12 December 2019
Following a call for nominations UKONS are thrilled to announce that we have appointed a further two oncology nurses to represent the views of young cancer nurses or those who are early in their careers. These nurses will work alongside Bethany Maynard, our existing representative who is currently on maternity leave.
Constance Rowell is an Acute Oncology CNS working at Wexham Park Hospital, part of Frimley Health Foundation Trust. She is currently working towards completing her master’s in advanced practice and hopes that she can use her new role within UKONS to positively encourage and support new nurses into oncology. She also believes in closer working links with European Oncology Nursing Society (EONS) will result in an improved sharing of best practice across Europe and into the wider world.
Jane Ewang is a CNS in Radiotherapy at the Harley Street Clinic in Central London. She will use her new role in UKONS to further develop the community of young cancer nurses. She believes that being part of this community has allowed her to reflect her own development. She will also take the opportunity to support other young cancer nurses and continue to inspire and motivate each other, sharing resources to be able to learn from great practice across UK, Europe and worldwide.
The two new recruits recently met with Mary Tanay, their UKONS board link, to discuss the direction of travel towards promoting the role of young and early career oncology nurses. This was a productive and positive meeting. A young or early career cancer nurse is someone who is working in settings caring for patients affected by cancer who is either under 35 years old OR someone who has less than 5 years cancer nursing experience. The Young/Early Career Cancer nursing group is already established, and these foundations will be built upon,
the primary aim being to support and develop young cancer nurses in the UK, but with the group continuing to link to the EONS Young Cancer Nurses (YCN).
The group has been officially recognised as a sub-group of the UKONS Champions and the three representatives will become co-opted members of the Board and will be invited to UKONS Board meetings. There was a commitment to develop and monitor the Facebook page and plan for one or two study days as well as possibly setting up a YCN sub-group meeting at the next UKONS conference in Belfast in 2020.
UKONS are very excited to have extended and developed our young or early career cancer nursing support by recruiting Constance and Jane and we wish them both well in their new roles.