“If we’re not driving our own research agenda and we’re not asking the questions we see as important, we are not realizing the full potential of nursing. We know, because we are with patients, what the issues are for patients, for families, and for communities. We have to be able to say, ‘Nope, this is the question.’” Margaret (Peg) Rosenzweig, PhD, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, ONS’s scholar-in-residence and professor at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a discussion about her oncology nursing clinical and research career, commitment to equity, and role as ONS’s scholar-in-residence. 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

Earn 0.75 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by July 14, 2025. 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 race in research.

Episode Notes

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. 
• Oncology Nursing Podcast Episode 107: Social Determinants Lead to Unequal Access to Health Care
• ONS clinical practice resources:
  • Racial Disparities in Cancer Care: Biomarker Testing for Lung Cancer
  • Racial Disparities in Cancer Care: First-Line Treatment Options and Side-Effect Management
  • Racial Disparities in Cancer Care: Supportive and Hospice Care
  • Racial Disparities in Cancer Care: Telehealth and Clinical Trial Options
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Cancer Mortality Declines Among Black Patients but Remains Disproportionately High
  • Diversity in Nursing Begins at the Student Level
  • Diversity in Nursing: How the Profession Is Addressing Racial and Gender Gaps
  • Specialized Risk Calculator May Reduce Disparities for Black Patients With Breast Cancer
  • Racism, Health Inequities, and Unequal Access to Care Are Oncology Nursing Research Priorities
• ONS DEI Commitment Statement
• Implicit Bias in Nursing: Identifying and Confronting the Issue
• National Cancer Institute
• National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
• National Institute of Nursing Research

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

To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. 

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

Highlights From Today’s Episode

“A commitment that we all have to have is toward more diversity in oncology nursing and in oncology research and thinking about what can I do in my world.” Timestamp (TS) 7:52

“Unless we listen to and really fully honor what the nurse can ask about their experience with patients, we’re missing so much in the way that we can help patients’ families and communities.” TS 17:08

“I think we haven’t thought fully enough about the patient in the context of their life. I think we’ve thought about symptoms, but we have to think about the patient baring those symptoms, where they come from, and what they’ve experienced. So, I think incorporating the social determinants of health is very important.” TS 18:00

“White researchers will say, ‘It doesn’t matter. You can hire White recruiters and as long as people are properly trained, that should not matter.’ I feel like that is a bit of implicit bias that we as White researchers just don’t recognize. We think it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t matter to us. But it does matter to Black women.” TS 30:13

“I think the take-home message here, though, is to have very specific guidelines at your institution to manage both CRS and ICANS. The protocols should be readily available to all practitioners who may participate in the care of these patients,” ONS member Phyllis McKiernan, MSN, APN, OCN®, advanced practice provider at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, told Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, BMTCN®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. McKiernan’s and Taylor’s conversation centered around the nurse’s role in recognizing and managing toxicities related to CAR T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies, specifically ICANS and CRS, which was an educational priority that ONS members identified during two ONS focus groups on the topic in March 2023. McKiernan was one of the content experts for those focus groups. 

This podcast episode is produced by ONS and supported by funding from Janssen Oncology/Legend Biotech. ONS is solely responsible for the criteria, objectives, content, quality, and scientific integrity of its programs and publications.  

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod  

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0   

Episode Notes 

• NCPD contact hours are not available for this episode. 
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Oncologic Emergencies 101 series
  • Episode 261: CAR T-Cell Therapy for Hematologic Malignancies Requires Education and Navigation
  • Episode 139: How CAR and Other T Cells Are Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment
  • Episode 1: Experiences With CAR T-Cell Therapy
• ONS Clinical Practice Resources:
  • Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy: A Timeline of Events and Adverse Events
  • Cytokine Release Syndrome
• ONS Clinical Update: Focus on Clinical Experiences With CAR T-Cell Therapy
• ONS course: Nursing Considerations for CAR T-Cell Therapy for Patients With Hematologic Malignancies: Patient Education and Symptom Management
• ONS Huddle Card™️: Cytokine Release Syndrome
• ONS Immuno-Oncology Learning Library
• ONS videos:
  • CAR T-Cell Therapy
  • Cytokine Release Syndrome
• American Cancer Society
• American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Grading Scale for CRS and ICANS
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation 
• National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute
• Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies 

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

To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library.  

