Developing the next generation of oncology nurses
As the country’s largest privately-funded program of its kind, the Flynn Foundation addresses the critical need for more and better-prepared oncology nurses. Our nonprofit works with nursing schools, leading cancer hospitals and philanthropic partners to inspire and attract students to paid fellowships that offer unique clinical experience, expert training in compassionate care, mentoring, and a pathway to their desired careers.
“The Flynn Fellowship exposed me to the specialty I hope to work in for my entire career and gave me the confidence and tools to become a holistic and compassionate oncology nurse. I am grateful I get to go into work every day to a job I love and I have the Flynn Fellowship to thank for that. My summer as a Flynn Fellow was transformational to my development as a nurse, and I am very thankful for the continued support, connections and resources I’ve received from this program as an alumni. The program isn’t just a summer internship experience, it’s a life-long oncology community!”
Amy Kaiser, University of Scranton
Flynn Fellow at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
Pediatric Oncology Nurse at Duke University Hospital
LEARN ABOUT FRED & SUSAN FLYNN’S JOURNEY
Read about Fred and Susan’s last days together and the impact of the expert caregivers who were the inspiration for the Flynn Foundation.
THE INCREASING NEED FOR ONCOLOGY NURSES
The specialized field of oncology nursing requires more than what can be offered in standard undergraduate nursing programs. Most programs currently provide little or no academic or clinical exposure to oncology nursing.
“Before Fred started this program, student nurses typically didn’t get an introduction to oncology, let alone palliative care, until after they graduated. This fellowship program has pushed the oncology nursing specialty to the forefront of undergraduate training so that students have this as an option much earlier in their careers.”
Dr. Donna Coletti, founding Medical Director of Palliative Care
Greenwich Hospital
Our Impact
- Through our innovative work and concerted efforts to attract, inspire and help professionally develop the next generation of Oncology Nurses, we are directly impacting the future quality of care for cancer patients and their families every day across the country. In addition, our unique Fellowship program is successfully addressing the critical need for more and better skilled Oncology Nurses.
- To date, we’ve provided 299 Fellowship opportunities to aspiring nurses, and of the 260 in the workforce so far, over 165 (65%) are already working as Oncology Nurses.
- Over 3,200 nursing students nationally have applied for our Oncology Nursing Fellowship program, attesting to the significant market demand and high-interest level for our unique program–Our “Flynn Fellows” are competitively selected by the participating host Hospitals from this deep talent pool, ensuring them the “best and brightest” candidates.
- So far over 15 of the country’s leading Hospitals and over 40 undergraduate nursing schools have participated in our Fellowship program.
- We believe that Palliative Care knowledge and skills are integral in caring for this vulnerable patient populations. In 2022 we successfully “piloted” a novel Palliative Care version of our Fellowship program at HopeHealth (Providence, RI) and plan to expand it in the future with other leading Palliative Care organizations.
- As part of our emphasis on developing future nurse leaders, in 2019 we established the Jonas Flynn Oncology Nurse DNP Scholars program in partnership with Jonas Philanthropies. Thus far 9 former Flynn Fellows have been awarded 1-2 year annual $15,000 scholarships to pursue their DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degrees; our third Cohort of awardees will be announced shortly
- Our Fellowship program fills a critical workforce training void, serves as a much-needed “talent pipeline” of compassionate and well-prepared nurses for our Hospital partners, and also provides a very meaningful career pathway for aspiring Oncology Nurses.
Building Synergistic Partnerships at Leading Cancer Hospitals
The Flynn Foundation creates paid fellowships at several leading cancer hospitals to provide students with hands-on clinical experience, mentorship, and a pathway to successful careers in the important field of oncology care. Hospitals who work with us benefit from the pipeline of high-caliber nursing talent our Fellowship program produces.. By providing hospitals with highly motivated, compassionate and well prepared Oncology Nurses, the Flynn Foundation makes a tangible difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families every day.
Our Hospital Partners
“My fellowship at Greenwich Hospital provided me with extensive exposure to oncology nursing. This invaluable clinical experience allowed me to learn how to provide high quality compassionate and holistic care to oncology patients and their families. I was able to further explore this specialized nursing field through my evidence-based research project on Cancer Survivorship and Rehabilitation. The dedicated and passionate oncology team at Greenwich Hospital has inspired me to pursue a career in oncology nursing.”
Emily Kopas, DNP, Fairfield University
Flynn Fellow at Greenwich Hospital
Nurse Practitioner at Greenwich Hospital