The SIGnificance of SIGs

Seth Eisenberg RN OCN®

Ex-officio, Chemotherapy SIG

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Brief History

• 1987: SIG Taskforce was formed in response to growing specialization within ONS

• 1989: First 18 SIGs were chartered at Congress

• 1991: Second SIG Taskforce met to address issues:– Organizational structure– Leadership development– Publications– Monetary resources

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SIGnificance

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SIGnificance

Root:Our

patients

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SIGnificance

Root:Our

patients

Trunk: ONS

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SIGnificance

Root:Our

patients

Trunk: ONS

Branches:SIGs

Leaves:SIG

Members

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Current SIGs: 27• Acute and Critical care• Advanced Nursing Research• Ambulatory/Office• Blood & Marrow Stem Cell

Transplant• Breast care• Cancer Genetics• Chemotherapy• Clinical Nurse Specialist• Clinical Trials Nurse• Complementary &

Integrative Therapies• Ethics• Home Care & Palliative

Care• Lympedema Management• Management & Program

Development

• Neuro-Oncology• Neutropenia• Nurse Practitioner• Pain Management• Pharmaceutical/Industry

Nursing• Prevention/Early Detection• Radiation• Spiritual Care• Staff Education• Surgical Oncology• Survivorship, Quality of Life

& Rehabilitation• Targeted and Biological

Therapies• Transcultural Nursing

Issues

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Power of the SIGs

• Each SIG represents a portion of the overall ONS membership

• SIGs monitor the pulse of their constituents• Advocate for resources

– In publications– At Congress and IOL

• Provide targeted education and information– Newsletters, Communiqués, Sponsored

Congress/IOL events

• Contribute to the profession through special projects

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SIG Projects• CNS SIG Brochure (1994)• PNI SIG Book “Scripts for Guided Imagery to

Produce Relaxation in Oncology Patients” (1997)• RAD SIG Safety Manual for Nursing Care & Pt.

Education (1993)• RAD SIG RONEE (1993)• SPR SIG Spiritual Care Tool Kit (2004)• RAD SIG “Appraisal of Clinical Roles &

Responsibilities of Licensed Nursing Personnel in Radiation Oncology in the US & Canada” (1998 & 2001)

• CTN SIG Phase I: Development of a survey instrument to assess the role of the clinical trial nurses (2000)

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SIG Projects• PNI SIG Rejuvenation Sessions at Congress

(1996, 1997, 1998,1999,2000, 2001)• NP SIG Mentorship program (2000)• CTN SIG Phase II: Reliability & Validity testing

of a survey instrument to Assess the Role of the Nurse in Clinical Research” (2001)

• CTN SIG Mentoring program (2005)• CNS SIG Mentoring program (2005)• HOM SIG Virtual Community Scavenger Hunt

(2005)• RAD SIG “Radiation Oncology Nursing

Education Survey” (2001)

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SIG Projects• CTN SIG “Manual for Clinical Trial Nurses:

Recommendations for Practice and Education” (1997)

• BMT SIG BMT Nursing Resource Directory (1990)

• NP SIG NP Brochure• NP SIG “The role of the Nurse Practitioner in

Oncology: A Descriptive Study (1993)• SPR SIG “Practice and Attitudes Regarding

Spiritual Care: A Study of Oncology Nurses” (1993)

• ANR SIG Development of a Plan to Promote Collaborative Nursing Research (1991)

• CHE SIG Formal Practice Survey (2008)

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Collaboration

• Radiation and Advanced Nursing Research SIGS

• CAG SIG Survey in collaboration with ISONG to identify ethical issues of concern and skills that are important when providing nursing care for patients facing ethical complexities of genetic decision making

• Collaborative Newsletters• Joint-sponsored educational sessions

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As a tree grows…

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Evolution of the SIG Council

• SIG Taskforce formed in January 2006• SIG Council formed April 2007• Comprised of:

– 28 current coordinators (1 from each SIG)– A Council Chair (ex-officio coordinator)

• 2007-08 Wendy Vogel MSN, FNP, AOCNP• 2008-09 Seth Eisenberg RN, OCN®

– ONS Board Liaison • Brenda Nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN

– Chair-elect• Cyndi Cramer, BA, RN, OCN®

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SIG Council Members• Coordinators:

– Represent issues/concerns of the SIG and, as appropriate, makes recommendations to the ONS BOD

• ONS BOD Liaison: – Provide direct ONS BOD link

• Chair: – Communicates with the ONS BOD liaison– Compiles and submit recommendations of the SIG

Council to the ONS BOD – Communicates regularly with the SIG Coordinators– Works directly with ONS staff

• Chair Elect:– Works with and support chair in SIG Council leadership

activities and fill in as chair if needed.

