What Is an Oncology Nurse’s Ethical Responsibility?

Welcome to Onc Nurse On Call!

Are you looking for practical insights for maximizing your impact while staying on the cutting edge of cancer care? You’ve found the right place. Onc Nurse On Call is the new podcast by Oncology Nursing News’, hosted by editors-in-chief Patricia Jakel, MN, RN, AOCN, and Stephanie Desrosiers (formerly Jackson), DNP, MSN, RN, AOCNS, BMTCN, delivering maximum impact in minimum time.

Today’s episode features Katherine Brown Saltzman, MA, RN, president of Ethics of Caring, the organization behind the National Nursing Ethics Conference (NNEC), who discusses ethics in nursing. Brown-Saltzman explains that starting her career in pediatric oncology in a time when nurses “coded every child” ignited her passion for ethics from the beginning.

“It’s important for nurses to understand the field of ethics is wide open right now, and nurses can move in there,” said Brown-Saltzman.

After 32 years of organizing the NNEC, Brown-Saltzman finds that the needs for ethics education and leadership in oncology nursing are as prevalent as ever. Having witnessed lapses in bedside manner from a caregiver perspective in recent years, she underscored that care at every step of patient care is crucial.

“When we say success, we define that often as beating cancer—the wins,” said Brown-Saltzman. “But I see success as so much bigger and broader than that. …Every step of the way, we have an opportunity to enter into the relational aspect.”

Brown-Saltzman said she believes a greater issue of emotional burnout is in part responsible for the shift in care standards: when this type of mental distress reaches a precipice, “the easy way to step awa from that is to stop seeing it—to stop engaging.”

She emphasized the essential role nurses play in ethics committees, where they have the opportunity to represent patients’ experiences from the bedside. Jakel and Brown-Saltzman agreed that this includes the nurse’s unique perspective and ability to have a patient’s cultural context be understood and coordinate care with intention in light of that.

“How many policies would be changed,” asked Brown-Saltzman, “if we had more of a voice from the nurse at the bedside or in the clinic?”

Tune in to Onc Nurse On Call every other Wednesday for more insights on all things oncology nursing.