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 15th Annniversary Camp Raising Spirits |
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Another successful year at Camp Raising Spirits
Friday, May 30th to Sunday, June 1st, 2008
Laurelville Mennonite Camp in Mt. Pleasant, PA
Camp Raising Spirits celebrated its 15th anniversary as a project near and dear to the members of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter of ONS. "Camp" demonstrates the commitment and dedication of health care providers who know what a difference can be made in the lives of people with cancer by giving them a place to laugh, lounge, and live life a little differently. Camp Raising Spirits provided an excellent getaway experience for cancer patients and their guest.
Check the photo gallery under the NEWS tab for pictures submitted by Anne Kaufman of this year's activities!
A great article about Camp Raising Spirits appeared in the Tribune Review on Monday, June 9th. Check it out!
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_571518.html
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 ONS and Pittsburgh Oncology Nurses Featured on TV |
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 Your Help NEEDED: Skin Cancer Screening |
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 HiGHLIGHTS FROM ONS CONGRESS |
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The #1 Conference for Oncology Nurses!
The 33rd Annual ONS Congress lived up to this reputation! More than 5,000 oncology nurses and health professionals were in attendance May 15-18th in Philadelphia, PA, including 24 members of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter. A parade (lead by the famous Philadelphia Mummer’s Band included 200 international nurses from 23 countries, members of the Philadelphia Chapter and several area chapters, and the ONS Board of Directors) served as the opening for this amazing conference.
A non-traditional keynote address was offered by Patrick “Lips” Houlahan, a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet instructor and pilot. His provocative message offered comparisons between the role of the fighter pilot with the oncology nurse and the significance of staying focused and "never losing sight of the ground”.
For nurses, that ‘attitude check barometer’ is engaged when we consider the patient’s well-being and safety FIRST. In health care today, we are bombarded with multiple demands for our attention, and like pilots, are at risk for “task saturation”. Houlahan referred to this insidious phenomenon as a ‘silent killer’ and cautioned nurses to avoid “channeled attention”, where we can become so focused on a particular problem and a single solution that we fail to realize the unintended consequences of not considering other alternatives.
His leadership lesson in the Flawless Execution Model encouraged nurses to plan, brief, execute, debrief, and win. He stressed the importance the debriefing phase and offered the example of the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels as a group that debriefs after every show to examine the process and learn from mistakes in a nameless and rank less session focusing on ‘not who is right, but what is right’. Lieutenant Colonel Houlahan was well briefed for this presentation, not only by the Congress Team and ONS staff, but by his mother, Mary Jean Houlahan, an oncology nurse from West Palm Beach, Florida who proudly watched his flawless execution from the first row of the lecture hall!
This year’s ONS Congress included multiple advanced and introductory sessions addressing content across the cancer care continuum. Highlights included the “Bench to the Bedside” lecture addressing the role of cancer prevention in the future of cancer care. The impact of our country’s presidential election was marked with a surprise visit from Governor Ed Rendell and a special session on How the Candidates Stand on Priority Issues for Oncology Nurses.
The ONS Clinical Lecture featured Jeri Ashley, RN, MSN, AOCN presenting “Pain Management – Nurses in Jeopardy” addressed common myths associated with pain management. Jeri received an enthusiastic standing ovation when she ended her amusing and poignant lecture by singing the inspirational song “What a Wonderful Day”! It is worth ordering the CD’s from Congress just to listen to this presentation!
Walking into opening ceremonies, I always get cold chills when I see 5,000 oncology nurses who are as dedicated to excellence in cancer care as I am. I am grateful to our chapter for the scholarship that allowed me to attend Congress and to represent our chapter. Next year the ONS Congress will be held April 30-May 3rd in San Antonio, TX.
Check out highlights from this year’s ONS Congress at www.ons.org and learn more about how you can plan to attend this #1 Cancer Nursing Conference next year! Check out pictures of GPC-ONS members at Congress by visiting our Photo Gallery under the NEWS tab at the top of the page!
Laura Fennimore, RN, MSN
GPC-ONS President
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 Shadowing an Oncology Nurse |
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 Staff Members Experience a Day in the Life of an Oncology Nurse
Jenny Shinsky, Membership/Leadership Specialist
The ONS staff job shadowing program provided an opportunity for several staff members to shadow an oncology nurse for a day. Staff members got to experience first-hand what an oncology nurse does on a daily basis. Here is a sample of what ONS national staff learned from GPC-ONS members!
Kristin Hughes, Education Team administrative assistant: On February 1, I arrived at West Penn Hospital at 8:15 am. I followed the arrows on the floor to find the elevator that would take me to the sixth floor medical short stay unit. When the elevator door opened, I was greeted by two nurses. Stacey Walsh, RN, read my name tag and ushered me back downstairs, saying, “The meeting probably already started but we will slip you in.” I went down to the third floor and entered a little meeting room where 10 nurses from different departments were holding a weekly update meeting. I was handed an agenda and given a seat at the table. I was surprised to see so many different departments independently working together to maintain and achieve unity throughout the hospital. Each voluntarily brought her expertise and constructive opinions and suggestions. The rest of the day was spent touring the different departments, including the short-stay chemo unit and bone marrow transplant and testing labs. I watched a patient have his blood circulated through an aphaeresis machine to remove the plasma. I was shown how every action was thoroughly documented on the patient charts and how department records are kept in the computer files. In all, I was shown an amazing world that our work at ONS contributes to. I saw the confidence in which nurses referred to our printed material and used our policies as their own. I gained a greater appreciation for the work we do, and I thank everyone involved in making this happen.
