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Having just completed their junior year, nursing students (L to R) Gabrielle Sasso, Naomi Tegene and Kristen Marra spent summer 2022 as oncology fellows at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

CHOP:听Kristen Marra

Why did you want to pursue the fellowship?听Since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to eventually become a pediatric oncology nurse, specifically at CHOP, because that鈥檚 where my younger cousin was treated for her cancer. Throughout my cousin鈥檚 journey, I was inspired by the role of the nurses and the differences they had made for my family. I was also inspired by CHOP鈥檚 incredible culture as a hospital, because ultimately, CHOP saved my cousin鈥檚 life. When applying to summer externship positions a junior nursing student, the Flynn Fellowship stood out to me the most, it sounded like the ideal opportunity to achieve my future career goals. Additionally, I learned that this program is catered to help shape aspiring oncology nurses 鈥� with specialized oncology training from the best nurses in the country. Thus, ever since hearing about the Fellowship, it became my goal to obtain this position.

What was your EBP project?听I chose to complete my EBP project on the early implementation of pediatric palliative care services. The question that drove my literature search is 鈥淚n pediatric oncology patients and their families, does early introduction of palliative care at the time of high-risk cancer diagnosis impact quality of life?鈥� I found significant evidence in the literature that introducing pediatric palliative care at the time of a high-risk cancer diagnosis, or shortly after, will improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

What did you see and do?听听Before the program even began, I had access to immerse myself in two different cancer courses, several books, and a documentary 鈥� all regarding oncology, end of life, and palliative care. These resources expanded my knowledge in oncology, which I did not get much exposure to in nursing school.听

When I physically began the program at CHOP, it was far beyond everything I hoped for. I was exposed to all aspects of oncology 鈥� general chemotherapy, radiation, central lines, bone marrow transplants, side effects and symptom management, survivorship, the outpatient clinic, fertility preservation, and palliative care. I was able to work closely with patients and their families and with each interaction, I felt so prideful and fulfilled that I was making a difference. Each shift, I was paired one on one with a preceptor, where I learned a tremendous amount about the role of the pediatric oncology nurse and gained invaluable hands-on experience. Every preceptor I worked with was so inspiring, passionate, talented, and competent, and I went above and beyond to teach me. We also had weekly 鈥渓unch and learns,鈥� which professionals who pursued all different oncology nursing specialties (nurse practitioners, nursing education, clinical nurse specialists, etc.) taught us about their role in cancer care.

Also, I created such a special bond with the other five Fellows and genuinely believe that they have become my lifelong friends. We had weekly debriefing sessions with the five of us (took place before/after our lunch and learns), where got to share our experiences and support one another.

What did you enjoy the most?听Overall, the opportunity to make a difference in the patients and their families was the most rewarding part of these 10 weeks and I am so thankful to this program for allowing me to do so.

The shadow days were valuable because I got to shadow different NPs and see these different oncology nursing specialties firsthand and really experience the various career paths this field of nursing has to offer.

What advice might you have for someone considering it for next year?听听The application process may seem overwhelming, but please do not hesitate to reach out to the upperclassmen and nursing faculty with questions.听

Rising seniors Anne Ferry (L) and Carly VanCamp explored facets of oncology nursing as fellows at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in summer 2022.

HUP:听Anne Ferry

Why did you want to pursue the fellowship?听 听听I wanted to pursue the Flynn Fellowship because of my interest in oncology nursing. Sitting through the oncology lecture in class, I was truly fascinated. I grew up around family members who worked in oncology care, but I never really realized what went into that type of care. I understood that oncology nursing can be challenging, but the rewards of serving this patient population would be well worth the effort, and this was proven to be true after I completed my Flynn Fellowship. I specifically wanted the Flynn Fellowship because of the combination of bedside nursing but also the shadowing experiences. These experiences opened my eyes to other career paths that are possible bedsides just inpatient nursing.

