Oncology Nursing Society Positions

Development and Review of Positions

ONS Positions articulate the Society's stand on issues of importance to its membership and the public it serves. Positions are generated in response to trends in oncology care and emerging issues that impact patient safety, nursing care, the work environment, and other areas. The need for a Position may be based on ONS member requests, ONS member survey responses, and ONS Board of Directors' initiatives. New Positions may be suggested by members of ONS, ONS chapters, special interest groups, advocacy groups, and others by writing to the ONS President and Board of Directors. Commercial support is neither sought nor accepted for writing, printing, and/or disseminating Positions.

An ONS Position subcommittee composed of ONS Board members consults with experts in the topic area of a proposed Position, or other pertinent individuals, such as ONS staff members and/or others, to obtain their input. Every attempt is made to obtain differing points of view, especially if the issue, trend, or topic area is controversial. Multiple perspectives may be obtained to help ensure that geographic, educational, practice setting, or other bias does not occur when formulating Positions. The topic area experts may be asked to draft or contribute to the creation of a new Position. Drafts of new Positions and revisions of existing Positions are first reviewed by the Position subcommittee and following any needed revisions, are then reviewed by the entire ONS Board. Comments and recommendations made by the Board are considered by the Position subcommittee and incorporated into the Positions. The ONS Board of Directors reviews revised Positions for final approval.

Positions are reviewed, and when indicated, updated annually to keep pace with the rapidly changing field of oncology. Positions that have become outdated or are no longer relevant are retired. Newly created, and when indicated, revised Positions are published in the Oncology Nursing Forum. All of the ONS Positions are available on the ONS website.

Joint Positions are developed in conjunction with other healthcare organizations or groups. ONS may request another organization to jointly develop a Position and considers requests from other organizations to develop a joint Position. A new Position is drafted by representatives from both organizations and must be approved by the Board of Directors of both organizations before adoption by either organization. Existing joint Positions are reviewed annually by the ONS position subcommittee and when needed, are revised and updated. The revised ONS joint position is reviewed by the ONS Board of Directors and after it is approved, it is sent to the other organization for approval.

Types of Positions

ONS Positions are grouped into five general categories based on the major emphasis of the Position: 1) nursing practice; 2) education, certification, and role delineation; 3) ethics and human rights; 4) cancer research; and 5) health care policy and consumer advocacy.

Nursing Practice

Education, Certification, and Role Delineation

Ethics & Human Rights

Cancer Research

Health Care Policy and Consumer Advocacy

* Joint Position of ONS and the Geriatric Oncology Consortium
** Joint Position of ONS and Association of Oncology Social Work
*** Joint Position of ONS and the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses

Position Format

The format of ONS Positions is:

  1. Overview: Describes the need or impetus for the Position and includes information about the issue and its importance. References are cited for statements of fact.
  2. Position: Describes ONS's Position in bullet point format, addresses the role of the oncology nurse, and includes clinical, educational, research, ethical, advocacy, and cultural competency perspectives when appropriate.
  3. References: Cites 5-8 key references in APA format.
  4. Approval Revision Dates: Board Approval and revision dates listed at end.

ONS has developed positions on a variety of topics that are important in the care of patients with cancer. These positions may be reprinted without expressed written permission from ONS providing that the original source is credited appropriately. For additional information, contact pubpermissions@ons.org.