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Workgroups

• 5 initial workgroups were formed to address issues identified during the 2007 meeting

• Each workgroup has a chair and members (made up from the Council)

• If you are a SIG Coordinator then you are a Workgroup member

• Workgroup recommendations:

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1. Improve Awareness and Presence of SIGS at National

Meetings

• Goal: to improve awareness and presence of SIGs among the membership

• Chair: (current) Janice Reynolds

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Improve Awareness and Presence of SIGS at National Meetings

– Make sure sponsoring SIG(s) are recognized during introduction of sessions

– Encourage presenters be members of sponsoring SIGs

– Have several pages in the syllabus dedicated to the SIGs (e.g., mission statements, contact information)

– Have a SIG presence in the ONS Resource Area – Provide handout on benefits of belonging to a SIG– Meet the experts from each SIG– Coordinate satellite or ancillary programs with

appropriate SIGs

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Improve Awareness and Presence of SIGS at National Meetings

– Make it easy to sign up for a SIG at the SIG Planning / Networking meeting

– Reception for SIGs with socializing and networking (at APN and IOL)

– Establish a booth in the membership area (at APN and IOL)

– Post announcements prior to conferences on which programs a SIG is sponsoring or co-sponsoring

– Place an icon on the conference home page pointing to SIG Virtual Communities to find what is being sponsored

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2. Improving Communication to/from ONS Board

• Established: 12/06 • Goal: seek ways to improve

communication and relations between the SIGs and the ONS Board

• Chair: Pat McLaughlin • Finished: 4/08

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3. Intra-SIG Communication

• Goal: examine and suggest ways of improving communication within a SIG, including newsletter support services

• Chair: (former) Jennifer Loud

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Intra-SIG Communication

– Identify mentoring opportunities for new Newsletter editors to supplement the training that occurs at SLOW

– Identify solutions and ideas to help SIGs publish 3 newsletters per year

– Identify training opportunities for the development of educational programs/teleconferencing for SIG Newsletter editors and web administrators to access through ONS

– Use communiqués to invite SIG members who wish to help with SIG projects (i.e. BMT and CHE SIG’s regional reporters

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4. SIG Expert Identification

• Goal: develop criteria for identification and then publication of “experts” within a SIG

• Chair: (former) Seth Eisenberg

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SIG Expert Identification

– Establish a database for speakers and let individual SIGs have access

– Enhance the communication process between speakers and SIGs so that SIG coordinators would be aware of ONS presentations in the SIGs area of practice

– List expert criteria (e.g., prior writing or presenting experience; speakers needs to be a member of at least one SIG)

– Develop a presenter-mentorship program to facilitate recruitment of new speakers/presenters

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SIG Expert Identification

– Allow more than one SIG to sponsor a session. (Currently the topic submission online only allows for two SIGs to be listed.)

– Work with the Inter-SIG Communications workgroup regarding networking to let coordinators know about presentations that originate outside of their SIG

– Clarify the SIGs sponsor a presentation process and have the SIG Council make a recommendation to the Board to set up a formalized process which would encourage the session coordinators to use the SIGs as a resource

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5. Website Improvement

• Goal: Identify ways in which the ONS website and virtual communities can better serve the SIGs and their goals.

• Chair: (current) Marilyn Smith-Stoner

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Website Improvement

– Difficult to get to the SIG website (too many clicks)

– Develop a user’s guide for the website

– Identify tools/resources web administrator could use

– Include instructions in the SIG newsletters

– Have Google/search ability on Virtual Communities

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Website Improvement

– Have a drop down box under Membership on main ONS webpage to make it easy to find the SIGs.

– Include screen shots for navigating instructions on the Virtual Community as a standard slide presentation that SIGs could use at their planning/networking meetings at Congress.

– Provide interactive links at SIG meetings at Congress

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In closing…

• SIGs have evolved to become an important, integral part of ONS

• Encourage non-SIG members to join a SIG

• Encourage current members to become active (i.e., volunteer!)

• Continue working on improving the SIGs