2025 Nursing Conference Grant Winning Essays

The questions for this year’s application cycle were as follows: 

1. Please describe how you will share what you learn at this conference with colleagues. 

2. How will you incorporate what you learn from this educational offering into your practice? 

3. How will this conference advance your long-term career goals (beyond the attainment of continuing education hour requirements)? 

 

Essays were lightly edited for grammar, flow, and readability.  

 

Sue Hartup

​

Essay 1:  I have planned several effective ways I can share the specific learnings from the IPOS 2025 conference with my colleagues, managers and stakeholders. These include:

 

1. Creating a Summary Report : This concise document will include:

• Key themes and takeaways

• Notable speakers or sessions

• Implications for practice

• Recommended actions or changes

 

2. Host a Presentation or Lunch & Learn I will organise a short session (30-60 minutes) to:

• Present slides summarising the conference

• Share case studies or new tools

• Facilitate discussion on how to apply insights locally

 

I plan to request a slot to present any findings that could improve our service at the regional cancer alliance meeting to ensure excellence in care is shared throughout our region and wider.

 

3. Emails or a Newsletter I will send an engaging email to my teams with:

• Bullet-point highlights

• Links to resources or recordings

• My reflections and suggestions

• Discussion points to develop for research and service evaluation projects

​

4. Internal Workshop or Training I will develop a mini-training session to:

• Dive deeper into one or two key topics

• Use role-play or case discussions

• Encourage team input on implementation

• Include multi-disciplinary team members to ensure widespread dissemination I will also expand this to regional (potentially national) level through my contacts including as regional rep for the Association of Breast Surgeons, UK Breast Cancer Clinical Studies Group and the NIHR.

​

5. Visual Aids Use infographics, mind maps, or posters to:

• Display key concepts in communal areas

• Reinforce learning over time

• Suggest changes to patient facing documents and pathways I am exploring the use of infographics as part of my current research projects and want these to be used more widely and work in collaboration with trials unit and a graphic designer.

​​

Essay 2: The theme of this years IPOS conference is 'Optimising Care, Optimising Outcomes: Partnering to Improve Outcomes for All'. This is a theme very close to my heart and summarises what all my work is related to:

• Multidisciplinary and person-centred care

• Integration of psychosocial support into oncology practice

• Innovative approaches to survivorship, palliative care, and caregiver support

• Equity in cancer care delivery

• Cultural competence and global perspectives in psycho-oncology

​

I will incorporate learnings into my practice through:

1. Reflecting on Key Takeaways

• Identify sessions or workshops that resonate most with my clinical and research interests.

• Summarise 3-5 actionable insights or new evidence-based practices.

​

2. Updating Clinical Protocols

• Integrate new screening tools or psychosocial assessment methods in my research and clinical practice.

• Adopt or adapt intervention models (e.g., distress management, mindfulness, narrative therapy) presented at the conference.

​

My current work is within this field (complex interventions in breast cancer) and learnings will feed into my developed patient self-management system for breast cancer surgery which is based on PROMs and patient symptom reporting.

 

3. Enhancing Multidisciplinary Collaboration

• Share insights with both my clinical and academic teams through our monthly meeting and present findings and suggested applications to our work and patient pathways.

• I will also propose interdisciplinary case discussions or joint care planning with psychologists, surgeons and oncologists; this would be as part of our MDT planning session.

​

4. Advancing Equity and Cultural Sensitivity

• Apply culturally adapted communication strategies or interventions.

• Advocate for inclusive care models that address disparities in access and outcomes. This is a current workstream in my research - how to reduce digital exclusion, and how we can support increased access to trials and ensure equity, diversity and inclusivity for all.

​

5. Education and Training Others

• Develop a short workshop or in-service training for colleagues to include how to utilise learnings from conferences into clinical practice to improve care and pathways.

• Continue to mentor junior staff and students using updated psycho-oncology frameworks.

• Include learnings in my tutor sessions with medical students

​

6. Engagement in Research or Quality Improvement: I am currently setting up a co-designed study to evaluate the impact of a new psychosocial intervention within breast cancer. This has the potential to be disseminated widely throughout different cancer care pathways to enhance outcomes and experiences for all patients. I aim to build collaborations with peers I met at the conference through either joint research projects or publications. This is an opportunity to explore how this work and patient care is carried out in a different part of the world. It is also an opportunity to learn from each other's practices and build better development projects.

 

7. Staying Connected: I am already a member of IPOS but would like to extend this through potentially joining working groups or special interest groups. I keep up to date through being a subscriber to their newsletter but will also follow up with presenters for ongoing learning.

 ​

Essay 3: The IPOS 2025 conference directly supports my professional goals in several meaningful ways. It aligns with and enhances each of my objectives by:

 

1. Deepening Clinical Expertise Support from Conference: The program includes cutting-edge research on psychosocial interventions, distress screening, and patient-informed care.

 

Benefit: I will gain practical tools and updated knowledge to improve patient outcomes; sharing best practice on a global scale with like-minded colleagues and experts.

 

2. Expand my Professional Network Support from Conference: With global attendees and structured networking events, IPOS fosters collaboration and multi-disciplinary working.

 

Benefit: I aim to build lasting connections for research, mentorship, or clinical partnerships.

 

3. Translate Research into Practice Support from Conference: Sessions focus on implementation science and real-world applications of psycho-oncology research.

 

Benefit: I will return with actionable strategies to integrate into both my clinical and academic settings. This will include links to experts who we can work with to ensure integration of care and lead to future innovations and evidence for use within clinical settings.

 

4. Enhance Multidisciplinary Collaboration Support from Conference: IPOS is a multi-disciplinary body that puts an emphasis on team-based care and communication across disciplines. It has a long-standing reputation for building collaborations between different disciplines to improve patient care.

 

Benefit: I will learn how to better coordinate with oncologists, nurses, and allied health professionals at all levels and across multi-disciplines. I work within a large and varied MDT but also feel we can always enhance communication, understanding and collaboration. I aim to learn from leaders in this field through contacts at the conference.

 

5. Develop Leadership Skills Support from Conference: Opportunities to present, moderate, or join IPOS committees. I am submitting some abstracts and hope to have the opportunity to present my work to others, building a global collaboration group.

 

Benefit: This may raise my professional profile and contribute to shaping the field.

 

6. Promote Equity and Inclusion Support from Conference: Dedicated sessions on global health, indigenous care, and underserved populations are included.

 

Benefit: I will be better equipped to deliver culturally competent and equitable care. It will also give me the opportunity to build relationships with those who also support these goals and aims.

 

7. Inspire Innovation in Your Practice Support from Conference: Exposure to new technologies, digital tools, and innovative care models and leaders within this field.

 

Benefit: I will return from the conference with fresh ideas to pilot or adapt in my own setting and a renewed enthusiasm to continue battling to ensure improvements in patient care, outcomes and experiences.

______________________________ 

​