Western New York ONS Newsletter
Spring 2015
A Letter from the President
Our Mission: To promote
excellence in oncology
nursing and quality cancer
care.
Inside this Issue:
Membership
2
Free CNE
2
Kudos
3
Surveys
3
Member Interview
4
Informatics
5
DEFENS
6
Save the Date
The Local ONS website
is new and improved!
Please use this link to
the ONS calendar to find
the educational
program coming up!
http://westernnewyork.vc.o
ns.org/calendar?c_spn=w&c
_dt=2457043
Spring is finally here! After a long cold, snowy winter we are finally
enjoying the beginning of Spring. We kicked off this year with a successful
election of our newest board members: Jessica Fallon – Secretary, Patti
Kuehlewind – Director at Large, and Renee Thompson – Program Chair.
On March 3, 2015 we held an educational dinner at Chefs, funded by
our chapter. All attendees earned 2 CEUs. We heard 2 great lectures:
Overview of Photodynamic Therapy – Bench to Bed presented by Michele
Cooper BSN RN and Body Warming to Alter (Thermo) Regulation and the
microenvironment (B-Warm) therapy: A pilot Study presented by Debbie
Neimanis BSN RN OCN CCRC. In addition to the opportunity to earn 2
CEUs, 5 non- WNY ONS members were invited to the program gratis, to take
a look at what our chapter has to offer.
ONS Annual Congress was attended this year by our scholarship
winner Heather Sabadasz. Heather enjoyed the 4 day conference April 22 – 25,
2015 in Orlando Florida. We look forward to an upcoming presentation at one
of our monthly events as well as a newsletter article on her first time
experience at ONS.
Check out page 3 of the newsletter; congratulations to our successful
members: Grace Dean – grant recipient, Darryl Somayaji - new SIG
coordinator, Pam Paplham - new SIG coordinator, Mary Garlick-Roll Distinguished Alumni, Cindy Samborski – Distinguished Alumni, and Renee
Thompson – website design extraordinaire!
In the upcoming months we will be winding down for a summer break in July
and August. We will start back up again strong in September with our monthly
meetings to kick of the fall!
WNY ONS Celebrates Nurses
Please join us on May 20, 2015 at Giancarlo’s
as we Celebrate Nurses
Free
CNE
We will be raffling off special gifts!
The Benefits of Membership to Western New York Oncology Nursing Society
There are many benefits to being a member of the Western New York
Oncology Nursing Society including the opportunity to meet and network
with other nurses who are practicing in the field of oncology in different
settings throughout Western New York. On a monthly basis from September
through June there are monthly dinner meetings held in various locations
throughout Western New York which are sponsored by pharmaceutical
representatives that provide up-to-date information on the diagnosis and
treatment options for various oncological conditions. The information that is
presented includes new medications, patient education and even information
on financial assistance for patients.
In addition WNYONS provides assistance to the members with
opportunities to apply for scholarships to pursue additional education in the
form of undergraduate and graduate degrees. The scholarships are awarded
annually. The scholarship amount is $1000.00 for an undergraduate candidate
and $2000.00 for a graduate candidate with the monies to be paid in January.
The total maximum amount of scholarships awarded annually is up to
$3000.00.
The National Oncology Nursing Society hosts an annual Congress for
all of its members. This meeting is held in a different location each year and
provides individuals with an opportunity to learn about new programs,
treatments and education that is occurring throughout the world through
lectures, podium presentations and poster presentations. Western New York
Oncology Society supports our members in attending the National Congress
by providing funding for an individual to attend the event. The local chapter
provides funding in the amount of $1000.00 to the winner of the scholarship.
Because Western New York Oncology Nursing Society supports its
members in achieving and maintaining their expertise in the field of oncology,
the organization supports its members in attaining certification or
recertification by successfully completing the requirements for specialty
certification in oncology nursing. Scholarships are available for certification or
recertification.
As you can see there are many benefits to membership in the
Western New York Oncology Nursing Society. The Board of Directors is
committed to working for you to make this an organization that is worthy
of your time and support. If you have any questions please do not hesitate
to contact Mary Ann Long, Membership Chair at (716) 833-7739 (home)
or (716) 435-9097 (cell).
As an oncology nurse you
need access to clinical practice
information as well as to
ongoing CNE to maintain
your certification or
licensure and keep you up to
date in the ever-changing
field of oncology care.
Five-Minute In-Services, a
monthly feature in ONS
Connect, ONS’s official
news magazine and website,
which you have access to
free of charge as part of your
ONS membership. FiveMinute In-Services offer a
quick recap of articles from
the Clinical Journal of
Oncology Nursing
(CJON)—ONS’s bimonthly
clinical journal—and the
Oncology Nursing Forum—
ONS’s bimonthly research
journal.
The Five-Minute In-Services
are based on CJON articles
that provide free CNE, go
back and read the entire
article and complete a short
test and obtain your free
credit.
Did you know if you write an article for this newsletter it can
be used for points towards recertification? Don’t worry, we will
help with editing and any other writing needs you may have. We are
looking for articles that you think would benefit ONS nurses to meet our
mission, vision, and goals. Please contact Cindy at
Cynthia.samborski@roswellpark.org for more information.
