267 According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (2007), the numbers of people diagnosed and living with cancer will rise by 81% by 2020, yet the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released a report projecting a serious shortfall of trained oncology specialists by 2020 (Association of American Medical Colleges). Visit demands are projected to grow at a much quicker pace t...

Being a leader is not dependent on a title and, in fact, every oncology nurse is a clinical leader. Building on skills in caring for patients, oncology clinicians and nurses use their knowledge and skills to: advocate for patients; initiate performance improvement projects; develop new services for patients and families; ensure quality and safety of care; influence health policy. Because of onc...

BACKGROUND the EU Directive states the requirement of staff working in trials to be qualified by education, training and experience [14]. This includes the research nurse; however, in the transition from ward nurse to research nurse, new and highly developed skills and knowledge are required in order to work effectively. METHODS an educational programme was developed, which included a review ...

The 40th anniversary of the Oncology Nursing Society is the perfect time to reflect on the role that advanced practitioners in oncology (APOs) play in the care of patients with cancer. APOs have become an important part of cancer care. This group of professionals practicing in various settings includes physician assistants (PAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and nurse practitioners (NPs)....

This article will provide an overview of the principal toxicities associated with commonly used chemotherapy treatment regimens for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and explore the role of the oncology nurse in the management of treatment-associated toxicity. Although patients with mCRC have benefited considerably from recent therapeutic advances, the use of more complex treatment regimens h...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore nurses’ perceptions of nurse-physician relationships in ambulatory oncology settings, which are linked to patient safety. Design: This cross-sectional, descriptive study analyzed survey data collected in 2010 from oncology nurses employed in ambulatory settings. The sampling frame was the nurse licensure database in one state in the Southeastern...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the organizational designs and task environments of community oncology networks with high accrual rates to cancer prevention clinical trials. DESIGN Replicated case study design; structural contingency theory. SETTING Local Community Clinical Oncology Programs (CCOPs) funded by the National Cancer Institute to test preventive and therapeutic interventions in c...

A profile of the role and functions of an oncology patient-navigator nurse (OPN) and the preliminary phases to implementing this role within a team specializing in oncology are first presented. This is followed by a qualitative study that provides a descriptive assessment for implementing an initial OPN in the head and neck oncology area of a university hospital centre (UHC) with a supraregiona...

This paper describes how we applied simulation and optimization in combination to improve patient flow within the Duke Cancer Institute, a large cancer center. We first developed a discrete-event simulation model to predict patient waiting time and resource utilization throughout various parts of the center, including the outpatient clinic, radiology, the pharmacy, laboratory services, and the ...

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To examine the impact on continuity of nursing care delivered by a pivot nurse in oncology to improve symptom relief and outcomes for patients with lung or breast cancer. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 93) with care by a pivot nurse in oncology and usual care by clinic nurses or to a control grou...