The Oncology Nursing Society Board of Directors has approved the merger of the Home Care and Hospice SIGs. The new name will be the Home Care & Palliative Care (HOM) SIG.

Contratulations...
to Beth Mena who is our new coordinator elect.

Home Care Clinical Resource Area
Home care pertains to a wide range of healthcare and social services care that is provided in the home. This care can be provided by nurses, nursing aides and allied professionals. This resource area provides information and resources on home care. Please see the palliative and hospice care area for additional information on hospice home care.

Welcome to our new members for the months of January and February
Total membership is 841 members

Did you know that the Home Care SIG provides a formal mentoring program for oncology nurse professionals? Joining is easy. To enroll, visit www.3creekmentoring.com/ONS to start the process. Select the mentoring program of interest as well as the following codes when creating a profile:

Mentee group code: 532398
Mentor group code: 361812

Mentoring relationships officially begin once a mentee contacts a prospective mentor (through the online program) and both parties agree to a mentoring arrangement. These relationships are ongoing with the majority of communication occurring by email and through the online program. However, mentors and mentees may also connect in-person or by telephone (at their own expense) as deemed appropriate and convenient for them.

Mentoring relationships can be either short or long in duration. However, participants should be willing to make a minimum commitment of two hours per month to the program. If at anytime an arrangement is not meeting the desired expectations, a mentor or mentee can be paired with another member participating in the program.

Please direct any questions to membership@ons.org.

The ONS annual elections are approaching on January 2, 2009!

IMPORTANT NOTE TO THOSE SIGs HOLDING ELECTIONS IN 2009
Beginning in 2009, SIG elections will be incorporated into the national ONS elections. Voting will take place electronically for everyone with a valid email address. Those without a valid email address will receive a paper ballot.

Please visit the ONS Elections Web Site to learn about the candidates for President-Elect, Treasurer, Board of Directors (2), and Nominating Committee.

Your vote DOES make a difference!... Why?

• It demonstrates your concern about ONS and the future of oncology nursing.
• It strengthens ONS's participation in national dialogues on health care policy.
• It recognizes the talents, hard work, and commitment of the candidates.
• It represents a very important person--a knowledgeable, compassionate oncology nurse!

Electronic Voting Tutorial
Voting electronically is easy! Learn how it's done, so you will be prepared on January 2nd.

Letters from Candidates to Chapters