The Precious Few

by Julia Challinor and Courtney Sullivan 

As we honor our colleagues for International Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day, we sound a call for action. In this time of global health workforce crisis, nursing as the single largest profession is at risk of becoming the precious few. In pediatric oncology in many settings, we are already the few. There is a limit to the number of children a nurse can care for safely, delivering chemotherapy and supportive care to ensure optimal outcomes. Moreover, the cognitive load of nurses and their ability to seamlessly pivot, prioritize, and manage patient and family needs while balancing difficult workloads is laudable. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the existing nursing shortage, and nurses’ retirement, the International Council of Nurses predicts a shortfall of 13 million nurses (up from 6 million before the pandemic). Now more than ever, we need to invest in our existing nursing workforce and rely on them to equip new nurses going forward to meet the growing global cancer burden. Experienced and knowledgeable pediatric oncology nurses are becoming the precious few and require recognition, remuneration, positive practice environments, career advancement and professional development opportunities, including the chance to network with colleagues in venues such as SIOP. Moreover, hospital administrators, ministries of health and governments would be well served to provide resources for pediatric oncology units to meet the SIOP Baseline Nursing Standards as one tool to promote safe environments for patients, families, and nurses.

SIOP nurse members stand strong in the face of challenges big and small and look to each other as well as our multidisciplinary professional colleagues to maximize resources for all children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer. May this International Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day lead to actions that retain, sustain, and empower the precious few who care for the most precious ones.

Julia Challinor, RN, PhD, Associate Adjunct Professor of Nursing University of California San Francisco, California, USA, SIOP Secretary General

Courtney Sullivan, PhD, APRN, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, SIOP Nursing Network Chair