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

Highlights From Today’s Episode 

“All symptoms need to be investigated fully to determine their cause and thus the best management strategy and not just simply assume that they’re related to CAR T.” Timestamp (TS) 9:21  

“Accurate grading is really crucial to ensure that the toxicities are identified and managed consistently across the institution.” TS 10:52 

“Once the patient shows signs and symptoms of neurotoxicity, they should have a comprehensive neurologic examine, and that should include, a neurology consult, maybe imaging, such as an MRI or CT, and perhaps even a lumbar puncture.” TS 14:12 

“Letting patients and their families know what next steps are can alleviate anxiety and give the patients the confidence that the medical team is familiar with these toxicities. And let them know that these toxicities are expected and that there are protocols in place to manage these symptoms.” TS 22:56 

“I think that some patients, and even healthcare professionals, who aren’t familiar with CAR T believe that the toxicities are always severe and always irreversible. When, in reality, most of the toxicities are mild and managed with minimal intervention or even just supportive care.” TS 23:55  

“Early detection, consistent grading, vigilant monitoring, and standardized care plans are crucial to the success of any CAR T program and can also help reduce the risk of the severe adverse effects and hopefully improve outcomes for our patients.” TS 30:26 

“We need to continue to remind everyone that reporting culture improves safety, that events are usually because of a system or process gap, and there is a clear difference between a system gap and neglectful or at-risk behavior,” ONS member Klara Culmone, MSN, RN, OCN®, assistant nurse manager at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, NY, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a discussion about oncology nurses’ and leaders’ responsibilities in a safety-focused reporting culture. You can earn free NCPD contact hours after listening to this episode and completing the evaluation linked below. This episode is part of a series on creating a culture of safety; the others are linked in the episode notes below.

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by June 30, 2025. 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 creating a culture of reporting errors and safety issues.

 Episode Notes

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. 
• Oncology Nursing Podcast Episode 246: Create a Culture of Safety: Fair and Just Culture
• ONS Voice resources:
  • Culture of safety topic tag
  • Licensure, Scope of Practice, and Reporting: Every Nurse’s Essential Responsibilities Under the Nightingale Pledge
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing article: Vaught's Single Story and Health Care's Culture of Safety
• ONS book: Scope and Standards of Oncology Nursing Practice
• ONS clinical practice resource: Recognize It; Report It
• The Joint Commission
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Patient Safety Network

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

To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. 

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

Highlights From Today’s Episode

“A reporting culture is where people report their errors and near misses. Adverse events and near misses are common in health care; however, unfortunately, they are underreported.” Timestamp (TS) 01:36

“I think that nurses may hesitate because of fear of retaliation or getting in trouble. Even if that error was because of a system problem or it was an honest mistake, there’s still that fear. So, leaders in healthcare settings really need to create and promote a psychologically safe environment.” TS 03:23

“Oncology nurses are really positioned in a great place to participate in debriefs and root-cause analysis and share their expertise as appropriate to, perhaps, update current policies and procedures to prevent this from happening again.” TS 08:36

“We all have a role to play in identifying and reporting potential hazards. So, that could be a piece of equipment that needs maintenance or a slippery floor that needs attention. We can all prevent harm and keep our patients safe.” TS 17:16

“It is so important for all of us to foster a culture where all employees feel empowered to report and address concerns without fear of repercussions.” TS 19:14

 “Sometimes you think, ‘Oh, these are just bladder patients; it’s different.’ But it might not be different. They still have a cancer diagnosis; this is still going to be a very fearful and unsettling time for that patient and their caregivers,” Tiffany Kurtz, MSN, RN, OCN®, manager of outpatient oncology at Summa Health Cancer Institute in Akron, OH, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. Kurtz discussed intravesical administration and oncology nurses’ role in the treatment. 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

Earn 0.75 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org  by June 23, 2025. 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 the nurse's role in intravesical medication administration.

