Melissa Scott
The Beauty in Goodbye
Melissa Scott, BSN, RN 5/22/2013  4
In oncology, we face death on an almost daily basis. Whether it is learning about a patient on the unit or hearing about a former patient, death seems to be all around us.

Linda M. Gorman
Understanding Primary vs. Specialty Palliative Care
Linda M. Gorman, RN, MN, PMHCNS-BC, CHPN, FPCN, OCN 5/16/2013  8
Palliative care has grown rapidly since about 2000 when it began to be recognized as a specialty. Though it took longer to be adopted in oncology, it is now part of standards for ...

Linda M. Gorman
So You Want to Start a Palliative Care Program?
Linda M. Gorman, RN, MN, PMHCNS-BC, CHPN, FPCN, OCN 4/26/2013  5
Have you been thinking about how to get a palliative care program started in your institution, practice, or agency? Or perhaps your current program is evaluating how it is doing and ...

Linda M. Gorman
Exit Strategy: A Cancer Patient’s Journey
Linda M. Gorman, RN, MN, PMHCNS-BC, CHPN, FPCN, OCN 4/10/2013  6
I recently attended the annual assembly of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA), which are both ...

Rachel Odo
Anticipatory Grief
Rachel Odo, Clinical Social Worker 4/4/2013  14
I don't mean to be a downer, but, does anyone else ever think about what's coming? I can't seem to stop myself from thinking about the funeral, what people will say, what it will ...

Michelle Bragazzi
Anti-Depressant Drug Showing Promise for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Michelle Bragazzi, BS, RN 4/3/2013  17
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a side effect oncology professionals see all too often among cancer patients who receive neurotoxic chemotherapy drugs. While ...

Cathy Cole
When the Oncology Navigator Becomes the Insurance Provider
Cathy Cole, RNC, NP, MPH, CHES, CBPN-IC 4/2/2013  7
Today, I spent most of my day like Sherlock Holmes: gathering evidence, listening to multiple sides to the same story, and developing a plan. After many phone calls, we still have ...

Linda M. Gorman
Medication Tips for Palliative & Hospice Care Patients
Linda M. Gorman, RN, MN, PMHCNS-BC, CHPN, FPCN, OCN 4/1/2013  9
Having worked many years in both palliative care and hospice, I became very sensitive to the medication regimens some of our patients endure especially when they are at home.

Julianna Paradisi
Tokin’ in the Infusion Lounger: The Medical Marijuana Dilemma
Julianna Paradisi, RN, OCN 3/25/2013  26
Medical marijuana is legal in Oregon, where I practice. In one sense, this seems to be an enlightened act of legislation for oncology patients who cannot tolerate conventional ...