SDONS...
Welcome to Fall, 2014!
...A professional organization with a personal touch....
News and notes from SDONS President Amy Nance Thompson....
1. It's that time again!! We are looking for volunteers who are interested in leadership roles in the chapter.For the year 2015,SDONS members areelecting Secretary and President-elect.Please consider nominating yourself (or an SDONS member)to run for an SDONS office. To be considered by the Nominating Committee, please submit a paragraph expressing your interestto r to Jane Underwood, SDONS Nominating Chair, at . Deadline to submit your name for consideration by the Nominating Committee is Saturday, Oct. 25.Ballots will go out in November. Election results will be announced at the December Vendor Fair.
2. During Congress this year Idiscussed with Joan Kitson Hart about the schools of nursing located in her home town. She remarked how the schools didn't have many oncology references or learning materials. I don't know how much education the nursing students receive in the field of oncology nursing. We talked a little bit about how it would be a good project to broaden the scope of the students' learning experiences in oncology nursing, if students were willing to accept our help. Ideas discussed were donations of texts, journals, and establishing website access.
At the last Board meeting we discussed making this idea a chapter project. Joan is planning a trip home soon and will be trying to gather some information as to needs and interest. My thought is to try and get funds donated from the Oncology Nursing Society and/or the Foundation through a grant. Another thought is to make this a student-to-student project and to see if we have any nursing students interested inparticipating inthis project.
So this project proposal is in the early stages. Any suggestions or ideas are welcome. I/we are not ready for donations at this point, but hope that by the Holiday Vendor Faire we will have some project detailsin place. If you have any donations please hold on to them. An announcement will be made when we have more information to share.
3. Once again, the Masons of California are supporting reimbursementfor nurses, whoearn oncology nursing certification. This is a terrific opportunity! The Masonic Grand Lodge of California has recently increased awards to $500 to an individual whose employer provides reimbursement for certification fees, and $1,100 to an individual whose employer does not provide reimbursement for certification fees.Here is the link to applications:
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Other News and Announcements....
Membership: According to the national ONS roster list as of August, 2014, our SDONS membership is347members! As a reminder...Local chapter membership dues changedin Summer of 2013, based onthe new policy from ONS (when ONS dues increasedas of July 1, 2013). Your national ONS membership automatically signs you up for membership with the local chapter i.e. SDONS)with $10 local dues included in your national ONS dues.
The2014 Holiday Vendor Faire is scheduled Thurs. Dec. 4, so mark your calendar! This annualevent--this year at Tango Del Ray--welcomes SDONS members, potential new members and our supportive community of industry friends and sponsors. Our Faire gets better every year...with a special focus on the auctionfeaturing many donated baskets and gifts. Proceeds from the auction build our SDONS scholarship funds.This is don't miss event! Your holiday spiritfinds that elusive holiday season sparkby attending our Vendor Faire!
Congratulations toSDONS September Scholarship winner Olga Garcia, who won a $400 scholarship to advance her oncology knowledge (toward an educational course, class orconference expense). Want to win? Just enter the scholarship drawing by sending an e-mail to by the Tuesday before the meeting of the scholarship drawing (next drawing in October...)with a sentence telling us how you would use your scholarshipif you won. If you do win a scholarship, sendour Treasurerthe receipt for your educational program AND write up a brief summaryabout your learning experiencefor an article for our SDONS e-newsletter. Then you will be provided your scholarship check! Winners need not need be present at the meeting to win the scholarship. (Limit: One scholarship win per year.)
Consider nominating a colleague for a NationalONS Award: Check out all the awards (and the deadlines to nominate): In general, the deadline to submit for2015 ONS awards is September 30, 2014.