Episode Notes

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Episode 209: Updates in Chemo PPE and Safe Handling
  • Episode 197: Patient Learning Needs and Educational Assessments
  • Episode 179: Learn How to Educate Patients During Immunotherapy
  • Episode 114: Intravesicular Chemotherapy Considerations for Oncology Nurses
  • Episode 87: What Are the Biggest Barriers to Patient Education?
• ONS courses:
  • Fundamentals of Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Administration
  • ONS/ONCC Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Certificate Course
  • ONS/ONCC Chemotherapy Immunotherapy Certificate Renewal Course
  • Safe Handling Basics
• ONS books:
  • Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice (second edition)
  • Safe Handling of Hazardous Drugs (third edition)
• ONS Huddle Cards:
  • Chemotherapy
  • Immunotherapy
• ONS Learning Libraries:
  • Cancer of the Genitourinary Tract
  • Immuno-Oncology

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

To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library.

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

Highlights From Today’s Episode

“Intravesical administration is a localized or regional treatment. It’s only going to affect the area of the body that the medication comes in contact with. So because it is administered in the bladder, the common side effects that we’re going to see are going to be localized to the bladder.” Timestamp (TS) 02:09

“Oncology nurses that are trained in administering chemotherapy and, in particular, intravesical chemotherapy, should administer these treatments. At my institution, all outpatient oncology RNs must obtain their ONS chemotherapy and immunotherapy provider card. In addition, any new outpatient oncology nurses that get hired in review education specifically on bladder installation, the different anticancer agents that are used, and how to perform the procedure. And then they work with their preceptor and have to be checked off on a competency checklist as being competent before they can administer it independently.” TS 10:39

“It’s always best to practice with a questioning attitude and put safety first. If something doesn’t seem right, always check with the provider first.” TS 16:40

“It needs to be clear that it’s not IV treatment, and it’s sad to say, but we’ve had patients come into our infusion centers before and have no idea that they were getting a catheter placed. Like, no idea. And it’s like, okay, there was definitely a communication breakdown or a lack of something.” TS 27:04

“Make sure you’re assessing the patients and where they’re at in their learning needs, and their education level, and what they can comprehend. Make sure that they understand; they need to know they’re getting a urinary catheter into the bladder and not an IV. But of course, there’s many other things they’re going to need educating on.” TS 27:33

“The mental and physical health of the healthcare team, especially the nurses, has to come first because if you are not physically and mentally and spiritually in a good place, you cannot help other people. We’re going to have less good health care, we are going to have more errors, we’re going to have less safety, and we are going to have another 100,000 nurses leaving the field,” Matthew Loscalzo, LCSW, executive director of People and Enterprise Transformation, emeritus professor of supportive care medicine, and professor of population sciences at City of Hope in Duarte, CA, told Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, BMTCN®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about the stressors that are affecting nurses. 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

Music Credit: “Birth of a Hero” by Benjamin Tissot

License code: 7B2F6ZBTINETT4WQ

Earn 0.75 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by June 16, 2025. 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 supporting the mental health of nurses.

