ECCO XII Copenhagen - the European Oncology Nursing Society

ColophonEditor in ChiefKarin Ahlberg, RN, MScEditorial Board:Jan Foubert, RN, MScCarol Krcmar, RN, MNEmile Maassen, RN, CRNThe goal of the EONS Newsletter isto inform nurses about EONS andEONS activities and to inspire nursesthroughout Europe to improve thecare of the cancer patient.The purpose of this Newsletter is toprovide:- Information on EONS activities- Practical information of interestfor the EONS members- A networking forum for cancernurses throughout EuropePrint run: 4.000 copies,Electronic version accessible by18.000 EONS membersEONS secretariatRudi BrikéAvenue E Mournier 83/4B-1200 Brussels, BelgiumTel.: +32 (2) 779 9923Fax: +32 (2) 779 9937E-mail: eons@village.uunet.beWebsite:www.cancereurope.org/EONS.htmlAll correspondence should beaddressed to the Editor-in-Chief:eons@village.uunet.beCover: photographs of Copenhagentaken by Helene EkforsEONS likes to acknowledge Amgenas sustaining member of our societyPrinted in HollandDrukkerij Trioprint Nijmegen bvHolland- NEWSLETTER SPRING 20032Dear Colleagues,Welcome to the fall 2003 issue of the EONS Newsletter, the Newsletter of the European Oncology NursingSociety! This special issue of the Newsletter will not only be sent to our regular readers but will be distributedat the ECCO 12 conference in Copenhagen as well. Participants at ECCO, and new readers, will findlots of information about EONS in this issue. For example, the article, Nutrition in Oncology - EducationalProgram (NOEP) describes a program developed to raise awareness of the importance of nutrition in cancercare. The program, funded by Nutricia, will be officially launched at a satellite symposium at ECCO 12 onWednesday September 24, 17:30 to 19:00. The symposium is designed as an interactive session to discussnutrition in oncology, present and discuss results of the needs analysis performed during the 3rd SpringConvention, and to discuss the positive outcomes of a program test implementation conducted in the CzechRepublic in June 2003. This cutting edge symposium shouldn’t be missed! There’s also exciting news aboutthe European Journal of Oncology Nursing, the official journal of EONS. It has been accepted by theNational Library of Medicine for inclusion in the Medline and PubMed abstracting and indexing services.Also in this issue is a paper on the changing role of the cancer nurse. Cancer nursing has always been aunique speciality within the profession of nursing. Now internal and external influences have brought aboutnumerous changes in how and where we practice; nurses are now care managers practicing in independentroles. Their pivotal role in the multi-professional team is gaining recognition. The author states that nurses incancer care have accomplished a great deal, in part because we have taken the initiative to control andinfluence issues which affect our practice. Our challenge, she argues, is to continue to develop our role toachieve personal and professional satisfaction and to better meet the needs of our patients. I urge you toread the article, reflect on its contents, and use it as a basis for discussions with colleagues. One of thetasks of the EONS Editorial team is to co-ordinate communications with EONS members. To know how thismay be done best, we need to hear your opinions! In this issue you can find a questionnaire with the aims tofind out your satisfaction and opinions about the EONS Newsletter and Website. Please take the time to fillthe questionnaire in. If you are attending ECCO 12, be sure to make the experience memorable! The nursingprogram includes topics of interest for everyone; clinical nurses, researchers, educators and managers. Talkwith colleagues, listen to interesting presentations and take time to visit the poster presentations. Be sure tostop by the EONS stand to learn more about the Society and chat with members of the Executive Board: aBoard member is always on duty to answer questions and has an ear open for your ideas and suggestions.My most important advice for ECCO participants; don’t forget to enjoy yourself!Karin Ahlberg, Editor-in-ChiefThe Right Balance between Commitment and Responsibilitywithin the Boundaries of PossibilitiesDuring my term as President of EONS, I was oftenconfronted with finding the right balance betweencommitment and responsibility within the boundariesof possibilities. The position of the President requiresa complete commitment to the society and its goals.It also means that you have to take the responsibilityto lead the Society in all aspects. To take the lead inthe Society means that you need to be available forthe members, societies, and a tremendous numberof organisations with whom the Society interacts.Despite these challenges, it was a great honour toserve as President and the experience has enrichedmy personal life and professional career. During mypresidency, I was in the position to influence theposition of oncology nurses in very different ways.EONS now plays a more important role as a fullmember society of the Federation of EuropeanCancer Societies and EONS is very often asked byother member societies to become involved inworking groups and European Projects. I have alsonoted with pleasure that the oncology nurse hasbecome a serious partner in the multi-professionalhealthcare team at the national level. When I lookback on my goals as President and the goals set outby the Board of Directors in 2001, I realize that weare in the middle of an important discussion relatedto influencing and directing the future of oncologynursing practice in Europe. This discussion was themain item of the Advisory Council Meeting inBrussels in March 2003. The outcome of this twodaymeeting illustrated that EONS needs to changeits current policy and strategy for the future.The proposals for the new goals will be discussedwith members during the General Meeting duringECCO12. Changing a policy and strategy takes timeand must be done very carefully. The proposedchanges will mean a greater involvement of nationalsocieties and individual members in activities andprojects. Personally I think that the involvement andcommitment is the base of changing the future.I believe in the new direction and goals and I willactively support them in the future. An impressiveexperience for me was meeting the representativesof the diverse national societies when I was visitingtheir national conferences and meetings. I enjoyedand prospered from being involved in their discussionsabout professionalisation and the position ofoncology nurses in different countries. I reallybelieve that we can learn from each other in thefuture when we listen to the real messages anddemands from our members. Sometimes it feels likefailing when you are not in the position to give all thesupport they need. It was at these times that I feltthe boundaries of possibilities: all problems cannotbe solved because there is still a lack of humanresources, financial support and time to improve thesituation.After two years as EONS President,I still cite my personal message: Creating your futurecan only done by yourself.Thank you for your confidence and friendshipduring my Presidency.Giel Vaessen