How to Empower Bedside Oncology Nurses as Leaders With Tammy Triglianos, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCNP

Oncology Data Advisor: Welcome to Oncology Data Advisor. Today, we're here at ONS Congress, and I'm joined by Tammy Triglianos. Thank you so much for joining today.

Tammy Triglianos, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCNP: Yes, thank you, Keira, for the invitation. Happy to talk with you today.

Oncology Data Advisor: Would you like to introduce yourself and share what you do in your work?

Dr. Triglianos: My name is Tammy Triglianos. I am a certified Adult Oncology Nurse Practitioner. I have been in oncology nursing for almost 25 years, and even started out prior to that as a Nursing Assistant, taking care of patients with cancer. My area of specialty practice is gastrointestinal (GI) medical oncology, which I've been doing for about the past 15 years. I also serve as adjunct faculty for the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, where I precept nurse practitioner students. I serve on my organization's mentoring committee. I am a Board Member for our local chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society, serving on their leadership and mentorship committee, and as a member of many other professional organizations as well.

Oncology Data Advisor: Awesome. So, you're presenting a session tomorrow called Empowering Bedside Oncology Nurses as Leaders—would you like to give us a brief preview of what the session will be about?

Dr. Triglianos: So, I think my number one message, and take-home message, for this is to stress the importance that you don't need a title to lead. I hope nurses are able to take that away from this session and feel empowered to recognize their own qualities and skills to understand their own leadership capabilities.

Oncology Data Advisor: How can nurses utilize their leadership skills to empower themselves as well as their colleagues and their patients?

Dr. Triglianos: Yes, great question. I think number one is to develop themselves to take responsibility and set their own goals, manage their time, be proactive, and take initiative. I also think developing communication skills plays a role. This can help build trust and create a positive work environment and also can improve patient outcomes. I think being a mentor and being a mentee can help in developing others, continuing to help people develop themselves and collaborate in the health care system, as well as advocacy for patients and families.

Oncology Data Advisor: Great. Are there any resources that you'd recommend for nurses who are interested in building their leadership skills?

Dr. Triglianos: So, you'd have to listen to my talk to take away some of those resources. In short, the American Nurses Association has put out a Leadership Competency Framework that I think is a succinct model. It's a 360-degree tool that I think is a great resource for understanding different qualities and skills of leadership. I also think that personality assessments can help people understand themselves and understand what drives them, opportunities for growth and development, and incorporating quality improvement into nursing practice.

Oncology Data Advisor: So, for nurses who aren't able to attend the talk tomorrow, are there any take-home messages about it that you'd like to share with them?

Dr. Triglianos: Yes. I like this question, and I actually amended my talk with some key takeaways. Overall, one of the key takeaways is that leaders never stop growing. This is a process. It's an ongoing, lifelong process, and again, you don't need a title to lead. I think some of my personal takeaways are that I hope that nurses can leave this session understanding what drives them, taking a personality test or even a leadership assessment for themselves and being aware of their blind spots, enhancing communication skills, being change agents, being mentors for others, and being in the role of a mentee.

Oncology Data Advisor: Great. Well, thank you so much for sharing all this. I'm looking forward to hearing your talk tomorrow, and it was great meeting with you.

Dr. Triglianos: Yes, thank you for your time.

About Dr. Triglianos

Tammy Triglianos, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCNP, currently serves as a certified Adult Oncology Nurse Practitioner in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Division at the University of North Carolina School of Nursing. As well, she serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University, mentoring student nurse practitioners. Dr. Triglianos' main area of research and practice is GI oncology, working directly with patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment and helping them with symptom management through survivorship and end-of-life care. She serves as a Board Member for her local ONS chapter and works as a member of multiple other professional organizations.

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Transcript edited for clarity. Any views expressed above are the speaker's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Oncology Data Advisor.