Episode Notes

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Episode 27: How Self-Care Can Impact Your Nursing Practice
  • Episode 85: Nursing Resilience and Self-Care Aren’t Optional
  • Episode 187: The Critical Need for Well-Being and Resiliency and How to Practice
  • Episode 231: Nurses Thrive in a Healthy Work Culture
• ONS Voice articles:
  • It’s Okay to Put Yourself First Sometimes
  • Leaders Need to Walk the Talk When It Comes to Self-Care, Too
  • Mental Health Teams Build Programs That Prioritize Staff Well-Being
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing article: Psychosocial Well-Being: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Loneliness, Anxiety, Depression, Self-Compassion, and Professional Quality of Life in Oncology Nurses
• ONS Nurse Well-Being Learning Library
• ONS course: Facilitating Intentional Conversations
• Addressing Health Worker Burnout: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Building a Thriving Health Workforce
• U.S. Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Skills for Psychological Recovery: Field Operations Guide
• Biopsychosocial Model
• Learn more about the staff leadership model.

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

To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library.

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

Highlights From Today’s Episode

“There is overwork, but there is something even bigger, even more sinister, and that is this evolving lack of respect throughout our society. But when it manifests in the healthcare system, where people come in vulnerable states to be protected and they have this adversity to those who care most about them, this is a profound change, this is a unique change. Although it is happening in society for all authority, when it’s in the healthcare system, it manifests in a profoundly different way, and the impact on nurses cannot be overstated.” Timestamp (TS) 05:44

“There is that space between your brain and your heart that I think we should inhabit. We need to have wisdom, we need to have training, but we also need to go to back to our core values. The core value that other people matter. And mostly, I cannot help those other people until I am centered.” TS 19:35

“Structural change is essential, and structural change only comes with some conflict. And I mean healthy, democratic, respectful conversations with each other, with our teams, to advocate for healthier institutions.” TS 27:18

“I think with all people, but especially in the complex environment of health care, focus on what you can influence. Look at your life as a circle and see yourself in that life and say, ‘What can I actually influence rather than allowing myself to be frustrated by things that I cannot have any control over?’” TS 31:00

“One of the biggest problems is that nurses feel that they should just work harder, cope harder. I get very upset when I hear people say and I see it written that nurses should just practice more meditation. Or they should work harder. That is a misconception. It is toxic, and it is dangerous. We have to look at nurses within in the system, physicians within the system, all the healthcare professionals within the system, and say, ‘How do we get them healthy?’ If we don’t get them healthy, we don’t have a healthy healthcare system. We don’t have a healthy society.” TS 36:26

An essential act of well-being, the practice of storytelling creates a social connection that fosters a sense of community and mutual support in both the storyteller and listener. During the Second Annual ONS Storytelling session held at the 48th Annual ONS Congress® in April 2023, ONS members Sarah Lewis, MNE, RN, OCN®, palliative care nurse navigator at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland; Crystal Johnson, RN, BSN, OCN®, patient engagement liaison at Genmab who lives in Ohio; Susie Maloney, MS, APRN, AOCN®, AOCNS®, senior director of the Medical Affairs Company and principal of Oncology Nursing Advisors, LLC, in Dayton, OH; and Brenda Sandoval Tawakelevu, BSN, RN, OCN®, nursing professional development practitioner at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, UT, engaged in the practice of storytelling around the theme of renewal in the context of oncology nursing. In this episode, the four oncology nurses share their tales with hosts Anne Ireland, DNP, RN, AOCN®, CENP, and Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BC, AOCNS®, oncology clinical specialists at ONS.

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod 

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 

Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by June 9, 2025. 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 how nurses learn from one another through storytelling. 

Episode Notes 

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD. 
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes: 
  • Episode 101: Why We Love Oncology 
  • Episode 90: The Year of the Nurse 
• ONS Voice articles: 
  • Behind Our Masks, I See You, I Hear You 
  • Mrs. Jones Gave Me the ‘Ah-Ha’ Moment That Guided My Entire Nursing Career 
  • As Oncology Nurses, We Are the Fish 
  • Connect With Your Patients on a Human Level as Well as a Healthcare Level 
  • Our Patients Give Us Peace in Unexpected Circumstances 
  • Beyond the Bedside: Oncology Nurses Have Endless Opportunities in Unexpected Careers 
  • Nursing Representation Is Critical in All Industries—Even Those Outside of Health Care 
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing article: How Can Nurses Stay Resilient and Engaged During a Long and Ever-Changing Career Path? 
• ONS books: 
  • Continuing the Legacy: More Voices of Oncology Nurses 
  • Reflections on COVID-19 and Cancer Care: Stories by Oncology Nurses 
  • Reflections on COVID-19 and Cancer Care: Stories by Oncology Nurses (volume 2) 
• ONS Career Development Learning Library 

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

To find resources for creating an ONS Podcast Club in your chapter or nursing community, visit the ONS Podcast Library. 

