The ONS Podcast

"I think that we as nurses need to advocate when a patient is uncomfortable. And it's not your classic 'pain in my hip' kind of thing. This is a more subtle, 'I can't breathe, I have a sense of impending doom, I'm panicked, I want someone beside me.' It may sometimes appear to be a psychosocial coping issue when it really is a physiologic one," ONS member Brenda Shelton, DNP, RN, AOCN®, clinical n...

"Let's take time, invest time, in learning more about futility. Let's invest some time in learning more about how to understand our patient's goals, their family's goals, what their values are," Kathleen Turner, BSN, RN, CHPN, CCRN-CMC, clinical nurse in the medical-surgical intensive care unit at the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center, told Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncolog...

"Our goal in surgical oncology is, of course, to treat the cancer for a cure, but to do it in a safe manner so the patient is able to recover and resume their normal living activities that they had before their surgery," ONS member Lisa Parks, MS, APRN-CNP, ANP-BC, inpatient nurse practitioner of hepatobiliary surgery at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Division of Surgical...

"It's actually the nurse who most often first identifies the subtle signs of sepsis in patients. Trust your clinical judgement," ONS member Laura Zitella, MS, RN, ACNP-BC, AOCN®, nurse practitioner at the University of California, San Francisco, told listeners during a conversation with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. Zitella explained the nursing and management co...

"Using that view of looking at the whole person, we can provide some acupuncture or acupressure to help maybe reduce anxiety, to help them relax a little bit more, settle their thinking down a little bit, and get some improved sleep," ONS member Susan Yaguda, MSN, RN, RN manager in integrative oncology at the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC, told Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN,...

"Saline is very benign and doesn't have any risk of harm for the patient. They're small doses, so we're not worried about sodium or anything. The risk of heparin is actually quite extensive," MiKaela Olsen, DNP, APRN-CNS, AOCNS®, FAAN, clinical program director in oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore, MD, told Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical...

"Caring for a pregnant patient with cancer is 100% a team approach," ONS member Chandley Silin, RN, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, nurse practitioner at the Stanford Cancer Center in Palo Alto, CA, told Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. During this episode, Silin discussed the care implications for pregnant and postpartum patients with cancer throughout diagnosis and treatment and...

"What does the patient need to know? What are their knowledge gaps? What are they most in need of? Once you determine the areas you need to pinpoint, branded or nonbranded, then there's resources out there for you to use," Chelsea Backler, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, AOCNS®, VA-BC, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, told Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. Backler explained...

"The nurse is kind of the hub of a spoked wheel. You have your pharmacy and your provider all on the outside edge, but it's the nurse that's connecting all of these different support services together and being the main connection for the patient," ONS member Elizabeth Bettencourt, RN, MSN, OCN®, oral oncolytic nurse navigator at Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Sunnyvale, CA, and member of the Sil...

"Sometimes in our daily routine of taking care of patients, it's more about looking at the treatment side effects. But look at those wide array of symptoms that can present with an oncologic emergency. They will kind of sneak up on you, and as an oncology nurse, we all need to be educated about them," ONS member Diane Cope, PhD, APRN, BC, AOCNP®, director of nursing and oncology nurse practitioner...

What is it like to govern a professional association that serves more than 100,000 oncology nurses? ONS President Jeannine Brant, PhD, APRN-CNS, AOCN®, FAAN, and Directors-at-Large Val Burger, MA, MS, RN, OCN®, CPN, and Teresa Knoop, MSN, RN, AOCN®, reflect on their roles in the Board's executive committee, how a diverse Board supports a diverse membership, and how you can get involved in ONS lead...

When it comes to oncologic emergencies, early identification and intervention achieves the best outcomes, but some emergencies are harder to recognize. "Oncology nurses are often the first to pick up on important symptoms of serious complications," Laura Zitella, MS, RN, ACNP-BC, AOCN®, nurse practitioner at the University of California, San Francisco, said. Zitella joined Stephanie Jardine, BSN,...

