to say isn’t worthy of publication just because they’re young. I’ve had the privilege of mentoring young authors on many occasions. Recently, I had the joy of watching a novice author actually open a journal and see her article in print. It was made even more special because it was my daughter, Elaine, who is a senior nursing student at Saint Louis University School of Nursing. She shared her personal story about her decision to become a nurse in the Clinical Moment feature in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing’s (CJON’s) October 2017 issue.

Genetics in clinical oncology nursing practice permeates all aspects of care from prevention and detection to treatment decisions to long-term survivorship care. Each of these areas often overlap, and oncology nurses need a solid genetics understanding to provide optimal care.