Cancer nursing: the modern era.

Objective: To identify critical elements of the major shift in cancer nursing practice, education, and the expectations of professional nursing immediately following World War II that were precursors of contemporary oncology nursing preparation and practice.

Methods: General healthcare, medical, and nursing literature, particularly in the American Journal of Nursing, published after World War II and before the inception of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS); archival materials in the collection of ONS; nursing history literature; and personal communications.

Results: Nurses in a wide variety of practice settings with varied levels of experience, including staff nurses, homecare nurses, and high-level leaders and decision makers of the time, were responsible for bringing attention to and addressing the challenges and joys of cancer nursing.

Conclusions: Professional nursing in general and cancer nursing in particular underwent significant changes and a distinct paradigm shift in cancer nursing education and practice in the period of time surrounding World War II, which promoted the advancement of cancer nursing. Conclusions: This historical review provides lessons for contemporary cancer nursing clinicians, executives, researchers, and educators with regard to imagining ways to approach issues, the necessity of collaboration and public-private partnerships, and maintaining the passion for this increasingly complex nursing specialty.