Presented by:
Joan O’Hanlon Curry, DNP RN CPNP-PC CPON® NEA-BC FAPHON FAAN FAONL
Emily Padgett, BSN RN CPN CPHON®
Session Details: Day 2: May 14, Session 8 1:05 PM-2:05 PM EDT (12:05 pm CST / 11:05 am MST / 10:05 am PST)
Overview of Session: This session will explore how advocacy is foundational to nursing practice and extends far beyond legislative engagement. The American Nurses Association identifies advocacy as central to the profession, requiring nurses to promote, protect, and optimize the health, safety, and rights of patients, families, and communities. Pediatric hematology/oncology nurses uniquely encounter situations where patients and families experience vulnerability, complex decision-making, and barriers to equitable care, positioning nurses as essential advocates at multiple levels of healthcare delivery. This presentation will explore advocacy as a professional obligation embedded in everyday clinical practice rather than a discrete activity limited to policy or politics. Participants will examine how advocacy manifests across five interconnected domains: the bedside (supporting patient voice and informed decision-making), the unit and institution (safety, ethical care, and systems improvement), the community (education and resource access), and the state and federal arenas (policy and health equity). Real-world narratives from pediatric hematology/oncology nurses will illustrate practical examples of advocacy in action. The session will also highlight APHON’s advocacy priorities and initiatives, including efforts to improve access to comprehensive care, support research funding, and advance the nursing workforce. Attendees will be introduced to pathways for engagement ranging from local institutional leadership to grassroots and legislative participation. By reframing advocacy as an integral professional responsibility rather than an optional activity, this session aims to empower nurses at all career stages to recognize their influence and identify actionable steps toward advocacy in daily practice. Participants will leave with practical strategies to incorporate advocacy into routine care and to engage with professional organizations to advance outcomes for children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer and blood disorders, as well as advancing the nursing profession.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Attendees will be able to differentiate the multiple domains of nursing advocacy (bedside, institutional, community, and policy) and explain how advocacy functions as a professional obligation within pediatric hematology/oncology nursing practice.
2. Attendees will be able to identify and implement at least two strategies for engaging in professional advocacy through organizational involvement, including participation in APHON initiatives.
This contains 1 sections:
- Post-Session Evaluation
Continuing Education Credit
APHON will provide 1 nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) contact hour(s) for the successful completion of this session. Successful completion requires attendance for the entire session and the completion of the post-session evaluation.
The Spring Education Exchange (SEE) sessions and post-session evaluations will be available for 30 days.
The Association for Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This provider is also approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 14513.
None of the planners for this activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies.
Questions or concerns? Contact education@aphon.org.
The APHON Spring Education Exchange is sponsored by ONCC.
Course Includes
- 1 Lesson
- Course Certificate