Maureen O'Hara, RN, MSN, OCN®, Named 2011 Oncology Certified Nurse of the Year
Friday, June 03, 2011
The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) has selected Maureen O’Hara, RN, BSN, OCN® as the 2011 Oncology Certified Nurse of the Year. O’Hara was selected for the award for her contributions to oncology nursing and oncology nursing service and for supporting and promoting certification in oncology nursing. She is a Staff Nurse at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics in Stanford, CA. O’Hara was presented with the award during the ONCC Recognition Breakfast for Oncology Certified Nurses on April 29, 2011 in Boston, MA.
“To enter into a fellow human being’s life at such a vulnerable stage and be given the opportunity to help them navigate through their cancer continuum journey is a privilege unknown to most,” said O’Hara. “Winning this award validates this gift and blessing in my life and allows me to look forward to continuing in this special work.”
O’Hara has been OCN® certified since 1989 and was among the first nurses at Stanford Hospitals to become oncology certified. She has spent the past 20 years encouraging and mentoring other nurses, both at her institution and within the community, to pursue certification.
O’Hara served as a coordinator for hematology clinical trials for granulocyte colony stimulating factor and for earlier clinical trials on non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She has extensive volunteer service with the American Cancer Society and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society where she serves on a number of advisory boards. She also volunteers for the University of San Francisco where she was volunteer faculty for 11 years for the course Nursing Care of Patients and Families Facing Life Threatening Illness.
Despite many opportunities to move to other areas of practice, O’Hara has chosen to remain a bedside nurse. Her strength lies in educating patients and families about their disease, treatment, side effects, and symptom management. She is well-regarded as a patient and community educator. A former patient described O’Hara’s care as the difference between “dealing” with the illness, versus “growing” through treatment and recovery.
O’Hara is one of more than 30,000 nurses certified either as an Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN®), Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurse (CPON®), Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse (AOCN®), Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner (AOCNP®), Advanced Oncology Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist (AOCNS®), Certified Breast Care Nurse (CBCN®), or Certified Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurse (CPHON®).
The Oncology Certified Nurse of the Year Award is presented annually to an oncology certified nurse. To win the award, nominees must obtain recommendations from two colleagues in the nursing profession, prepare an essay describing how (s)he has promoted certification, summarize services offered that enhance oncology care and oncology nursing, and demonstrate accomplishments in at least one area of oncology nursing practice – clinical practice, education, or research.
Recipients receive $1,000 and a crystal award at the Recognition Breakfast for Oncology Certified Nurses at the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Annual Congress.
The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC), an affiliated organization of ONS, administers and evaluates programs for certification in oncology nursing. Learn more about ONCC at www.oncc.org
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