AONN+ members announced the relaunch of the completely revamped AONN+ website at the 2023 AONN+ Midyear Conference in Orlando. Features of the newly designed platform were discussed at a celebratory lunch session (complete with pink flamingo stilt walkers!), all designed with an emphasis on connecting, sharing knowledge, and staying updated within the oncology navigation community.
“We have heard your feedback through the years, and we’ve reorganized the entire website,” said Ruby Charles. “We have an all-new menu with 9 different categories to help you more intuitively find the tools and resources that you look for on AONN+ online.”
Through the first tab, “Conferences,” users can find information about and register for upcoming AONN+ conferences, as well as submit research abstracts for midyear and annual meetings. The “Committees” tab offers opportunities for leaders to join national committees (AONN+ has more than 10), through which they can share best practices, connect with like-minded colleagues, and set new trends/topics that are of utmost importance to each specific committee.
The “Tools & Resources” tab showcases AONN+ initiatives such as The CATCH (Catching & Addressing Threats to Care & Health), BOLD (Building Oncology Leadership and Development), BRIDGE (Building Relationships in Delivering Genetic/Genomic Education), and CAPE (Cancer Advocacy and Patient Education), all of which provide useful resources for everyday practice. Navigators are encouraged to honor and celebrate their colleagues by submitting a “Catch” through the website (a navigation win where the navigator caught an issue and intervened to correct it). These are regularly published in JONS, and the first “CATCH of the Year” Award will be presented at this year’s annual conference in San Antonio in November.
“We really want to celebrate the work that you guys do every day in helping to improve the lives of your patients and caregivers,” noted Jordan Henderson, director of AONN+ Program Development.
The “Education” tab highlights the availability of toolkits, resource guides, and webinars, while “Local Navigator Networks” allows navigators to browse national, international, and virtual navigator networks through an interactive map. The website also offers helpful information for users hoping to start their own local navigator network.
The “Navigating A-Z” tab highlights AONN+’s aim of providing evidence-based practice resources, including research papers and disease-specific information. Through this tab, navigators are able to dig into useful resources according to tumor type (eg, breast, hematologic, lung cancers, etc).
The “Discussion” tab allows users to engage in conversations with professionals across the country and beyond. Currently, the discussion boards focus on the following topics: breast cancer, lung cancer, clinical trials, the BOLD initiative, and general discussion. AONN+ members are encouraged to visit the discussion boards, join these conversations, ask questions, and engage with their colleagues.
“The discussion boards were developed so that AONN+ members can connect beyond midyear and annual conferences,” said Ms Charles. “We want you to stay connected throughout the year, so please create topics, share resources and challenges, and share your wins for the day.”
The AONN+ Team presents the new website at the Midyear Conference (complete with flamingo stilt walkers!).
Ms Charles also pointed out the website’s access levels, particularly the new subscriber level, which allows colleagues to engage in discussions and comment on blogs without full membership access.
The “Digital Library” tab is a centralized location for videos, Facebook Live sessions, blogs, podcasts, and the newly introduced AONN+ YouTube channel. Lastly, the “News & Events” tab allows users to access newsletters, columns, and updates on local and national happenings.
Website visitors can also access Conquer and JONS through the platform, and abstract submission for publication in these magazines is always encouraged (submission guidelines are also on the site).
“There are some great bits of wisdom—some from years back—on our website,” said Sharon Gentry, AONN+ Program Director. “So please take some time to explore them.”
