Welcome and introduction
Oncology nurses have been taught to care for people, not just treat diseases. Imagine being able to build upon what you already innately know with additional knowledge and resources to inform and guide your patients to integrate evidence-based complementary therapies and self care (lifestyle) practices with their conventional cancer care. This is integrative oncology.
If you are or feel called to be one of the “go to” people for information, resources, and guidance on integrative whole-person care, you’re in the right place. Get comfortable, take four slow deep breaths, then dive into learning about integrative oncology and where you as an oncology nurse fit in this whole-person approach to cancer care.
About CancerChoices
We are an independent, no-cost, science-backed resource helping people with cancer, caregivers, and healthcare providers understand choices in integrative cancer care.
The CancerChoices team synthesizes the research on complementary therapies and provides digital handbooks on a wide range of topics, including eating well and other self-care practices, managing side effects and symptoms, and much more. Support to find healing and meaning within the cancer experience is at the heart of CancerChoices.
CancerChoices considers what’s important to the whole person and recognizes each person’s innate ability to heal. CancerChoices is
- A trusted resource, rated highest of 11 websites for trustworthiness and quality of information on complementary cancer therapies in an independent review conducted by researchers from the NCI ›
- Evidence-based
- Objective, receiving no funding from manufacturers or retailers of complementary therapies
- Curated
- Continually updated
Why oncology nurses?
Do you ever notice that some of your patients come to you first when they have questions about a complementary therapy or self-care practice? Maybe they’re thinking about trying something, or they’re already doing something that they’ve been “afraid” to tell their oncologist. They go to you first for lots of reasons. You’re the one spending time teaching them about treatment, assessing them on each treatment visit, and supporting them throughout. They see you as knowledgeable and competent. And they sense that you’re doing more than giving care—you’re caring for them in a deeper way, a way we nurses call holistic. When patients say “I love my oncology nurse” (which they often do), they mean it.
Because of your expert care and your sincere caring, your patients trust you. Patients often rate nurses as the most trustworthy, honest, approachable people on the medical team.1Saad L. Military brass, judges among professions at new image lows. Gallup. January 12, 2022. Viewed October 24, 2023; Brenan M, Jones JM. Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U.S. Gallup. January 22, 2024. Viewed February 5, 2024.
- They count on you to listen without judging or cutting them off.
- They trust you to be honest if you don’t know the answer.
- They count on you to help them find trustworthy information so they can make informed choices in whole person cancer care.
Your other team members also trust you when you advocate for a patient who comes to you not only for treatment, but also to be treated as a whole person.
“As navigation evolves, all individuals working in [nurse] navigator roles will need to be well-versed in helping patients to identify and access integrative therapy resources throughout their cancer experience.”
Cindi Cantril, MPH, RN, OCN, CBCN, and Pamela Haylock, PhD, RN, FAAN
from Patient navigation in the oncology care setting
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References