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

Highlights From Today’s Episode 

Sarah Lewis 

“An opportunity presented in spring 2021 to join the outpatient palliative care team as a registered nurse and after much careful consideration, I decided to take the leap. It seemed like it was a good time for a change, it seemed like a ‘dream’ position, and I knew I could always go back to bone marrow transplant if it didn't work out. I was surprised when so early after I switched positions my decision was affirmed, and my oncology nursing career reinvigorated.” Timestamp (TS) 04:06 

“I learned early on in my oncology nursing career the power of education but will always appreciate the real-life lesson my patient taught me that day. It not only reinforced my decision to step into this brand-new role, but it also re-energized my practice and spirit to continue to perform this awesome work we oncology nurses have the privilege to do every day.” TS 06:32 

Crystal Johnson 

“Being an oncology nurse, you inevitably become an extension of your patient’s family. Often, we are with our patients throughout every step of their oncologic journey: initial diagnosis, first chemo, symptom management, remission, relapse, progression and, ultimately end-of-life transition.” TS 07:24 

“From the moment I cared for my first oncology patient, I knew I had found my calling, but being able to be a part of something and inspire others in a way that is able to reach far greater than the patients I've cared for throughout my career is the reason I continue to show up every single day. Trusting that what we do makes a difference, and we can continue to cultivate a culture of hope within a community that is forever linked together by an unimaginable bond that no one asked to share.” TS 10:44 

Susie Maloney 

“One thing I’ve learned when teaching in countries with different cultures is that it is important to respect the people and be educated on what their beliefs happen to be. It is not our job to ‘teach them our Western ways.’ This can be a challenge, however, particularly when some beliefs or practices are not evidence based.” TS 12:28 

“When working in impoverished countries, it is important to consider what is within their achievable means. We would not teach about the latest therapies that are used in the United States if there is no chance of patients having access to such therapies or medications.” TS 15:28 

Brenda Sandoval Tawakelevu 

“Although I have many fond memories or patients and families that I have loved and cared for, I wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t tell you I’ve also had many doubts about oncology nursing during some of the very rough seasons of life that we all experience. I’ve been at the crossroads, and I have seen the two roads the poet Robert Frost has so beautifully written about. This hasn’t occurred just once but many times through the years as I have experienced the highs and the lows of ‘this road less traveled’ of oncology nursing.” TS 18:40 

“Now, eight years have passed, and I keep going day by day in the wonderful field of oncology. The flames of passion continue to grow, and that passion has been shared with hundreds of students and nurses that have been in my path over the years. I invite each one of you to choose to connect, choose to find your own balance in the field of oncology nursing, choose to heal your own wounds life has left upon you, and most of all, continue to choose oncology nursing.” TS 26:26 

“Being an ally means you’re coming from a place where you know what issues are going on, you stay up to date about what’s happening in the world, and just because you don’t identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, doesn’t mean that you can’t teach about what’s going on,” Beau Amaya, MSN, RN, OCN®, associate director of patient and caregiver education at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BS, AOCNS®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. Amaya discussed the nursing considerations when caring for LGBTQ+ patients with cancer. 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

Earn 0.75 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by June 2, 2025. 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 caring for patients with cancer in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Episode Notes