Speaking of awards....consider nominating an SDONS colleague for the annual Gracia Award, The Gracia Award was established to honorour beloved SDONS memberGracia Juarez, a former SDONS secretary, who passed awayin 2007 after a short illness.The award is given to an SDONS member who has shown a special commitment to oncology nursing, demonstrated by a willingness to go the extra mile to help others succeed as oncology nurses...providing excellence in patient care, energies toward community outreach, mentorship to fellow nurses, and involvement in ONS at the local chapter and/or national level.Please sendnominations for the Gracia AwardtotheSDONS e-mail () or contact an SDONS Leadership Team member. Nomination deadline is Sat, Nov. 22, 2014. The Gracia Award will be announced at our Holiday Vendor Faire in December......
SDONS on FaceBook LinkedIn: SDONS is on FaceBook and Linked In!!! Join our page to network with other oncology nurses. See information about CEU’s, meetings, etc.
To join our page, go to: Feel free to start or contribute to discussions to make the site truly interactive. (NOTE: To help us get more connected via socialmedia and new technologies, contact ourNewTechnologies CommunicationsChair, Christine Izzo.
As a reminder....In addition to ouryearly support of eight $400-scholarships for non-SDONSLeadership Teammembers, wecontinue to provide a $500/each scholarship opportunity forSDONS Leadership Team members(four elected Board membersand appointed Committee Chairs). This was established asa strategy to support SDONS leadership participation.. So consider serving as an SDONS officer or committee chair for the SDONS Leadership Team. (In 2015, the Team will be recruiting appointed chairs for Program and New Technologies Communications, but all committees and projects welcome your help.) With more SDONS members involved in chapter leadership, leadership succession planning occurs! NOTE:Leadership Teammembers are not eligible for the eight $400/each scholarship drawings, which our chapter holds four times/year.
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SDONS Leadership Team (Officers and Committee Chairs)
Your 2014 SDONS Leadership Team is here to serve our membership. We welcome your ideas and participation. The SDONSLeadership Teaminclude:
President- Amy Nance-Thompson
President elect- Meloddie Neel Brooks
Treasurer- Eva Bariuan
Secretary- Kelly Bass
Program chair- Leah Marquardt
Membership chair- Sandii Weyerhaeuser
Community Outreach and Student Development chair- Paula Muehlbauer
Nominating chair- Jane Underwood
Fundraising chair - Dawn Huckabone
e-Newsletter- Ellen Carr & Laura Spriggs
New Technologies Communications chair- Chrstine Izzo
Past President- Laura Spriggs
(Contact information for any of the SDONS Leadership Team membersis posted on the SDONS Virtual Community site: See belowa photo SDONS Leadership Team members, who attended theJanuary 2014 SDONS Leadership Teammeeting.)) AA
2014 SDONSLeadership Team:
Front: Ellen Carr, Sandi Weyerhaeuser, Francie Mercado, Leah Marquardt
Back: Kelly Bass, Christine Izzo, Amy-Nance Thompsom, Laura Spriggs, Jane Underwood
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Marlon Saria....Fellow, American Academy of Nursing
Marlon Garzo Saria, MSN, RN, AOCNS, was selected by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) for induction as a Fellow in the Academy, one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing. Saria is an advanced practice nurse-researcher in the neuro-oncology laboratory at Moores UCSD Cancer Center.
Marlon earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of the Philippines in Manila and his Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is currently working toward his Doctor of Philosophy degree.
The AAN’s 2,200 fellows are Nursing’s most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice and research. Marlon's induction will take place during AAN’s annual meeting in October in Washington, DC.Congratulations,Marlon!
Monserate (Monsy)Mitchell
Need Oncology classes, courses, CEUs?
For oncology nursing classes and courses, check the ONS Connect publication: ONS website:
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SDONS Dinner Program Policy...
As a reminder....Our SDONS Dinner Program Policy:
The SDONS Leadership Teamhas established these guidelinesconcerning our dinner meetings:
1) On the SDONS Virtual community site ( when you log in to RSVP for our monthly dinner, remember to include your RN number. (Vendors require RN license number for attendance; they need to havethem prior to the dinner.) This streamlines the sign-in process and members can find their seats sooner.
