Debi Fischer, MSW, BSN, BA, LCSW, RN

Narrative oncology is the practice of funneling our experience in health care into stories that are emotional and humanistic.

We can help our patients feel supported is by providing them with clear information about their treatment plan and what to expect. By doing so, we empower them to take control of their own health.

National Donor Day happens during the month of February and is a great time to encourage people in your life to give.

Nurses should educate patients not only about screening guidelines, but about important cancer risks to help improve cancer prevention.

Being an oncology nurse means supporting the patient—even through social media engagement.

January is cervical cancer awareness month. This fourth article in a series underscores the role of the nurse or social workers in patient advocacy.

January is cervical cancer awareness month. This third article in a series highlights current cervical cancer treatment options.

January is cervical cancer awareness month. This second article in a series highlights current cervical screening guidelines.

January is cervical cancer awareness month. This first article in a series highlights educational efforts on disease prevention through vaccination and empowering programs such as the Quilt Project.

Oncology nurses work in a setting that might exacerbate any underlying mental health problems. Although getting through a shift may feel like the main goal, self-care and resiliency is equally important for the RN.

Sometimes nurses inappropriately handle high-risk medications. It is important that other nurses, especially those who work in pain management, hold colleagues accountable to promote patient safety.

In addition to worrying about the staffing needs in oncology units, RNs are facing workplace violence concerns at increasing rates.

Celebrated reality star Teddi Mellencamp is using her Instagram as a platform to stress the importance of follow-up visits for patients with melanoma.

By certain accounts, the breast cancer awareness ribbon was actually peach before it was pink.

Debi Fischer, MSW, BSN, BA, LCSW, RN, discusses the launch of the Florida Cancer Connect program and what this initiative represents for patients across the United States.

Spoon theory can help patients with cancer learn to measure and conserve their energy.

Debi Fischer, MSW, BSN, BA, LCSW, RN, discusses the potential limitations of hiring agency nurses on understaffed surgical oncology units.

The Florida Senate recently passed the No Patient Left Alone Act SB 988, which will allow visitors back into the hospital, regardless of their COVID-19 vaccination, so that no patient will wake from surgery or find themselves in hospice, without a family member by their side.

Cancer care and the information around it has moved online.

Besides Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok to link them to the outside world, there are also cancer websites specifically geared for younger patients with cancer.

Your patient had a mastectomy and chemotherapy and is recovering on the post-op surgical oncology unit. She has 1 or 2 JPs (Jackson Pratt’s) which are drained on a prn basis and a surgical bra. The physical part of her recovery is in progress, but what about body image issues?

All too often, I get off the elevator to work on the surgical oncology acute care unit and am witness to an increasingly familiar scene.

Being an oncology nurse is not always an easy job, but here are 3 things that keep me inspired.

YouTube videos can help oncology nurses learn how to do clinical procedures and brush up on their skills.

Here are some things nurses can do to prepare patients to adhere to their treatment regimens once they leave the hospital.

This year, I’ve made 3 New Year’s resolutions that I know can help make me a better nurse.

Listening to a patient carefully, anticipating their needs, and being flexible in your responses to their care schedule are 3 ways oncology nurses can help improve the patient's experience during a hospital stay.

Three things I wish I had been told when I started my career as a nurse would have been to become computer literate, that great footwear is essential, and that communication is key.

A study published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery described a surgical procedure called prepectoral breast reconstruction that was used among patients who had mastectomies and radiation therapy following their breast cancer diagnosis.

Elise James, LCSW, and Mayra Garcia, LCSW, describe the Stem Cell Transplant Meet and Greet program at The Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which provides psychosocial support to pre-transplant patients.