Proceedings of the 20th Annual APON Conference

President’s Message: Celebrating Our Past-Charting Our Future

T HE 20TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE of the Association of Pediatric Oncology

Nurses was held in Seattle, Washington. The conference was full of educational offerings starting with the preconference workshops, keynote addresses, concurrent sessions, and poster presentations. As you will see in this conference proceedings publication, a tre- mendous variety of topics salient to pediatric oncology nursing practice were covered. In additon to the official conference agenda were a number of meetings specific to the organization. The Board of Directors met and approved the 1997 annual budget. The Pedi- atric Oncology Nursing Certification exami- nation was offered for the third year. APON Committees met and planned a significant amount of work for the coming year. Winners of APON’s Practice, Education, Distinguished Service, and Research Awards and grants were announced. Finally, at the annual gen- eral membership meeting, APON announced its internet web site at “http://www.apon.org.”

Because this publication will cover the educational presentations, 1 would like to take a minute to highlight two special events that only conference attendees could experi- ence. For the first time APON held “Town Hall Meetings.” During these times of rapid and vast changes in the delivery of health care to children with cancer, the conference planners felt that it would be very helpful to allow a time for staff nurses, administrators, and advanced practice nurses to share what is happening at their institutions. This forum provided the opportunity for pediatric oncol- ogy nurses across the country to share solu- tions to common problems in delivery of care. Rather than “re-inventing the wheel,” nurses at the Town Hall Meeting found ways

to save time and energy in creative resolution to a variety of concerns.

The second event that made this confer- ence so special was the Friday evening Cel- ebratory Dinner sponsored by Rhone-Pou- lent Rorer. Pediatric oncology nurses know and experience the full range of emotions of life, the highs and the lows. The Anniversary Dinner was one of those professional highs. We had a chance to reflect on all that APON has accomplished, how far we have come, and the impact that APON has had on the care of children with cancer and their fami- lies. To celebrate APON’s 20th Anniversary we were all guests at a wonderful dinner with Gen Foley as the Keynote Speaker. As one of the nation’s leaders in pediatric oncology MS Foley delivered a humorous and powerful message; we are a family. A family of caring, dedicated nurses who have the privilege of caring for families whose lives are touched by cancer. As President of APON, I was honored to present certificates of apprecia- tion to people and corporations who have made a difference in the lives of children with cancer. The most notable of the certificates went to none other than Dr Robert Hickman, the creator of the Hickman central catheter. However, Rita Secola really made the evening unforgettable by making a video of children with cancer talking about their nurses. The video was a perfect affirmation of why pediat- ric oncology nursing is such a rewarding specialty. The outcome of our work was so very evident; beautiful, loving children who can laugh and dance! Here’s to the next 20 years!

Carolyn Walker, RN, PhD, CPON APON President

1996

Journal ofpediatric Oncology Nursing, Vol14, No 2 (April), 1997: p 113 113