Reminders are good. If I had to pick one theme summing up the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators (AONN) 2nd Annual Navigation & Survivorship Conference, it is: focus on the patient.

You might think nurses know this. We do, but reminders are always good. Throughout the years, nursing has become overloaded to a point refocusing priorities away from the patient. Numerous AONN speakers helped change that focus yet again. Tricia Strusowki, MS, RN, Director of Cancer Care Management at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center, Christiana Care Health System, in Newark, Delaware, reiterated, “Always ask: ‘What’s the right thing to do for the patient?’ It’ll help you answer any question.” Sharon Gentry, RN, MSN, AOCN®, CBCN, Breast Health Navigator at Derrick L Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said, “Put your thick skin on and advocate for the patient.” She reminded us – mostly nurse administrators and navigators – that when you keep the patient central to care, you are going to get trouble because our systems and processes are often created without thought of the patient. “Still,” she encouraged, “stay the course.”

Simple, yet sage: Focus on the patient.