2) If you No Show two times for a dinner in one year, you will no longer be able to attend dinners for the remainder of the year. A No Show is considered not coming to a dinner the you have RSVP'd to. When you are a No Show, this prevents other members/guests from attending our events.
3) No proxies. If you cannot attend the meeting, your RSVP’d spot will be given to the next person on the waiting list to attend the meeting.
4) To make room (and welcome) potential new members, a few spots will be saved for potential new members to attend the meeting. If those spots are not filled a few days before the meeting, others who have RSVP’d (members/guests) will be contacted to allow them to attend the meeting.
5) You can be a guest to a regular SDONS dinner meeting once. Then your guest status expires; you need to join ONS to continue to come to our dinner meetings. The exception to this one-time guest status is attending specially-promoted SDONS meetings/events, held to encourage as many guests to attend as the venue allows (i.e.Holiday Vendor Faire in December).
6) If the RSVP dinner meeting list does not meet its cut-off number for max RSVPs, then students (current non-SDONS members) may fill those slots as guests of SDONS. This policy is in place to encourage students to attend meetings,who have an interest in oncology nursing and injoining ONS (and SDONS as members). If those designated non- member student spots are not filled a few days before the meeting, others who have RSVP’d (members/guests) will be contacted to allow them to attend the meeting.
And it cannot be stated often enough:PLEASE BE COURTEOUS AT OUR MEETINGS. SDONS continues to be generously supported by our sponsoring vendors, who provide educational dinner meetingsfor our members."Courtesy" means what we were taught in grade school--attentive to our speakers (read:no talking during the presentations),showingappreciation and supportto our hosts andthe restaurant staffand beingrespectful to our speaker, meetingguests and to your fellow SDONS members.
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Our Gallery below of photos from recent SDONS meetings and events...
From Junemeeting, Carolyn Scott, Donna Engelbert, SuziRundell
From Junemeeting, Chawn Tipton (Milennium Pharmaceuticals), Meloddie Brooks, Franci Mercado, Emma Lopato
From June meeting, Ali Davis andNatalie Bouldin
From June meeting, Olga Garcia and Freci Portugal:
From Sept meeting, UCSD students ShuZheng, KarizmaCarolinoand member Amanda Tarzia
From Sept meeting, SDSU students Matthew Wittmann, MalaynaTolleyand Crystal Le
From Sept meeting, ClaireMcLean and Olga Garcia.
From Sept 2014 meeting, SDONS president AmyNance Thompsonand Program chair Leah Marquardt
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....Reports from our SDONS scholarship recipients...
From Joan Kitson-Hart....(photo above) I become re-energized this year after attending our Annual Congress (in Anaheim). Each Congress is a unique and special experience. Over the past 30 years I have been amazed at the increasing number of nurses who identify themselves as Oncology Nurses. We share a bond that has been formed from the extraordinary experience of caring for patients with cancer. ONS Congress allows us to share our experiences, knowledge, research, approaches to educating our novice nurses on their journey to expert practitioners...and even how to plan for retirement. It is a time to open our minds and rejuvenate, a time to reconnect with long lost or forgotten colleagues and begin the foundation of new friendships. We are motivated by an interesting variety of speakers who encourage us to never give up, to strive to reach goals we have set for ourselves.
We learn what is being discovered in the lab and transitioned to the bedside as new therapies. We gain insight into new ways to deal with old problems and commiserate on the challenges of patient adherence to our increasingly complex regimens. Congress is that shot in the arm that we need from time to time when our frustration peaks as we struggle to help patients cope with the next phase of their cancer journey. It is the feeling of validation we receive when we hear other nurses identify the identical issues that we thought were ours alone.