Kudos to Our WNY Members!
Renee Thompson…
I just gotta tell you, your chapter's ONS website is by far, one of the
best I've seen!!
Well done...kudos to YOU!
Debbie Neimanis BSN and Michele Cooper BSN for presenting
outstanding programs on PDT and B-Warm, a Pilot study
Grace Dean received an ONS Foundation 2015 Research Grant
supported by ONS and Sigma Theta Tau International
Foundation.
Darryl Somayaji PhD. from UB was elected as the new SIG
coordinator for Advanced Research.
Pam Paplham DNP was elected as the new SIG coordinator for
Blood and Marrow Transplant.
Mary Garlick-Roll NP was named University of Buffalo
Distinguished Alumni.
Cindy Samborski MSN was named Trocaire College
Distinguished Alumni.
AND THE SURVEY SAYS…
We have just concluded our annual survey
for our Fall Education day. We had 27
responses and the results are as follows:
Have you attended the ONS education day
in the past?
 84% have previously attended
Do you prefer the ONS education day to
be offered on the weekend or during the
week?
 60% preferred weekdays
 40% preferred weekends
Do you prefer the sessions to run for a
half day or a whole day?
 93% preferred half days
 7% preferred whole day sessions
Please choose 2 topics that interest you the
most:
 Symptom Management
 Quality of life
Topic specific:
 Nutrition
 Symptom Management
 Quality of Life
If you chose body site specific please rank
which site would be preferable?
(The choices were, Lung, Breast, Prostate,
Gynecology, and Hematologic)
11 surveyors did not answer and those that
did choose chose evenly between the
choices.
Please add any comments you feel will
help us to plan a better education day:
We received 5 comments. They were
directed at start times for the programs,
location, topic and one suggestion was that
we attempt to have 2 or 3 education sessions
with the possibility of having nationally
known speakers.
I would like to thank all the members that
took the time to participate in our survey.
We will have more information to follow
regarding the Fall Education
Teresa Brennan RN MSN OCN
Interview with Judy Lemmon ANP @ CCS Oncology
Judy, How many years have you been practicing as a NP and how did your career get stated?
I graduated with my BSN in nursing from Medical University of Charleston, SC 1984. I worked on a urology floor as a graduate
nurse at St. Frances Hospital in Charleston, SC. I relocated to WNY in the fall 1984 and took a job as a RN at BGH 3North,
surgical unit. After one year I took a head nurse position on 11South oncology unit. In 1990, I was approached by Dr. Syed
Raza, Cardiothoracic surgeon at BGH for a job following their thoracic surgical patients. I graduated from the Adult Nurse
Practitioner program at UB in December 1998; I continued working for the thoracic surgeon until May of 2000 where I was
procedure oriented with chest tube placement and thoracentesis.
In June of 2000 I joined Buffalo Medical Group medical oncology, initially working with all the physicians, after one year I
worked with Dr. Zielinski and then my remaining 4 yrs. were spent with Dr. Moskowitz.
I left BMG and joined the breast surgery department at RPCI in June of 2000 till February 2014.
What is your current position?
I am a Nurse Practitioner in a busy Breast surgical oncology service with CCS oncology. I see the surgeons follow up patients,
post op complications, 6 month follow up patients, BIRADS 3/4 patient that have not had biopsies, I am doing a great deal of
education regarding BIRADS 3 mammogram/ultrasound imaging. I saw 20 new patients last week.
What made you decide to pursue a position in the CCS Oncology Breast Clinic?
I heard about the position from an NP at RPCI, I knew Dr. O'Donnell from my years at BGH/thoracic surgery, she impressed
me. I was aware of CCS oncology's reputation, providing excellent care in the community, I live in Amherst, this was a
wonderful opportunity for me, I was so happy they brought me in to join the group. I thought I could take my years of
experience and compliment as well as take the level of care they were providing to a higher level.
Can you describe a day in the life of a NP at CCS Oncology?
My day starts at 8 am, I see patients every twenty minutes. The majority of patients I am seeing present for their first 6
month follow up after radiation and medical oncology. They are very nervous about undergoing their first imaging following
their diagnosis and treatment. They remember the day a biopsy was recommended and I think they relive that day, so I take
a personal approach and offer reassurance and comfort, educate the patients on what may happen in regards to post op pain,
encourage self-breast exam, and encourage other screening follow up, gynecology, colonoscopy, and update
med/surgical/family history. I push myself to make sure dictations are completed the day of visit and faxed that day to
maintain optimal communication with referring physicians.
What is the most rewarding and most difficult thing about your job?
Most rewarding is when the patients tell me I have listened to their complaints and concerns; I provide them with knowledge
and reassurance. The benign patients that come in for consultation are typically frustrated and not educated regarding a
BIRADS 3 mammogram. I provide them with information that they understand. It is always rewarding to give patients good
news, when their imaging is stable, they are tolerating medication. I get what they are going through, the fear associated with
the diagnosis, they don’t always have this support within their family. The most difficult thing is giving abnormal or bad news
by telephone. I always worry about the patient frame of mind after receiving the news by phone.
