ONS Connect - June 2008 - (Page 29)

WORKINGFORYOU ONS Incorporates Diversity and Inclusiveness in All Aspects of the Society [By Paula t. Rieger, RN, MSN, AOCN ®, FAAN] W Paula T. Rieger, RN, MSN, AOCN®, FAAN I hope you’ll consider . . . sharing your unique knowledge and ideas and working to encourage nurses to join who will help the organization reach the goal of being diverse in its broadest measure. hen the ONS leadership talks about diversity, of which multicultural diversity is a component, we also must talk about one of ONS’s core values—inclusiveness. In its broadest sense, diversity can encompass not only racial and ethnic factors but also those such as gender, age, education, practice setting, and skills. ONS continually strives to integrate diversity and achieve inclusivity throughout its projects, membership, student programs, and leadership positions and in the provision of resources. Since the Institutes of Medicine released “The Unequal Burden of Cancer” in 1999 and subsequent reports on the disparities in health outcomes for all groups of color, the charge to all health professionals has been the elimination of these disparities. Oncology nurses have the opportunity to be at the forefront of this effort, given their interactions with patients and families along the entire cancer care continuum. Outside of individual efforts, how can our organization promote such goals? ONS and its members can impact disparities in care, including access, through leadership, advocacy, research, education, and practice. However, in doing so, our organization must become multicultural in its structure, process, and outcomes. To guide such efforts, ONS has relied on the 1992 recommendations of the Multicultural Task Force and, more recently, recommendations from the 2005 Diversity Task Force. The Society is taking steps to ensure that the recommendations play a criti- cal role in its initiatives and has many activities that help members gain skills in cultural competence. Two programs of note are the ONS Ethnic Minority Mentoring Program and the ONS Diversity Champions Program. For a complete list, visit www.ons.org/clinical/Special/ multicultural. The ONS Diversity Advisory Panel recently presented its first diversity assessment to the ONS Board of Directors. This report evaluated how well ONS is addressing inclusiveness and diversity issues. In creating its assessment tool and the final report, the panel recognized the spectrum of member experiences that define the ONS collective experience, understanding that each person looks at the world and ONS through the lens of their personal and professional experiences. It’s this diversity that helps ONS to succeed. We are fortunate to have an incredible body of members whose talent, creativity, and manpower help develop and drive ONS programs. We are dedicated to the goal of incorporating the essential distinguishing qualities of our members into our volunteer opportunities. The key to our success lies in matching individual skill sets, experiences, and perspectives to the work that must be done. We are committed to our core value of inclusiveness and all that it encompasses. To that end, I hope you’ll consider getting involved in ONS by sharing your unique knowledge and ideas and by working to encourage nurses to join who will help the organization reach the goal of being diverse in its broadest measure. ✱ June 2008 ONS CONNECT 29 http://www.ons.org/clinical/Special/multicultural http://www.ons.org/clinical/Special/multicultural

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ONS Connect - June 2008

ONS Connect - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In They Have a Dream A Year in the Life—Month Six Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care Manage Skin Toxicities Associated With EGFR Inhibitors Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer May Be 99 Percent Accurate Calendar of Events Working For You Staying On Top

ONS Connect - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.