| Sumario: | Significance & Background: Inpatient oncology units care for patients with diverse cancer diagnoses and complex medical conditions related to disease and/ or treatment side effects. Oncology content is limited in undergraduate nursing programs which can leave new graduate nurses feeling unprepared for the specialized and high-acuity environment of inpatient medical oncology. Managing complex medical problems, clinical deterioration, and end-of-life needs can be especially challenging for novice registered nurses (Ashton, 2015). Nursing in general is experiencing a decrease in experienced registered nurses at the bedside; therefore, onboarding and orientation strategies need to be realigned with the new graduate registered nurse (RN) to provide a simpler more organized pathway for resources. Purpose: The goal of developing a welcome binder was to provide a comprehensive resource for new oncology nurses that decreased anxiety and stress associated with assimilation to a complex patient population. Feedback from newly oriented nurses on a 33-bed inpatient oncology unit at a large academic hospital indicated the need for a more streamlined way to access resources during orientation. Interventions: The Medical Oncology Welcome Binder was designed by experienced preceptors on the inpatient oncology unit in collaboration with nursing leadership. The division-wide orientation pathway was reviewed to select topics and resources for the binder. Alongside providing essential information about the complex care of oncology patients, the binder included information about unit culture, community resources, and institutional policies and procedures. Results: Approximately 50% of nurses hired in 2025 identified the Welcome Binder as a useful resource. Nurses reported utilizing the binder both at work and outside of work to reference resources while building their knowledge of oncology care. The binder is a convenient way to provide common policies and procedures encountered on the oncology unit in an easily digestible way for the overwhelmed brains of new nurses. Discussion: Assimilation into an inpatient medical oncology unit can be overwhelming, especially navigating the plethora of online resources. Providing a curated, physical binder with a collection of helpful materials may reduce anxiety and support transition into practice for new oncology RNs.
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