Would you recommend this position to other Nurse Practitioners?
I would recommend this position. This is why you go to school and advance your education, to obtain a position in a practice
where the collaborating physicians are supportive and appreciative of your skills.
Working in the Oncology field can be stressful at times-what do you enjoy doing to relieve this stress?
I run, run, run, and run.
Do you have any favorite saying that you use with your patients?
I always tell the patients at CCS oncology we know how to treat the disease but we most importantly treat the patient. I tell
them that no news is good news, but if there is a concern or problem to contact the office we will always work them in to the
schedule, their psychological well-being is very important to us.
Thank you Judy!
Nursing Informatics
By Tina Glow BSN
In 2001 the federal government put forth an action which would change health care documentation forever.
The Health Information and Quality Improvement Act would be the first initiative to include the use of technology
and computers to provide a safer environment for patients (2). With technology-oriented staff developing the
software used to accomplish this, there were limitations due to lack of clinical background of these people. Nursing
informatics was born from the necessity to bridge the gap existing between technology personnel and clinicians (4).
Nursing informatics has become a major career choice when considering continuing education through the graduate
level. By definition, nursing informatics is the combination of nursing science, information science and computer
science (3). The main concern for nursing informatics is documentation. The ability to provide quality care relies on
effective communication amongst providers (4). Healthcare providers do most of their communication through
charts and written notes. It has become a problem for nurse informaticist to make improvements to documentation,
making it quicker, easier, and more accurate (4). Nursing informatics explores new ways to ease and improve
documentation, utilizing innovative computerized and informational technologies (4). It is through the use of
technology, nurses spend less time documenting and more time with patients getting them back to the bedside
sooner. Nurses are now able to access and enter patient data in real time thus realizing the specialized expectations
for every patient (5).
The benefit of using technology is great for nursing, however improving patient outcomes continues to be a
challenge (1). New initiatives resulting in changes within facilities or organizations involving the introduction of
new technology has been happening more often (1). In part, this increase in changes is due to items such as
meaningful use, healthcare reform, and payment reimbursement adjustments (1). While attempting to keep up with
advances in technology, the efficiency of nursing can be affected, as well as, patient outcomes and clinician
experience (1). The absence of integration of existing clinical applications creates additional workload, double
documentation, and increased risk for error, for nurses attempting to manage several systems at once (1).
Moving into the future, the necessity for further professional progress of nurses towards competencies in
technology and informatics will grow. It will be left up to Chief Nursing Officers to “define and manage the
education and training requirements, as well as promoting nursing informatics education as an option for career
advancement” (1). There is an increasing demand for nurses at executive levels to lead the progression and to have
the ability required to direct the growth of nursing informatics as a science (1). The field of nursing informatics
within the health care system emphasizes safety and quality care outcomes, which are initiatives that leaders in
healthcare should strongly consider as providing quality patient care as a national concern (5).
References:
(1) Clark, J., & Mitchell, M. B. (2014). The cue-cnio: Improving patient care through technology. Nurse Leader,
12(1), 52-64.
(2) Lafleur, K. (2004, May). Tackling med errors with technology. Retrieved from http://www.rnweb.com
(3) McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2012). Nursing informatics and foundations of knowledge. (2nd ed., pp. 95).
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
(4) Nursing informatics. (2008, December 31). Retrieved from
http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/91/Nursing_Informatics
(5) Shuler, G. (2011, June 16). Role of nursing informatics for leadership. Retrieved from
http://nursing.advanceweb.com
ROSWELL PARK OUTPATIENT AMBULATORY INFUSION NURSES ARE PARTICIPATING IN
THE DEFENS STUDY
By Renee Thompson RN (Amherst Center)
Roswell Park Outpatient Ambulatory Infusion Nurses were given the opportunity to participate in a study
designed to promote safety at chemotherapy infusion sites. A new study called DEFENS: Drug Exposure
Feedback and Education for Nurses’ Safety is aimed at lowering the risk of exposure to hazardous drugs in the
oncology setting.
$2.3 million in funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is allocated to
this 4 year study. Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Nursing and Comprehensive Cancer Center
will study oncology nurses’ exposure to hazardous drugs, including identifying ways to reduce exposure. The
study will examine oncology nurses’ use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and biological exposure to
hazardous drugs. Eleven of the nation’s leading cancer centers and over 300 nurses will participate in this study.
“Over 20 million doses of chemo are given annually in infusion centers. Nurses are the single largest group of
oncology care providers. Patients and families work with nurses the most when chemotherapy is part of the
treatment. It’s important to recognize the need for well-prepared oncology nurses to deliver care safely and avoid
poor outcomes. We believe the data gathered from this study can be used to inform practice and make policy
changes that will improve the safety of a large number of health care workers,” says Dr. Christopher Friese, PhD,
RN, AOCN, FAAN, University of Michigan School of Nursing assistant professor and member of the University
of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and Institute for Health Policy and Innovation.
Newsletter Editor & Design by Cindy Samborski MSN MHA