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Episode 75: LGBTQ+ Patients Face Significant Barriers to Successful Cancer Care
  • Episode 211: Apply the LGBTQIA+ Lived Experience to Your Patient Interactions
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Cultural Competence Training Promotes Safe and Inclusive LGBTQ+ Patient Care
  • Transgender Patient Populations: Inclusive Care Involves Listening and Communicating
  • Transgender Patients, Deadnaming, and Patient Identification
  • Put Underserved Populations at the Forefront of the Sexual Health Conversation
  • The Case of the Transgender Considerations for Cancer Screening
  • Nurses Can Provide Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Patients With Cancer
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:
  • Addressing Cultural Competency: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Cancer Care
  • Care Considerations for the LGBTQ+ Patient With Cancer
• ONS Implicit Bias Huddle Card™
• Fenway Institute
• Gallup: U.S. LGBT Identification Steady at 7.2%
• GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality
• Human Rights Campaign: Healthcare Equality Index 2022
• National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
• Safe Zone Project

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

“Sexual orientation and gender identify data is important because it really tells you the history and what’s going on with the patient. Some patients may identify as a woman, but their sex assigned at birth may be male. The patient may be presenting as a trans woman or as a woman. You’re not seeing their full health history because you may not know all of the different information about them. So, sex assigned at birth is really important to know really the full medical history and what the patient is really needing to be cared for.” Timestamp (TS) 05:10

“It is not the community’s duty to gain the trust from the providers. It is our duty as providers to make a safe space so patients can come to us to get care. When you have mistrust and fear of going to healthcare providers, it’s not going to do well for the community. They’re not going to get screened; they’re not going to get diagnosed early. They’re just going to have poor outcomes.” TS 14:16

“We’re the most trusted profession, and patients really get in tune with us. If they feel safe with the nurse, they really start to feel safe within the healthcare system, and you can really tackle a lot of the feelings and worry the patient has by just being there for the patient and by really acknowledging who they are, who their families are, who their caregivers are. And it’s something that is so powerful. As nurses, we sometimes forget that we have that power.” TS 16:00

“I have talked to many people, and they feel, ‘I can’t do a Safe Zone training. I can’t talk about LGBTQ issues because I’m not part of the community.’ And I always combat that and say, ‘Well, I don’t have cancer. I have never experienced that, but I teach about cancer. I take care of people with cancer.’ Being an ally means you’re coming from a place where you know what issues are going on, you stay up to date about what’s happening in the world, and just because you don’t identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, doesn’t mean that you can’t teach about what’s going on.” TS 26:32

“I wouldn’t make assumptions about people. And I think this goes for all people. This isn’t just an LGBTQ issue, this is a patient issue. . . .  Don’t assume things about patients. Ask about our patients, learn about our patients. Ask open-ended questions to really learn about people.” TS 30:10

“Just like with anything we do in oncology, a lot of education is required. Nurses and coordinators are critical to start the education and provide effective resources that are reinforced throughout the treatment,” ONS member Beth Faiman, PhD, MSN, APN-BC, AOCN®, BMTCN®, FAAN, FAPO, advanced practice provider at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, told Lenise Taylor, MN, RN, AOCNS®, BMTCN®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about how to address knowledge gaps and barriers to practice regarding patients who are preparing for or who have received CAR T-cell therapy for hematologic malignancies. Faiman was one of the content experts for two ONS focus groups on the topic in March 2023.

This podcast episode is produced by ONS and supported by funding from Janssen Oncology/Legend Biotech. ONS is solely responsible for the criteria, objectives, content, quality, and scientific integrity of its programs and publications.

