Welcome to ONS Online

Letter from the Editor

Elizabeth Gomez
RN, MSN, AOCN,
Editor, ONS Online

WELCOME TO ONS ONLINE, the electronic presence of the Oncology Nursing Society. Similar to the phenomenal growth of the Internet, ONS has grown at a meteoric rate during the past 21 years. This Society was started by forty dedicated women whose mission it was to strengthen the education of cancer nurses and improve the care delivered to cancer patients. Today, ONS is the premiere international organization for oncology nurses with membership of over 25,000 nurses worldwide.

In an organization as large and diverse as ONS, effective communication is always a challenge. One of the primary initiatives of ONS Online will be to strengthen the communication between local and national leadership, among SIG and Focus Groups, and among individual members. Instantaneously, information about the many programs and people who are the ONS will be disseminated through this site. Electronic communication is inherently interactive, and it is our hope that through e-mail, chat sessions and forums you will no longer just hear about what ONS is doing, but become a part of what ONS is doing.

The largest group of ONS members are those nurses who provide direct care to cancer patients. We will endeavor to make ONS Online the first place you turn to for relevant information that will enhance your clinical practice. Teaching remains a large component of the professional nursing practice, and both patient and professional education will significantly benefit from our members utilization of ONS Online. Initially, nurse researchers will find access to new collaborators, grants and funding opportunities, and exposure to intramural and extramural research programs throughout the country.

In preparing this, my first letter from the editor, I reviewed every issue of the Oncology Nursing Forum ever published, many issues of ONS News, and an untold number of SIG and Chapter newsletters. I am deeply indebted to the many editors who have worked to shape the Society's message and will strive to emulate their extraordinary example in developing a comprehensive, clinically relevant resource that remains responsive to the needs of our membership.

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