"When we think about how oncology nurses can really be helpful in overcoming barriers to care, it comes back to what we do very well—which is getting to know our patients," David Rice, PhD, MSN, RN, NP, NEA-BC, chief nurse of research and development at the Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center in California said during his conversation with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist...

"We call it an oncologic emergency for a reason. Even though it's usually not life threatening, the longer we wait, the more debilitating and devastating the side effects will be," ONS member Jennifer Webster, MN, RN, AOCNS®, MPH, clinical nurse specialist at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA, and member of the Metro Atlanta ONS Chapter, said during her conversation with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN...

Hazardous drugs are not just used in oncology, and their health risks for providers go far beyond reproductive toxicities. ONS member MiKaela Olsen, DNP, APRN-CNS, AOCNS®, FAAN, clinical program director in oncology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore, MD, talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, about protecting yourself an...

Talking to patients about how their cancer and treatment affects their fertility can be challenging and complicated for oncology nurses, but we owe it to our patients to have those conversations. Megan Solinger, MHS, MA, OPN-CG, director of service and care delivery at the Ulman Foundation in Baltimore, MD, joins Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, to offer guidance, i...

ONS member Roberta Kaplow, RN, PhD, CCRN, AOCNS®, clinical nurse specialist at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA, and member of the Metro Atlanta ONS Chapter, talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, about the latest nursing management and prevention strategies for malignant pleural effusion. This episode is a part of a series about oncologic emergencies;...

"Biomarkers give us information not only to diagnose a patient, but also to see whether a patient is going to have GVHD in the near future, whether a patient is going to respond to the treatment we'll give, and what would be the overall outcome and survival." ONS member Nilesh Kalariya, PhD, AGPCNP-BC, AOCNP®, research nurse practitioner at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX , talks with Ste...

The inflating price tag of cancer care means that more patients are facing the difficult choice of paying for everyday needs or their cancer treatment. Matthew Banegas, PhD, MPH, MS, associate professor of radiation medicine and applied sciences at the University of California San Diego and a member of Moores Cancer Center's Cancer Control Program, talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology c...

"There's nothing more we can do." How often do patients with cancer hear those words? But ONS member Reanne Booker, RN, MN, a nurse practitioner at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, believes differently: "I feel there's always more that we can do, even if cure is no longer possible." Booker talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, about how ra...

Elevated intracranial pressure is a life-threatening cancer complication, but oncology nurses can take steps to prevent and recognize it in their patients. ONS member Mary Elizabeth Davis, DNP, RN, AOCNS®, clinical nurse specialist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, and member of the New York City ONS Chapter, talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical special...

Social media is an innovative study recruitment and intervention tool, but what are the ethical considerations surrounding its data? ONS member Lisa Carter-Harris, PhD, APRN, ANP-C, FAAN, associate attending behavioral scientist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, about online health data, using soci...

Survivorship care models are a framework to build on and customize for each patient's needs, not a generic form for everyone. ONS member Michelle Mollica, PhD, MPH, RN, OCN®, senior advisor for the National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Survivorship in Bethesda, MD, talks with Stephanie Jardine, BSN, RN, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, about how nurses can tailor survivorship care model...

What is it like to govern a professional association that serves more than 100,000 oncology nurses? ONS Board of Directors members Nancy Houlihan, MA, RN, AOCN®, Kristin Ferguson, DNP, RN, MSN, OCN®, and Marty Polovich, PhD, RN, AOCN®-Emeritus, reflect on their experiences of leading during a pandemic, how a diverse Board supports a diverse membership, and how you can get involved in ONS leadershi...

Cardiac tamponade typically presents gradually over time, and it can happen multiple times throughout a patient's cancer care journey. Oncology nurses must stay cognizant of the warning signs and management approaches. ONS member Roberta Kaplow, RN, PhD, CCRN, AOCNS®, clinical nurse specialist at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA, and member of the Metro Atlanta ONS Chapter, joins Stephanie...