Oncology Nursing in the Albuquerque Journal

Monday, October 05, 2009 More Than Medicine AlbuquerqueJournalBy Amanda Schoenberg Journal Staff Writer With substantial shifts in treatment and outcomes for people with cancer, the way nurses care for cancer patients has also changed dramatically. As more cancer care moves from hospitals to outpatient settings, nurses who once worked only with terminally ill patients now also work in rehabilitation, prevention, chemotherapy research and as patient care coordinators, say local oncology nurses. And it takes a special kind of person to deal with the varied aspects of the job, from helping patients cope with the initial diagnosis, to getting to know patients' family members during lengthy treatments, to keeping up to date with rapidly evolving cancer care and then, in some cases, to helping a patient through the process of dying. Nurses who take on the task say compassion is pretty much a requisite. "Oncology nursing spans a huge spectrum," says Catherine Fleming, an oncology nurse who monitors quality of care at Lovelace Medical Center and has worked in outpatient and inpatient cancer care. In the 1970s and '80s, most oncology nurses worked in hospitals, says Brenda Nevidjon, president of the Oncology Nursing Society and professor of nursing at Duke University Medical Center's School of Nursing. Changes in managed care, new cancer treatments and help for the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation mean more nurses have since moved outside hospitals. Since the early '90s, cancer death rates have dropped for men and women. According to the National Cancer Center's 2007 trend report, 67.2 percent of patients survived their cancer at least five years in 2000. With new drugs and research, patients survive longer and longer, says Andrea Cox, charge nurse for the outpatient chemotherapy unit at the UNM Cancer Center.

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ABQJOURNAL HEALTH: More Than Medicine

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2009 Light the Night

September 26th ACONS members came together to form a team to benefit the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. Thank you to everyone who participated and donated! The team raised $1000 for a great cause. Thank you, Pamela Bermudez, who organized the event.

2009 Race for the Cure

On September 13th, members of ACONS along with family and friends came together to participate in the Race for the Cure. Our ACONS team in conjunction with BMS raised around $800 for Susan G. Komen! Thanks to all that walked or donated money to support our team!!!

Thank you to Pamela Bermudez (right), our ACONS board member who championed the event! That is Diana Mangan (middle)helping Amy Antle (left)get her number in place.

The end of the race was at Isotopes Park. We finished the 5K walk in 1 hour. Wow!!!! Actually, we were gabbing the whole time and going a nice pace for Pamela since this was the longest she had walked since her knee surgery. It was great fun!

Cancer Services of NM Family Retreat

Note from Eloyda Gomez our Community liaison:

Dorothy Montoya and I got there about 4:30 PM, after we got our name badges we went and set up our table. Then we went to eat in the dinning area with the families & other exhibitors. We both saw some patients and families we knew. There was about 12 or 15 other exhibit tables. The exhibit room opened up about 7:00 PM and lasted until about 9:00. We must have seen about 200 - 250 people! We handed out a lot of information and spoke about ACONS to a lot of people. I was really amazed at how many people just wanted to talk and ask questions about their cancer. It was a lot of fun to be able to just listen and answer questions. I think those people just want someone to listen and be sympathetic to them. Although we did hand out a lot of information, we ran out of the bags and coloring books and crayons right away. Well I am glad we went, we had a good time and I think all the people we saw got some good information and seemed to enjoy it.

Ist Annual ACONS Nursing Symposium

ACONS 2009 Board of Directors

On August 22nd, our chapter hosted its first Regional Oncology Nurses Symposium. One hundred six nurses, representing three states, gathered at the Marriott Uptown, in Albuquerque, for the symposium. The symposium allowed attendees to receive the latest information on oncology disease processes and treatments from nationally ranked experts. Thanks to each of you; attendees, pharmaceutical consultants, commercial and community service vendors for making this symposium a great success. Your support and participation enabled the chapter to raise over $12,000.00. Jim Breedon, Chapter President

Learning about MDS at monthly meeting

ACONS members came out despite the torrential rains to learn about MDS this week. Sandy Kurtin is a speaker that ACONS has brought in several times from Tucson, Arizona. The program addressed the pathophysiology, diagnosis and prognosis of MDS and presented several treatment approaches, along with side effects and patient care priorities. One practical tip Sandy provided, is that patients should exercise the specific muscles that are needed to perform ADL's such as getting dressed in the morning or brushing their teeth. She suggests that patients get a $6.95 large rubber band at WalMart or Target to do the exercices rather than spend lots of money on gym memberships.

ONS Chemo/Biotherapy Course

I spent the last 2 days in the updated, new ONS Chemotherapy/Biotherapy class. ONS has a rule that if you let your card expire, you must take the entire class again and you are not allowed to renew on the ONS website. I had not realized that I had let my chemo provider card expire and I have not been looking forward to taking the whole class again. I want you all to know that everything happens for a reason. The class was given by Mary Ross and it was well worth my time! The new chemo/biotherapy book is much better than the last and it has a lot of great, new information in it. In ACONS, we have several members who give the chemo/biotherapy class through out the year. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements or check out our website www.acons.vc.ons.org whenever you need to take the class. I, in fact, suggest you take the class even if you can renew on-line. It was a great refresher!Amy Gundelach

ACONS at BARD access device presentation

Dorothy Montoya and Rose Reece

Vilma Newman and Jim Breedon

ReNae Dean-Breedon , Phyllis Herbertson, and Eloyda Gomez

Joyce Sillador, Janet Longhurst, and Astrid Lugowski

ACONS at PLTC Survivorship Conference

ACONS member, Audrey Sniegowski, helpong with ACONS table.

Susan and Kristi, Skin Care Foundation drivers.

Road to Healthy Skin Tour in Albuquerque. We were unable to do skin checks this year because we couldn't find a dermatologist to help us but the Skin Cancer Foundation was very gracious to stop at the PLTC survivorship conference to hand out skin care information.

Welcome to Our Blog!

ACONS board members are working hard to bring ACONS into the 21st century and into the age of computer technology. We are updating our website and looking for better ways to communicate with our members. This blog will be our way to share pictures and commentaries related to ACONS members and our other oncology nursing friends.