What was your EBP project?听 听听My EBP project was 鈥淭he Importance of Accurate Neurological Assessments for Oncology Patients Receiving Neurotoxic Treatment Options.鈥� I specifically focused on CAR-T therapy and chemotherapy induced neurotoxicity, both experiences I witnessed first-hand on my floor.

What did you get to see and do?听 听听I was able to see multiple career paths that can stem from bedside inpatient nursing. I saw outpatient infusion, radiology, bone marrow transplant coordinators, research nursing, and shadowed both my nurse manager and charge nurse for a day. These experiences were a huge addition to the fellowship and how I understood oncology care. Most of the nurses on my floor said they have never seen/understood how these experiences work. It is an incredible experience to be able to see various aspects. I was treated like a real nurse on the floor, so not only did I feel respected, but I gained confidence in my nursing skills.

What did you enjoy the most?听 听听I enjoyed connecting with the nurses and patients. I had a patient who would give me a huge hug every time I would leave a shift. He gave me hope and encouragement, and I truly will never forget his face. I loved connecting with my nurses and the floor staff and am still working per diem. I enjoyed the symptom management aspect of oncology nursing, along with the long length of hospital stay for bone marrow transplant patients, meaning connections between the patients and health care team form and lead to more meaningful care.

What advice might you have for someone considering it for next year?听 听听If you have any interest in oncology nursing, just apply. This program gives you great insight into bedside oncology nursing, but you are also treated like a new nurse on orientation. Not only will you have oncology experience, but you gain these very important nursing skills. As always, any previous Flynn Fellows would love to talk about their experience or answer any questions!

Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital:听Sloane Tirilok

Why did you want to pursue the fellowship?听 听听I initially wanted to pursue the Flynn Fellowship because oncology nursing has always interested me. Through my own familial experience with cancer and observing the immense amount of care it involves, I admired the relationship that oncology nurses form with their patients. The compassion and irreplaceable work of these nurses is the impact that I too hope to someday have on people鈥檚 lives. Pediatrics particularly interests me because of the additional level of support that is needed for not only them, but their families. Cancer is dooming to anyone, but even more so as a child when the world is still so unknown. Yet, I have learned that it鈥檚 not always dark and ominous as it鈥檚 typically made out to be. In reality, there is so much light, hope, and goodness that is brought out through what is an incredibly hard process. This outlook is one that I believe is crucial to be shared, and one that I hope to share with my future patients. Upon learning about the Flynn Fellowship, I knew that this would be an incredible opportunity for me to pursue only the beginning of a lifelong career and learn the ins and outs of what it means to be an oncology nurse.

What was your EBP project?听 听My EBP project was focused on mucositis and its profound impact on the pediatric population. Briefly, this is a common and extremely painful side effect of chemotherapy that causes inflammation of the mouth or gut. However, there is evidence that this may be prevented with routine oral care. I focused my project on the implications that practicing routine oral care can have on our patients, and overall help to provide a better quality of life during the course of their treatment.听

What did you see and do?听听During my 8-week experience at Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital, I was paired with preceptors on the Bone Marrow Transplant unit, Neurology unit, and Hem/Onc unit. I had the opportunity to learn from many incredible nurses about delivering the highest level of patient and family care. I gained invaluable experience in care skills, including communication, medication administration, assessments, charting, and more.

What did you enjoy the most?听听 The level of independence that I was also given was one of the things that I enjoyed most. This experience was truly unique in the sense that I was constantly with a nurse or provider and learning from them, but then was also able to apply this knowledge on my own when tasks were delegated to me. I learned so much more than I could have ever imagined, and I would not give up this opportunity for anything.听

What advice might you have for someone considering it for next year?听听I would highly recommend applying for this program, even if you are hesitant about it. The knowledge and skills that I gained are transferable to any type of nursing and created a whole new level of confidence in both my academic and clinical careers. This program has opened a wide array of doors for my future, and extensively prepared me for my nursing career. I can genuinely say that this program changed my life and am so immensely grateful to have been a part of it.听听