By Margaret (Peggy) Rosenzweig, PhD, FNP-BC, AOCNP®, FAAN
ONS Scholar-in-Residence
Oncology nursing makes an incredible impact on patients and families with cancer as they endure an unthinkable diagnosis and illness. We saw this illustrated recently a beautiful essay published in The New Yorker detailing Tatiana Schlossberg’s (President John Kennedy’s granddaughter) heartbreaking account of her acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis
Immediately following the birth of her second child, Schlossberg was diagnosed with AML and was treated with chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and CAR T-cell therapy in an attempt to cure an aggressive, unrelenting disease. Her testimony recognizes the competence, kindness, and vigilance of her oncology nurses. “I have never encountered a group of people who are more competent, more full of grace and empathy, more willing to serve others than nurses,” she wrote. Those beautiful words illustrate what patients with cancer know: that nurses are not simply delivering care; they are highly skilled professionals who truly are the eyes, ears, and heart of the healthcare system.
We must remember that the supportive competence that Schlossberg portrays is not a random set of skills inherent in those who become nurses. Those skills are rooted in nursing science. As Schlossberg described, nurses’ practice at the bedside is based on evidence, often derived from the science developed by fellow oncology nurses. Schlossberg’s gratitude for her nurses is also gratitude for the science that shaped them. The bedside nursing skills that she outlines are used in cancer care worldwide and supported by research. They are scaffolded by symptom science, communication research, and palliative care developed by their fellow oncology nurses.
Oncology nurses lead this country in their attention to symptom science. The focus on symptoms before, during, and after cancer diagnosis and treatment is a nursing intervention. Long before electronic patient-reported outcomes became standard, nurses recognized that unaddressed symptoms were driving emergency visits, missed treatments, and poorer survival. That recognition led to some of the most influential research in oncology care. Studies by nurse scientists such as Betty Dodd, Chris Miaszkowski, Ruth McCorkle, Barbara Given, Kathi Mooney, Donna Berry, and many others have built a body of evidence that holistic, proactive, nurse-led symptom monitoring changes the entire cancer trajectory. In addition, symptoms remain the lens through which nurses identify inequities such as poor symptom support, frequent toxicity-related dose reductions, or which patients are believed when they report pain or toxicity.
In her essay, Schlossberg mentions the conversations that she had with her nurses, allowing her to become a person, not just a sick patient. She felt seen. This relational communication is therapeutic. Nursing research has consistently shown that the quality of communication between clinicians and patients is critical, shaping all aspects of the patient experience—adherence, patient satisfaction, and outcomes. Communication skills require training and practice, backed by science. Nursing research built that evidence.
Palliative care is integrated into all oncology care. When early palliative care first showed survival benefits in serious illness, many were surprised. Oncology nurses were not. Ensuring that patients have what they need for symptom management, care planning, and support at any point in the cancer care trajectory is standard practice for oncology nurses. Led by Betty Ferrell and others, the core elements of palliative care are established nursing competencies. Ferrell's a train-the-trainer course, taught and continues to teach thousands of nurses how to integrate palliative care into practice and serve as advocates and change agents for palliative care at their institutions. Nurse-led models such as Marie Bakitias’s
As oncology nurses, we know that nursing research is not only an academic exercise but also an essential lifeline for patients, families, and communities. It informs every aspect of practice. For researchers who build this science, the work can be tedious, frustrating, and discouraging. Remain confident that your job is essential. Every study, finding, and implementation into clinical care is a step toward improving outcomes for patients and families facing cancer.
At a time when federal policy threatens to diminish the educational and scientific foundations of nursing and nursing education, we must reaffirm and amplify what oncology nurses demonstrate every day: Nursing is a profession. Our science is essential. And patients’ lives depend on it.
We end the year with enormous gratitude for all oncology nurses who contribute to improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities affected by cancer. We hold space for patients who are living with cancer, hoping for cures, remissions, or simply a good day. Your work matters. Your science matters. And your presence matters.