Read more here. Special THANKS to all the oncology nurses who participated in this experience!
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 GPC-ONS Receives Grant from ONS Foundation |
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 GPC-ONS Award Opportunities |
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GPC-ONS 2008 Joseph Schafer Award
The Joseph W. Schafer, Jr. Award was established by GPC-ONS in order to commemorate Mr. Joseph W. Schafer, Jr. who volunteered with the chapter providing enormous contributions to the evolution and growth of the GPC Chapter. GPC-ONS offers the Joseph W. Schafer Award in order to recognize and reward any registered nurse in the Pittsburgh oncology nursing community who exemplifies the truest sense of the “Volunteer Spirit.”
The winner of 2008 Joseph W. Schaefer Award was Renee Gorczyca. Renee received $250 from the chapter at the Celebration Dinner. She was nominated by Dawn Wentley.
GPC-ONS Exemplar Award
GPC-ONS offers the Exemplar Award in order to recognize and reward any registered nurse who exemplifies oncology nursing practice which has made a difference in the life of a cancer patient; a family who is supporting and coping with a loved one’s cancer or a nurse providing care to cancer patients and their families. Also, GPC-ONS acknowledges the GPC member who recognizes as well as acknowledges the performance of exemplary nursing practice in the oncology field. Any member of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter (GPC) of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) may nominate a fellow GPC colleague for this award.
The winner of the 2008 Exemplar Award is Marjorie Love Leslie, CRNP. Margie was awarded $100 from the chapter at the Celebration Dinner! She was nominated by Anna Vioral, who received $25 as well for this nomination.
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 New PEP card Volume Now Available |
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 What's Blasting Off in CML? |
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 Free Member Benefit - Connect With Nurses in Your Subspecialty |
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 Cancer care encompasses many subspecialties. ONS special interest groups put you in touch with other members practicing in the same area as you so you can share ideas and knowledge with each other. All members can join one SIG for free. http://sig.vc.ons.org/
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 Step Up and Become a Diversity Champion |
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 We need you to serve as a Diversity Champions in your chapter and your community! Diversity Champions are a vital team of ONS members who serve as a bridge, welcoming all to participate and contribute their knowledge to inclusiveness initiatives—a core value of ONS. Take the challenge! http://diversity.vc.ons.org/
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 ONS Connect E-Magazine Now Available! |
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Timely oncology-related news and information about ONS is just a click away with the new online ONS Connect. This enhanced, user-friendly version of the popular ONS news magazine makes keeping up with the latest in oncology nursing easier than ever. http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ons/connect_200801/index.php
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 New Lung Cancer Research Grant Funding from ONS Foundation and National Lung Cancer Partnership |
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 Applications are invited for lung cancer grant proposals that address high-priority topic areas identified by the 2005-2009 ONS Research Agenda. One $50,000 two-year grant award is available. Applications are due May 1, 2008. http://www.ons.org/awards/foundawards/majorGrants.shtml
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 Oncology Nursing Forum Podcast Series Debuts! |
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 Take some time today to listen to the first in a series of podcasts highlighting select articles from the Oncology Nursing Forum (ONF). The first podcast features ONF Editor Rose Mary Carroll-Johnson, MN, RN, interviewing Betty Ferrell, RN, PhD, FAAN, and Nessa Coyle, PhD, RN, FAAN, about their March 2008 ONF article “The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Nursing.” http://www.ons.org/publications/journals/ONF/podcasts.shtml
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 ONS Offers Ways to Get Involved |
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 ONS offers many volunteer opportunities to cultivate professional development through forums to network and enhance expertise, clinical knowledge, and leadership skills. The ONS Web Site is your gateway to volunteer opportunities in the Society. Check out the Membership area for ways to get involved. http://www.ons.org/membership/
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 Greater Pittsburgh Chapter |
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Welcome to the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter. The Chapter invites you to browse our site and participate in our events and other offerings.
This is THE PLACE to find out what's happening in Oncology Nursing in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Look to this site to find out about our membership, our leadership, our meetings, our events, newsletters, and MUCH MORE!
Click here for tips on how to navigate this site!
Subscribe to Chapter Announcements
Click here to subscribe to the Chapter Announcements.
Subscribe to Calendar Events
Click here to receive calendar events.
Discussion Forum
Click here to subcribe to the Discussion Forum. Please remember to log in each time you participate in our chapter's discussion.
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 WANTED: New GPC-ONS Members |
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 GPC-ONS Fund Raiser: The Stephanie McMahon Memorial Cookbook |
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It is that time again to renew your GPC-ONS membership. Attached is the new membership renewal form. If you have already paid your dues, but have not filled out the application please do so and send me a copy. The dues for local chapter membership are $20 for 2008-2009.
Lisa Wilt, RN, BSN
Chair, Membership Committee
Join GPC-ONS!! Click here for a copy of the membership application. Print the form, complete your information, and mail it to:
Lisa Wilt
346 Fawn Trail
Cranberry Twp, PA 16066
Note: You must be a member of the national organization as well to become a GPC-ONS member. Annual dues: $20 beginning for the 2008-2009 membership year.. Discounted rate for students. Membership renewals are due each year by June 30th.
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 2008-2009 GPC-ONS Board of Directors |
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