Patient Safety Through Education: For the Patient

Posted August 16th, 2019

There was a time when patients were expected to do what the doctor told them without asking many questions – or even understanding their illness. Fortunately, this is not the norm anymore. Healthcare providers have learned that patients who understand their illness and treatment are more likely to stick with their treatments, understand when to […]

Patient Safety Through Education: For the Provider

Posted August 12th, 2019

There was a time when patients were expected to do what the doctor told them without asking many questions – or even understanding their illness. Fortunately, this is not the norm anymore. As healthcare providers, we have learned that patients who understand their illness and treatment are more likely to stick with their treatments, understand […]

Vaccines Keeping Us Safe

Posted August 5th, 2019

A vaccine teaches your body’s immune system to recognize and protect you against certain germs. Vaccines contain a small amount of a virus or bacteria that is known to cause a serious or deadly illness. The virus or bacteria has been weakened or killed so that it cannot make you sick. Your immune system learns […]

Sun Safety

Posted July 8th, 2019

Skin cancer rates have been rising for many years. It seems that many of us love the sunshine – to a fault. The UV radiation from the sun causes skin damage and aging, cataracts and skin cancer. Every year there are more new cases of skin cancer than new cases of breast, prostate, lung and […]

Survivorship Care Plans – What does the future hold?

Posted June 24th, 2019

If you are following the proposed Commission on Cancer (CoC) changes to the survivorship standard, you know they have drafted changes that would make providing survivorship care plans (SCP) unnecessary for accreditation, though they still recommend their use. While implementing SCP use in clinics has proven challenging for some centers, others have had great successes. We […]

Fear: The Unwanted Passenger

Posted June 18th, 2019

Author’s note: I wrote this piece a few years back but, of course, it still speaks to me. Probably always will. You might feel the same.  I visited my dermatologist the other day. “Fifteen years!” she said. So long ago, yet sometimes so close.  The thing is, once you have had a diagnosis of cancer […]

Celebrating National Cancer Survivors Day

Posted June 2nd, 2019

Every year, on the first Sunday in June, we recognize National Cancer Survivors Day (NCSD). It’s a day to celebrate the strength and resilience of survivors and caregivers and to provide inspiration to those facing a new diagnosis. It is a reminder that life after cancer can be fulfilling, rewarding and inspiring. A few years ago […]

“I hope that someday you will be as great a nurse as Barb”

Posted May 28th, 2019

I’m sure that many nurses have those experiences they never forget – I do too. But for me, one of the most memorable events wasn’t really an event but the words of a patient early on in my career. Her words have stuck with me for 25+ years, long after I have forgotten her name […]

In Celebration of National Nurses Week

Posted May 1st, 2019

You may have heard the Washington Senator’s comments about nurses playing cards a few weeks back. I rolled my eyes, as I know many other nurses did as well, knowing this couldn’t be farther from the truth. But my first thought was, I guess it is lucky for her that she has never been in […]

Happy 25th Birthday OncoLink!

Posted March 7th, 2019

Can it really be 25 years already? When I was finishing up nursing school in 1994, computers were a novelty. I still researched my school papers using the card catalogue and email was just starting to gain popularity. In a small office at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Joel Goldwein was playing around with creating […]