Nurses as patient partners

As I spend more time with oncology nurses, I continue to be in awe of them. I walked over to the conference this morning with a wonderful nurse who was just completely excited about learning more information and being able to take this information back to Indiana to better help her patients. That eager, helpful spirit permeates the vibrant atmosphere at the Oncology Nursing Society Conference. Nurses view themselves as partners with their patients during the cancer experience. And that is evident in the compassion and empathy they demonstrate for their patients.For example, I attended an informal discussion about the challenges young adult cancer patients face. Nurses had gathered to talk about what exactly defines a young adult, the isolation young adults can feel by being treated in patient unit usually filled with older adults. And the topics of sexuality and infertility became a main focus. Nurses worked on identifying reasons why they might not bring up the topic of sexuality with their young adult patients--nurses might not know how to answer the questions, there could be an age barrier, they're unsure when's the right time to bring up the topic, etc. Figuring out the barriers to having this particular conversation is just one step closer to making this topic more open to patients. But a recurring theme I have heard from nurses is that it's not only their responsibility to teach their patients, but they also have the opportunity to listen and learn from their patients. Working together patients and nurses can make treatment and quality of life during cancer better.