The ONS Podcast

Episode 434: Oncology–Psychiatric RN Collaboration to Support Psychosocial Health

September 25, 2026·34 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

"Nurses are the front line. Oncology nurses see their patients almost all day. If you're noticing that anxiety is causing significant distress or anxiety is disrupting a patient's ability to concentrate during medical conversations or decision-making—anytime you're seeing significant distress or disruption to functioning, that's a pretty good indicator that referral to a psychiatric nurse and psychiatric care could be very helpful for that patient," Amber Altidor, DNP, APRN-FPA, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor at Rush University College of Nursing and psychiatric nurse practitioner at Optimal Mental Health PLLC and Rush MD Anderson Cancer Center in Chicago, IL, told Katie Hubbard, MSN, RN, OCN®, NPD-BC, oncology clinical specialist at ONS, during a conversation about oncology and psychiatric nurse collaboration to support psychosocial health. Music Credit: "Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0  Earn 0.5 contact hours of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD), by listening to the full recording and completing an evaluation at courses.ons.org by September 25, 2027. The planners and faculty for this episode have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. ONS is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Learning outcome:  Learners will report an increase in knowledge of how oncology nurses can collaborate with psychiatric nurses to support the psychosocial health of people with cancer. Episode Notes  Complete this evaluation for free NCPD.  ONS Podcast™ episodes: Episode 426: Tools to Support Patients and Nurses Through Medical Trauma in Oncology Episode 421: Medical Trauma in Oncology Episode 287: Tools, Techniques, and Real-World Examples for Difficult Conversations in Cancer Care Episode 240: Spirituality in Cancer Care Episode 219: Use Acupuncture and Acupressure to Manage Cancer Symptoms and Side Effects ONS Voice articles: Anxiety and Depression Are Biggest Concerns for Patients With Cancer, Survivors, Caregivers AYA Cancer Survivors Experience Five Times Higher Depression Rates Than Individuals Diagnosed at Older Ages Guidelines Define the Role of Integrative Oncology Care for Managing Anxiety and Depression in Adults With Cancer Natural Language Processing Can Tell You Which Patients May Benefit From Psychosocial Referrals Physical Activity, Psychological Care Reduce Cancer-Related Fatigue What Assessment Tools Are Used for Patients With Cancer and Psychiatric Diagnoses? ONS course: Psychosocial Dimensions of Cancer Care™ Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing articles: <a href= "https://www.ons.org/publications-research/cjon/26/1/psychosocial-barriers-care-recognizing-and-responding-th

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