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Episode Notes

• NCPD contact hours are not available for this episode.
• ONS Clinical Update: Focus on Clinical Experiences With CAR T-Cell Therapy
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Episode 1: Experiences With CAR T-Cell Therapy
  • Episode 139: How CAR and Other T Cells Are Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment
  • Episode 176: Oncologic Emergencies 101: Cytokine Release Syndrome
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Studies Show Best Practices to Manage CAR T-Cell Therapies’ irAEs and Improve Outcomes
  • CAR T-Cell Therapy Programs: Essential Elements to Establish a Successful System
  • A Body of Evidence Helps Nurses Manage CAR T-Cell Therapy Toxicities
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:
  • CAR T-Cell Therapy: Updates in Nursing Management
  • Building a Program: Implications for Infrastructure, Nursing Education, and Training for CAR T-Cell Therapy
  • Management Across Settings: An Ambulatory and Community Perspective for Patients Undergoing CAR T-Cell Therapy in Multiple Care Settings
• ONS clinical practice resources:
  • Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy: A Timeline of Events and Adverse Events
  • Cytokine Release Syndrome
• ONS course: Nursing Considerations for CAR T-Cell Therapy for Patients With Hematologic Malignancies: Patient Education and Symptom Management
• ONS videos:
  • CAR T-Cell Therapy
  • Cytokine Release Syndrome
• American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Consensus Grading for Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurologic Toxicity Associated With Immune Effector Cells
• International Myeloma Foundation
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
• New England Journal of Medicine article: Ide-cel or Standard Regimens in Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma
• Transplantation and Cellular Therapy article: Overcoming Barriers to Referral for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma
• Learn more about CAR T-cell therapy and risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS).

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

“Just like with anything we do in oncology, there is a lot of education that is required. The same navigators that take care of our patients through the transplant and cellular therapy process, we have similar cellular coordinators that were part of the focus group. These navigators were critical to start the education and provide effective resources that were reinforced throughout the treatment.” Timestamp (TS) 09:00

“The nurses and coordinators play a huge role during the transition of care. Not only do they help with coordinating appointments, but also the scheduling of tests and coordinating with the referring team. I heard a lot in the focus groups about the nurses communicating from inpatient to outpatient, and also coordinating from center to center.” TS 10:22

“Patients can get really nervous when they’re feeling sick. I explain it to them like, “You know how you get a flu shot, and you might get a little reaction as we’re training your immune system to provide immunity? Well, it’s like that, but way worse.’ So, you can get really sick feeling and achy from this, and so that psychosocial support is super important.” TS 18:16

“It takes a lot of burden on the patient, caregiver, and the nurse to really be astute to those symptoms and intervene. We do provide wallet cards to patients. We educate the emergency department staff. We also heard about the infection monitoring and caregiver support is absolutely critical. Fortunately, the symptom management has become quite standardized, which really affords the nurses more autonomy to intervene more efficiently.” TS 20:46

“The nurses found for education a teach-back tool to be quite useful. One of the nurses mentioned asking the patient questions such as, ‘What will you do when you have a fever? Tell me what you do,’ and “What do you understand from what the doctor just told you?’ And so that was just kind of a way that they could go back and forth with the educational process and really understand what the patients understood.” TS 25:46

“I think it’s important to ensure that you consider each person uniquely. Because no matter how much I know or the nurse knows about the population, everybody is a little bit different. It’s really important to personalize every approach and ask them what they know and meet them where they are,” ONS member Reneé Kurz, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, director of clinical research operations at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BC, AOCNS®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about increasing diversity in clinical trials. You can earn free NCPD contact hours by completing the evaluation we’ve linked in the episode notes.

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by May 19, 2025. 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 increasing diversity in clinical trials.

Episode Notes

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.
• Oncology Nursing Podcast episodes:
  • Episode 19: The Practical Side of Clinical Trials
  • Episode 126: Oncology Clinical Trials and Drug Development
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Overcome Inequalities in Cancer Treatment Options Across the Ages
  • Balance Hope and Quality of Life for Phase I Clinical Trials
  • Drug Clinical Trials Focus on Efficacy Over Quality of Life
  • The Case of the Clinical Trials Consultation
  • Traits That Make You a Great Nurse Also Lead to Success as a Clinical Trials PI
  • Use ClinicalTrials.gov to Find the Right Cancer Research Studies for Your Patients
  • Nursing Roles in Clinical Trials
• ONS Oncology Clinical Trials Nurse Competencies
• ONS Clinical Trials Huddle Card™
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing article: Cancer Clinical Trials: Improving Awareness and Access for Minority and Medically Underserved Communities
• Oncology Nursing Forum article: The Role of Oncology Nurses in Discussing Clinical Trials
• ONS book: Manual for Clinical Trials Nursing (third edition)
• Citi Program
• ClinicalTrials.gov
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration Drug Development and Approval Process

