Colleen O'Leary

A recent article outlined the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine that included more training and independence for nurses.

Happiness. It's something that we all seem to be chasing from time to time. I think we concentrate on it often for others.

With elections just around the corner, we are once again hearing about every issue, but I haven't heard about the embryo debate.

Cancer related fatigue (CRF) is still rated the most distressing side effect of all cancer therapies by patients and yet most of them do not receive any education or forewarning about fatigue.

For as long as I've been a nurse I have been frustrated with the attitude of many of my peers regarding patients with chronic pain. I have never understood why so many nurses feel it so crucial to pass judgment on patients who are in obvious pain.

An interesting conversation ensued during a monthly breast conference last week. As usual, the case was presented, a woman in her late 80's, who presented with a lump in her breast and a suspicious mammogram. After the usual testing of ultrasound, MRI, CT and biopsy it was confirmed that she had breast cancer.

Last time I wrote about the anticipation of attending Oncology Nursing Society Congress with two nurses who had never attended. The entire frame of reference and focus of attention had changed for me.

Ask several people what they find exciting and you'll get hundreds of different answers. I would bet that the answers you get from nurses are very different than those from regular people.

This week is the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS 2010) 35th annual Congress. Sadly I had to leave the rainy 50 degree weather of Chicago-land to head to sunny San Diego. Its a tough responsibility, but one I take on without complaints.

A curious thing has started to become a problem on my unit. It was something that I often take for granted and never thought I'd have to be educating healthcare staff about--using cologne, perfume, scented lotions, or body sprays.

I have worked in the oncology arena for close to 20 years. During this time, I have helped patients with numerous discharge issues from getting the physical support they need to ensuring spiritual and emotional needs are met, and making sure that they understood all about the medications they'd be taking once at home.

I challenge you to think about your own bucket list. What are the things you want to do, say, or be? And the bigger question is what's stopping you?

It seems like everyone knows someone or has had cancer themselves. But when we really look at what we are seeing today as compared to what was seen 30 years ago are we really seeing new things?

Without a doubt, fear motivates many people in different situations. But is it really the best way to motivate people, to help them learn, and to make permanent changes?

Although many of my patients over the years have received radiation therapy, I am by no means a radiation nurse or expert in the field. So when a patient recently asked me the differences in the types of radiation that they have been seeing advertised and what would be the best treatment for them, I had to do some studying.

I know I just wrote about breast cancer screening and how the more technologically advanced we get the more we see and perhaps the more invasive we are becoming with our treatments.

The “putting out to pasture” of seasoned, experienced nurses is happening more often and for a variety of reasons.

Maybe I’m naïve or maybe I just like to see the good side of people, but since I’ve been a nurse I have always heard the terrible saying that nurses “eat their young.” My experience has been anything but that.

We have gotten exponentially better at detecting breast cancer. With the use of MRI, small lumps that once were undetected are being found. So what does this mean to the patient, the doctor, and the treatment plan? Over the past ten years we have seen the treatment pendulum swing.

What is the best way to draw an activated partial thromboplastin time when a patient is receiving heparin therapy and has a central venous catheter?

I have been able to take the opportunities that have been presented to me and I’ve used them to learn more about the subject. What better way to learn all you need to know about a topic than if you have to teach it to others?

You would be hard pressed to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television or radio without hearing something about President Obama’s healthcare reform bill.

Recently ASCO came out with a recommendation that all patients and families should be apprised of the cost of cancer care at the beginning of their treatment.

In my last blog I mentioned a decision I had made to aid in keeping myself healthy. I believe this is one of the most important things that we can do as oncology nurses to keep us oncology nurses.

Having just celebrated the 4th of July and given the state of unrest in the world we live in and the role that the United States has chosen to take, we certainly hear a lot about heroes today.

It’s natural that we respond to people and make judgments about them based on what we believe to be true, but how often do we go beyond what we think to be true and really look at what is happening with our patients?