By Carol Logan, communications intern

Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences will host the third annual Cowtown Oncology Symposium beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, in the Dee J. Kelly Alumni & Visitors Center.

The symposium will help increase nurses’ awareness of the strategies and current trends in cancer care for patients and caregivers, and will meet the educational needs of oncology nurses, infusion nurses, radiation nurses, palliative care and hospice nurses, nurse practitioners and other medical professionals involved in the care of oncology patients.”

Sandra Barr, administrative assistant for the Center for Oncology Education & Research and a member of the planning committee, said the event began with a group of oncology nurses who decided they “wanted to do something in Fort Worth,” thus the name – Cowtown Oncology Symposium.

The event is open to oncology nurses and TCU oncology nursing students and attendance has more than doubled since it began in 2011.

The learning objectives of the event include the following:

1. Identify strategies to integrate evidence-based cancer care.
2. Examine ethical issues related to cancer treatment and patient-nurse relationships.
3. Evaluate current innovations and trends in cancer care for patients and caregivers.

The symposium, staying true to its name, maintains the “Cowtown” theme by integrating and encouraging the “western” theme throughout the event,” Barr said. Cowgirl Lucy, the face of the event, is portrayed by Jo Nell Wells, associate professor of nursing. Cowgirl Lucy helps bring excitement to the event as moderator.

The symposium is sponsored by Moncrief Cancer Institute; Texas Health, Harris Methodist Hospital, Fort Worth; Texas Oncology; and The Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders.