October 06, 2023

Join ONS member Suzanne Mahon, RN, AOCN®, AGN-BC, FAAN, professor at Saint Louis University in Missouri and member of the St. Louis ONS Chapter, as she demonstrates how to examine and explore somatic biomarker testing reports. Understanding these reports is critical when providing patient education, and Mahon’s tips and tricks when identifying report components and their importance are helpful tools for oncology nurses to consider in their practice.

October 05, 2023

On October 2, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported Hospira, Inc.’s, voluntary recall of several lots of 4.2% sodium bicarbonate injection, USP, 5 mEq/10 ml vial; 1% lidocaine HCl injection, USP, 50 mg/5 ml vial; and 2% lidocaine HCl injection, USP, 100 mg/5 ml vial to the user level because of the potential for presence of glass particulate matter.

October 05, 2023

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?

October 04, 2023

Race-specific cellular and genomic characteristics in breast and breast cancer tissues may explain racial differences in breast cancer aggressiveness, blood vessel growth, tumor cell migration and metastasis, and the cancer pathways GLI1 and Notch, researchers said in study findings published in npj Breast Cancer. The findings may help guide the development of even more personalized treatments and address some aspects of cancer’s disparate burden on certain populations. 

October 03, 2023

For patients and their care teams, transitions are an integral part of the cancer journey. Patients may be moving from inpatient to outpatient care, an acute care setting to a community-based setting, hospital care to nursing home care, or even active treatment to ongoing survivorship. Care transitions can be times of intense information overload for patients, caregivers, and the healthcare team. 

October 02, 2023

On September 29, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an updated safety communication to consumers, healthcare providers, and facilities about certain surgical N95 respirators and masks manufactured by Owens and Minor (O&M) Halyard. FDA updated its recommendations for the products based on new data and information from O&M Halyard.  

September 29, 2023

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.

September 28, 2023

Interacting with animals can have positive effects on our well-being, including easing loneliness and reducing stress. To bring those benefits to patients in a healthcare setting, institutions may employ service or therapy dogs. But those pups don’t brighten days for patients alone—they also spread joy to healthcare staff, including nurses. To honor those helpful hounds, September is National Service Dog Month.