What is it like to guide a professional association that serves more than 100,000 oncology nurses? ONS Chief Executive Officer Brenda Nevidjon, MSN, RN, FAAN, and Directors-at-Large Patricia (Patty) Geddie, PhD, APRN, AOCNS®, FCNS, and Danya Garner, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, OCN®, CCRN-K, reflect on their experiences with ONS, how a diverse Board supports a diverse membership, and how you can get involved in ONS leadership.

Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of NCPD by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Episode Notes

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

• The NCPD activity for this episode has expired, but you can still earn NCPD through many other Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes. Find a full list of opportunities.
• ONS Leadership Process
• ONS DEI Commitment Statement
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Episode 200: Meet the ONS Board of Directors: Houlihan, Ferguson, and Polovich
  • Episode 213: Meet the ONS Board of Directors: Brant, Burger, and Knoop
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Find Your Voice With ONS’s Leadership Development Committee
  • New Selection Process Supports Diversity on the ONS Board of Directors
  • Nursing Leadership Has Space for You and Your Goals
  • Boards and Committees Need Oncology APRN Voices. Will You Step Up to the Challenge?
  • Nursing Representation Is Critical in All Industries—Even Those Outside of Health Care
• ONS Leadership Learning Library
• ONS Strategic Plan
• Find an ONS chapter near you.

To discuss the information in this episode with other oncology nurses, visit the ONS Communities.

To provide feedback or otherwise reach ONS about the podcast, email [email protected].

Highlights From Today’s Episode

Garner: “Obtaining a PhD in nursing has always been a goal since I entered my initial program, because I’ve had the goal to always teach and give back to nurses. I am the first person in my family to obtain a PhD and was encouraged by my family to acquire more education. They didn’t necessarily say, ‘You need to get a PhD,’ but rather, ‘Get the education you need to fulfill your life goals,’ and I’ve really seeded that throughout my lifetime.” Timestamp (TS) 06:30

Geddie: “Sometimes it is difficult to receive honest feedback, but it is much appreciated. . . . When honest feedback is given from a sincere and authentic perspective, you grow and develop so much from it.” TS 09:42

Nevidjon: “As board members, you also give feedback to one another. That is part of the board experience. When a new board member comes on, there is a ‘board buddy’ who is assigned, and then there are check-ins in terms of how things are going, what kinds of experiences [there are]. We embrace that in terms of the board experience.” TS 10:03

Garner: “Mentorship is a great opportunity for growth and self-reflection. I believe that mentorship is a continual journey. There is so much to learn from others as well as impart what you have learned to others.” TS 10:53

Nevidjon: “The path to a national board isn’t necessarily just within that organization itself, but the total kind of experiences that you bring.” TS 14:07

Geddie: “When I began my oncology nursing career, I could always identify gaps where improvement was needed to enhance the daily practice of nurses in the acute care setting. I could not make a difference to improve practice while providing direct care every day, so I decided to pursue a master’s degree for the clinical nurse specialist. And this role allowed me not only to stay close to clinical practice but to also drive improvements in the healthcare system in which we worked.” TS 18:14