As Advanced Practice Roles Expand in Oncology, Here’s How ONS Supports Their Significant Impact

In 1965, advanced practice nurse Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, NP-C, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, along with pediatrician Henry Silver, MD, cofounded the United States’ first nurse practitioner (NP) program in pediatric care at the University of Colorado. They created the program in response to the needs of underserved women and children in rural Colorado. I had the great opportunity to meet Ford at the June 2024 American Association of Nurse Practitioners annual conference in Nashville, TN, when we discussed my passion to introduce the NP role to many South American countries.