Survivorship Care: More Than Checking a Box

In 1987, the 12th Annual Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress^® held in Denver, Colorado, featured a session moderated by Deborah A. Boyle, MSN, RN, AOCNS^®, FAAN, with Fitzhugh Mullan, MD, and Susie Leigh, BSN, RN, cofounders of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, titled “The Seasons of Survival,” which was one of the earliest presentations to oncology nurses that proposed cancer was not necessarily a deadly disease and that nurses could address the needs of survivors. As an advanced practice nurse (APN) in oncology hearing this presentation, I began to look at long-term needs of survivors who had advanced beyond acute care and benefited from effective treatments. Cancer survivorship now is a priority in oncology clinical practice.