Background: Nebraska Medicine, a 600 bed academic medical center, had 24 inpatient oncology beds. In order to grow the oncology population, planning for the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center began. The new center would include 108 inpatient beds on four units: acute, specialty, progressive, and intensive levels of care. A year in advance, plans were initiated to onboard newly hired nurses of various clinical backgrounds with the goal of creating a competent, cohesive health care team. Despite challenges of a nursing shortage in a competitive market and construction of the facility underway, the oncology leadership team developed innovative ways to orient the large number of new staff. Collaboration with existing inpatient units throughout the organization was instrumental in achieving this goal. Methods: The oncology leadership team developed a process to deploy nursing staff into a variety of inpatient units throughout the organization. A partnership was established involving inpatient managers and hospital educators to track progress and learning needs of each individual during the orientation process. Key components were consistent communication between the leadership teams, and ensuring exposure to the relevant oncology patients, procedures and providers. To provide additional support, an existing Oncology Nurse Fellowship program was adapted and utilized to educate on the holistic care of oncology patients. Day in the life scenarios were developed to expose staff to the new space. Lead Nurses for each inpatient unit received additional development training. Team building exercises and staff meetings contributed to creating positive working relationships. Results: A year later 73 nurses and 48 patient care technicians (PCT), along with the inter-professional team, were prepared to competently and holistically care for patients upon opening of the cancer center. Collaboration with 14 units, including the hospital float pool, yielded impressive results. 84 nurses participated in the Oncology Nurse Fellowship program and 62 PCT’s attended Oncology 101, a specific training for PCTs. Conclusions: Through collaboration and innovation, it is possible to orient clinical staff to create a competent, cohesive team before a physical nursing unit exists.