Beyond Chemotherapy: Mastering the New ASCO-ONS Antineoplastic Safety Standards with MiKaela Olsen
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In this episode of Onc Nurse on Call, MiKaela Olsen joins hosts Patricia Jakel and Stephanie Derosier to break down the major updates to the ASCO-ONS Antineoplastic Therapy Administration Safety Standards. Discover why the term "chemotherapy" is being phased out and how to ensure top-tier safety across all patient care settings.
Episode Title: Beyond Chemotherapy: Mastering the New ASCO-ONS Antineoplastic Safety Standards with MiKaela Olsen
Release Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts: Patricia Jakel, MN, RN, AOCN, and Stephanie Desrosiers, DNP, MSN, RN, AOCNS, BMTCN
Guest: MiKaela M. Olsen, DNP, APRN-CNS, AOCNS®, FAAN
Episode Overview
The landscape of cancer treatment is evolving at a breakneck pace. To keep up, the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released a major update to their joint safety standards. In this episode of Onc Nurse on Call, hosts Patricia Jakel, MN, RN, AOCN, and Stephanie Desrosiers, DNP, MSN, RN, AOCNS, BMTCN sit down with MiKaela M. Olsen, DNP, APRN-CNS, AOCNS®, FAAN, clinical program director for oncology at Johns Hopkins Health System and the nurse co-chair for the updated standards.
MiKaela shares her inspiring journey from an unexpected start in a military pediatric oncology unit to becoming one of the nation's leading voices in hazardous drug safety. Together, they break down the critical changes in the 2024 update, why the term "chemotherapy" is officially being phased out, and how nurses can maintain rigorous safety protocols across all care settings—including the home.
Key Topics Covered
The Shift to "Antineoplastics": Why the traditional word "chemotherapy" is no longer inclusive of modern targeted agents, immunotherapies, and cellular therapies.
Safety Across All Settings: How the new standards apply universally, whether you are administering treatment in a major hospital, an outpatient clinic, or a patient's home.
The 4-Step Verification Process: A breakdown of Domain 3, detailing the independent safety checks required by both pharmacy and nursing before a drug reaches the patient.
Standard 1.7 (The Metric Rule): Why locking scales into kilograms and centimeters and requiring dual-verification for new treatment plans is the new gold standard for preventing dosing errors.
Focus on Equity and Caregivers: How Domain 4 introduces language addressing social determinants of health and keeping home caregivers safe.