What is it like to guide a professional association that serves more than 100,000 oncology nurses? ONS Directors-at-Large Deborah “Hutch” Allen, PhD, RN, CNS, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, Kris Mathey, MS, APRN-CNP, AOCNP®, and Jeanene “Gigi” Robison, MSN, APRN, AOCN®, reflect on how their varied nursing backgrounds and ONS experiences help the ONS Board to support a diverse membership during a conversation with ONS Executive Director Lori Brown. They also shared the professional and personal rewards that nurses can reap when getting involved with ONS at any level. You can earn free NCPD contact hours after listening to this episode and completing the evaluation linked below.

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.

Learning outcome: The learner will report an increase in knowledge related to oncology nursing leadership opportunities.

Episode Notes

• The NCPD activity for this episode has expired, but you can still earn NCPD through many other ONS 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
  • Episode 224: Meet the ONS Board of Directors: Nevidjon, Geddie, and Garner
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Journeying Through Life With ONS
  • 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 Your and Your Goals
  • Nursing Representation Is Critical in All Industries—Even Those Outside of Health Care
• ONS Leadership Learning Library
• ONS Strategic Plan
• Find all the ways to get involved with ONS at every level.
• 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

Deborah “Hutch” Allen: “The local, national, and making international connections has provided me with a lot of opportunities for networking and opening many new doors for other positions, including considering running for the Board of Directors member-at-large position for ONS this past year. Keep your mind open, be willing to listen, and accept new opportunities.” Timestamp (TS) 21:03

Jeanene “Gigi” Robison: “When we look at people in our lives and they are in leadership positions, whether that be locally or nationally, I think that they are good resource people for us when we have questions about pursuing that same direction.” TS 26:34

Gigi Robison: “Be open minded and think outside of the box. I believe it is crucial to listen to as many people as you can in order to have a diverse perspective.” TS 37:12

Hutch Allen: “I think it’s harder to step back and say, ‘I’m not the expert,’ but I am a lifelong learner. I love finding that ‘aha!’ when I learn how to apply it to my life and into my practice, and I think that’s the most important thing of becoming a board member and always saying to our members that I have to step out of myself, keep an open mind, listen, and provide feedback.” TS 38:33

Kris Mathey: “You really never know what you are going to gain from the people around you.” TS 40:47

Kris Mathey: “It takes only one chance to really get to where you’re going. And you may fail along the way, but those are all learning experiences that are going to make you stronger.” TS 41:23

Kris Mathey: “My board involvement really fills my bucket and fills my heart and has really given me that extra—on those hard days at work when I just want to scream sometimes, the involvement in this has really made a difference and helps me keep going.” TS 45:38