Fox Chase Cancer Center Clinical Director Wins Oncology Nursing Society’s Excellence in Cancer Nursing Management Award

Erin Longstreth-Papsun, RN, MSN, OCN, NEA-BC, clinical director of Ambulatory Satellite Clinics and Radiation Oncology Nursing at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was recently awarded the Excellence in Cancer Nursing Management Award by the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS).

“Being nominated for this award is a humbling experience and has given me the opportunity to reflect on my career thus far, see how much progress I have made, and to realign my goals for the next five years,” said Longstreth-Papsun. “I have learned that nursing leadership is a journey, a dynamic process of continuous development through which there is always more to learn and do.”

The award is presented to a nurse manager or administrator with proven excellence in their field. To be considered for it, nominees must be an active ONS member with at least two years of experience in oncology nursing management or administration. Additionally, they must display exemplary leadership abilities and have support from supervisors.

“To have Erin honored with this award speaks volumes about her leadership skills and about the level of nursing at Fox Chase in general,” said Anna Rodriguez, MSN, MHA, RN, OCN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Nursing and Patient Services at Fox Chase.

“Erin is a most worthy candidate to receive this honor,” said Kathleen Wolf, director of Magnet/Nursing Quality at Fox Chase. “A special trait Erin displays in her leadership is her ongoing recognition of her staff. She holds her team accountable to high standards of care, they deliver, and Erin celebrates her team.”

Longstreth-Papsun has been a nurse leader at Fox Chase for 17 years. She began her career as a bedside nurse, later becoming a supervisor and clinical manager and immersing herself in various projects and opportunities to lead change and highlight the work of Fox Chase.

Early on in her career, she participated in a research publication about caring for autistic oncology patients after surgery and formed a team which was chosen to participate in the second cohort of the American Academy of Critical Care Nurses Clinical Scene Investigator Academy program. This experience led her to help develop a project focused on decreasing hospital stay and drug use for patients experiencing delirium, which resulted in a projected annual impact of $766,500.

Additionally, she led a team involved in a National Institutes of Health grant program through the City of Hope educating nurses about geriatric oncology care. Through this, she helped create a project focused on enhanced support and assessment of the geriatric oncology population.

“Being honored by this award, I felt compelled to get more involved with leadership in oncology nursing at a larger scale, so I ran for president-elect for the local Oncology Nursing Society chapter and was elected in February,” said Longstreth-Papsun. “I am very excited to play a role in moving our profession forward and hope to continue my growth in this role and maybe one day lead at a national level.”