What Nurses Should Know ... Oncology, Med/Surg nurses and other RNs who work with cancer patients may be the most cognizant group when it comes to statistics and controversy surrounding stem cell research and the transplants it facilitates. Bioethics is a subject that fuels content for incendiary, page-turning books (see footnote). Whatever your view, it’s hard to ignore the stats. In the U.S., diseases that can be treated with a stem cell transplant are diagnosed in about 30,000 children and adults each year. For those cancer patients who can be helped by stem cell transplants, full recovery hinges on excellent nursing staff—one that provides thorough information on new treatments, and methods of effective after-care. Learn more Stem cell transplants are nothing new. Bone marrow transplants began in the 1970s, and were essentially renamed “stem cell transplants”; no matter what you call them, patients have come to view stem cell transplants as just another a step in their treatment plan, similar to surgery or radiation. The decision to go through with bone marrow transplant is not to be taken lightly—a certified oncology nurse plays an important role in guiding patients during their treatment. Over the decades, nurses’ [+]