Personal, Professional Growth Opportunities at ONS Annual Congress

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) 39th Annual Congress attracted almost 3000 attendees from the United States and other parts of the world. Interviews with a random sample of attendees revealed that a common theme about what drew them to the meeting was the desire to expand their horizons—to gain new knowledge, meet new people, or to breathe new life into their careers.

Angela Dipersio, RN, OCN, a nurse navigator at Sentara Obici Hospital, Suffolk, Virginia, was a first-time attendee who came to the meeting to rejuvenate herself. “I have a brother with stage IV cancer, and I struggle every day between family concerns and my cancer patients. I came for support and networking,” she said.

Bonnie Toaso, RN, OCN, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, California, cited education, networking, and personal growth as the main reasons that drew her to the meeting. “I will meet nurses from all over and compare practices; for example, the best way to do patient education. I will take this information back and share it with my local ONS chapter and my coworkers.”

Shelley Hart, RN, OCN, Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, said: “I want to learn the latest updated evidence-based practices and share them with my staff to influence policies, procedures, staff education, and patient outcomes. I work as a professional development coordinator as well as in clinical services.”

Laura M. Knoke, RN, OCN, also from Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, said this was her first time at the annual ONS meeting. “I want to take what I learn here back to the staff and improve our systems. For example, more patients are on oral chemotherapy these days, and we need to develop a process for monitoring them. At present, we have more involvement with patients on IV chemotherapy, and we need to be involved in the care of patients on oral drugs.”

Sandra Elliott, RN, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, came to the meeting to recruit nurses. “I am here because it is an awesome way to connect with oncology nurses. I hope to make connections and plant seeds, so that some of the people I meet can tell their friends who move to Seattle about our cancer center.”

It was the first time at the ONS Annual Congress for Melissa Otoya, RN, University of Virginia Outpatient Cancer Center, Charlottesville. She was formerly a nurse in the neonatal ICU and changed specialties 2 years ago. “This meeting is an opportunity for immersion in multiple topics of interest. I want to be aware of clinical advances to inform my role as a manager of systems and processes that affect patient outcomes. Some examples of areas of interest include the IOM report on the healthcare environment and the role of RNs in ambulatory oncology.”