At Congress you realize you are never alone. There are hundreds of other nurses that share many of your issues and are struggling to find the answers. Reach out and connect with your fellow nurses to gain the support and strength you need to improve and solve the problems you face daily. It may just be a keystroke away. Nursing IS the best job ever, but Oncology nursing REIGNS.
fromMonsy Mitchell....(photo to left) I used my SDONSscholarship money for tuition to cover my Bachelors program; I am currently enrolled at University of Phoenix.
I started the program August of 2013 and can finally see the endsince I have two classes left, including the one I am currently enrolled.
I decided to further my education in order to broaden my job opportunities, as well as to reach a long-term goal of eventually becoming a nurse practitioner. Originally I was going to start my Masters program in January 2015. But fate has other plans and my family will be welcoming our third child, which means I will have two children under two years old! Since I like the little sanity I have left, I will wait a while before jumping into the Masters program.
I would like to thank our SDONS chapter for the scholarship and for camaraderie with members and friends.
Sheila Bedard featured in ONS Connect,
September 2014:
Congratulations to our own Sheila Bedard, who is featured in the September, 2014 issue of ONS Connect (page 17).
The issue, which includes articles covering the topic Aging and Health Care,highlighted Sheila in the Another Perspective column, HowHave You Maintained Your Involvement in Oncology Nursinginto Retirement?
In the column, Sheilacited her active involvement in SDONS, both as a clinical nurse for 20 years and now in retirement. Sheila had served as our SDONS membership Chair for 7 years, and was instrumental inclarifying and organizing our membership roles and systems.
Among Sheila's comments in the column:
- I believe oncology nurses have a moral obligation to support our professional organizations by being involved.
- I have great respect for the nurses I have met in my chapter and have made many valuable friendships. These nurses were generous with their time, teaching me leadership and giving me confidence as a new nurse.
- I share the important advice I learned from them with new nurses: Always respect your patients and your coworkers, listen to your gut feelings and don't hesitate to ask questions when in doubt.
SDONS Calendar
2014 SDONS Leadership Team meetings are scheduled 3-4 times/year on Wednesdays, The next Leadership Team meeting is scheduled October 8, 6:00 p.m.atAmyNance-Thompson'shome.All SDONS members are welcome to attend. ContactAmy for details and directions.
(...And for more information about CE-sponsored dinners and SDONS dinners and events (listed below), go to the SDONS virtual community site:
September 24, 2014:CE sponsored dinner by Medical Learning Institute (MLI), Topic: Identifying, Preventing, and Treating Serious Side Effects to Termination of Therapy in Lymphoma, Speaker: TBD, Location: Season’s 52 (Napa Room) 4505 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 90745, Registration: 6:00 pm, Dinner: 6:30 pm, Presentation: 7:00 pm.
September 26-28, 2014: Scripps Cancer Care Symposium: A Nursing & Advanced Practice Provider Collaboration. Doubletree/Hilton, San Diego Mission Valley. For more info:
October 7, 2014: 1.5 CNE dinner program hosted by Medtronics. Topic:Implantable Pain Therapies:Cancer Pain Patient Management Course. Speaker:VikUdani, M.D.,Neurosurgical Medical Group,San Diego CA. Location: Season's 52 in La Jolla. (Registration form is posted on SDONS VC site; Then after completing form to confirm registration, send to )
October 16, 2014 - SDONS dinner meeting. Topic: Myeloma. Speaker and Location TBD. Dinner/Speaker supported by Onyx Pharmaceuticals.
November 7,2014 (Friday): Light the NightWalk (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society):Petco Park' starts 4:30 p.m.. For more information:
November 20, 2014: 1.0 CEU dinner program by hosted by Paradigm Medical. Topic: B-cell malignancies. Speaker: TBD. Location: TBD. (NOTE: No SDONS monthly meeting in November)
November 21-23, 2014: Susan G. Komen 3-day. For more information:
December 4, 2014:SDONS annual Holiday Vendor Faire. Location: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St, San Diego, CA 92109.(858) 581-1114
April 23-26, 2015: 40th Annual ONS Congress,Orlando, FL