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

“By ensuring access for diverse populations, we also promote trustworthiness within the diverse communities that we serve.” Timestamp (TS) 02:04

“We have a centralized education team for clinical trials, and all of the new investigators get a toolkit that they can use and get training on different informed consent processes and different resources that we have. We also have a really good relationship between research and our community outreach and engagement area. . . . And if either the research nurses or the investigators come up with any barriers to enrolling a specific population, there’s an online form to request community outreach services for their patients or location.” TS 09:50

“A major step is the scientific review board going through each protocol and making sure that the catchment area is really represented and that protocols are inclusive. We also have disease-specific group meetings where the investigators and all the research staff discuss new protocols and the barriers to opening it in specific locations.” TS 12:59

“I think nurses have to step back and figure out what they know about the communities that they serve. They’re used to being on the front lines and seeing patients every day. What kind of experiences have they had with the community, or what do they know about the community? And really what do the communities know about clinical trials, because a lot of it is going to be the nurse educating them.” TS 18:18

“I think it’s important to ensure that you consider each person uniquely. Because no matter how much I know or the nurse knows about the population, everybody is a little bit different. It’s important to personalize every approach and ask them what they know and meet them where they are.” TS 18:59

“I think there’s a big misconception that health literacy means someone’s ability to read or write, and really it’s much more than that,” ONS member Regina Carlisle, MS, BSN, RN, OCN®, senior cancer information nurse at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH, and member of the Cleveland ONS Chapter, told Jaime Weimer, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BC, AOCNS®, oncology clinical specialist at ONS. Carlisle discussed developing and providing patient education across various formats for patients with limited English proficiency. You can earn free NCPD contact hours by completing the evaluation we’ve linked in the episode notes.

Music Credit: “Fireflies and Stardust” by Kevin MacLeod

Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0

Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at myoutcomes.ons.org by May 12, 2025. 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 providing education for patients with limited English proficiency.

Episode Notes

• Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.
• ONS Voice articles:
  • Low Cost-Related Health Literacy May Prevent Survivors From Following Care Plans
  • Master the Essentials of Effective Communication
• Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles:
  • Patients With Limited English Proficiency: A Challenge for Oncology Nursing Providers
  • Cultural Awareness: Ensuring High-Quality Care for Limited English Proficient Patients
  • Health Literacy: Exploring Nursing Challenges to Providing Support and Understanding
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit
• Cancer Patient Education Network
• Culturally Connected
• Health Information Translations
• Institute for Healthcare Advancement Health Literacy Discussion List
• National Council on Interpreting in Health Care
• The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman
• Think Cultural Health
  • Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Program
• Learn more about Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
• Learn more about Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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

“I think there’s a big misconception that health literacy means someone’s ability to read or write, and really it’s much more than that. There are two basic definitions of health literacy—we have personal health literacy and organizational health literacy.” Timestamp (TS) 01:48

“The best practice is to apply this approach called health literacy universal precautions to all your encounters with any patients or family members. So just as you would use proper personal protective equipment if you were encountering body fluids, you’re going to use those universal precautions as you don’t know what you’re dealing with—the same is true for encounters with health literacy.” TS 08:16

“There are international best practices that really advise against using family or staff for translations because they might not know the medical terminology, or you might be putting them in an uncomfortable situation. Plus, there might be cultural norms or family dynamics that affect that conversation, and they affect how the information is delivered between you, the family member, and the patient. It can really muddy the waters.” TS 18:50