Findings and insights related to nursing and virtual reality, AI and infusions were just some of the topics covered at the 2025 Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress last month.
Many oncology nurses at Fred Hutch Cancer Center work within clinical care while also participating in research, clinical trials and evidence-based practice implementation. They were among attendees who presented their research at ONS Congress, in its 50th year.
“The opening ceremony presentation included nurse stories and the history of oncology nursing over the decades from 1975 to 2025,” said Fred Hutch nurse and attendee Alyssa Singh, BSN, RN. “It struck me that ONS and Fred Hutch are both celebrating 50 years — meaning that both organizations have been active in the field of oncology nursing from its inception and continue to be leaders 50 years on.”
Held in Denver from April 9-13, the conference featured 70 educational sessions where thousands of nurses and oncology professionals from across the U.S. came together to share the latest in oncology nursing and network.
Several themes emerged from the event. Read on to learn what Fred Hutch nurses had to say.
Nearly half of all Fred Hutch nurses who attended ONS mentioned they were particularly impressed by sessions on virtual reality (VR), especially how it is being used in staff education and improving outcomes in urgent patient scenarios.
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“A few VR simulations included just-in-time trainings for procedures, a game where you try to grab items out of a virtual code cart as quickly as possible, and hypersensitivity reaction simulations. Staff who used them consistently provided positive feedback about the incorporation of VR into their training,” said Anna McClenny, MSN, RN, who works in nursing education at Fred Hutch.
Sarah Kimbrough, MSN, RN, said the use of AI was also a topic of high interest at the conference as well.
“One poster identified how to engage with AI to help develop case study scenarios for education purposes. The use of appropriate prompts, direction around terminology and details and appropriate review for clinical relevancy was informative and something we can duplicate here to become more efficient with case study development,” she said. A case study is a research methodology where data gained can be used to improve patient care.
Kimberly Ito, BSN, RN, also attended an AI-focused presentation; her takeaway is for clinical staff, especially nurses, to use AI tools responsibly in patient care.
“It brought up the fact that we as nurses have the duty to make sure these tools are promoting safe and equitable care. These tools aren’t perfect, and nursing can have a huge voice in holding these tools accountable.”
AI is already in use in some facets at Fred Hutch, including an AI technology that reads colonoscopy scans. Fred Hutch is also the coordinating center of the Cancer AI Alliance (CAIA). Formed with three other National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, the alliance will apply responsible AI to the collective power of the participating cancer centers’ data to unlock insights while protecting data security, all to identify more ways to transform cancer research and care.
Infection preventionist at Fred Hutch, Marie Hale Wilson, MSN, RN, said gaining insight into the nuances of oncological nursing care delivery was one of her top takeaways, namely evidence-based practice recommendations for titrating taxanes, which refers to adjusting the dose of a certain type of chemotherapy drug.
Megan Palmer, BSN, RN, said a presentation on anxiety reduction during infusion using aromatherapy was interesting, particularly since it could be easy to implement.
Brittani Clay, BSN, RN, shared insights from a presentation by an allergist who explained how their organization improved the way they prepare patients for infusions to reduce the risk of allergic reactions.
"Patients are often given medication before an infusion to help prevent a reaction, but some of these medications can cause drowsiness. When a patient is too sleepy, it may be harder to recognize early signs of an allergic reaction, which can delay treatment," she said. "To address this, the organization switched to a different class of medication that still helps prevent reactions but does not cause drowsiness. This allows their patients to stay more alert and makes it easier to identify any issues early on."
Clinical trials: Jessie Nagle is a nursing student and currently a Fred Hutch nurse technician. In a session she attended, she learned there can be role confusion between clinical trial unit (CTU) nurses and research staff, which is a detriment to both patient experience and interprofessional relationships. “With the implementation of shadowing, it creates a better understanding of what the patients go through for research staff as well as improved communication between research staff and CTU nurses.”
Patient education: Glenda Gottfred, RN, OCN, a nurse manager at Fred Hutch Cancer Center – Peninsula, said her favorite poster was one about patient education. “A radiation center put together a teaching video where the patient got to see what is involved in a CT sim[ulation] and linac radiation treatment. They sent the video via MyChart so that the patient could watch it prior to coming in for their teach[ing]. They were more prepared with questions and stated the video helped relieve their fears.”
Multiple myeloma: Several Fred Hutch nurses mentioned sessions about multiple myeloma as being noteworthy. Information was shared about new immunotherapies and biotherapies, including bispecific antibodies, that are becoming more widely available for myeloma patients.
In addition to learning about new research and clinical practice updates at ONS, some nurses reflected on the conference as a whole.
Madolyn Moritz, BSN, RN, said that it’s interesting to hear about innovations and ways other organizations practice nursing, but something else happens that is equally important.
“What I also love about Congress are moments where I hear about a facility implementing something new that was helpful for them and then realizing that Fred Hutch has already been doing that, oftentimes for a while!” said Moritz. “It is a good reminder that we can always improve, but Fred Hutch is frequently already at the forefront of patient care and workflow implementation.”
A few nurses were supported by the Harold and John Steinberg Memorial Nursing Scholarship Endowment Fund to attend ONS Congress.
Maren Dale is a health care writer and editor. Her keen interest in, and respect for, the medical community began early in life when her family relocated to Rochester, Minn., and she attended Mayo High School. She has interviewed more than 600 physicians, researchers and health care leaders, and has a sub-specialty writing for professional medical associations. Reach her on LinkedIn or at maren@maren-dale.com.
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Are you interested in reprinting or republishing this story? Be our guest! We want to help connect people with the information they need. We just ask that you link back to the original article, preserve the author’s byline and refrain from making edits that alter the original context. Questions? Email us at communications@fredhutch.org
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