Download the complete Cancer Nurses Professional Development pathway in PDF.- Nurses play a key role in the care and support of patients with cancer across the continuum of patient care.
- All nurses, regardless of practice setting, are likely to have contact with people affected by cancer and will therefore require some level of capability in cancer control. Some nurses will, however, require specialised and advanced competencies in cancer control, as their practice requires them to respond to the particular health and support needs of people affected by cancer.
- Specialising may involve:
- specialising in the care of patients with a particular type of cancer
- specialising in a particular aspect of cancer care, such as palliative care or delivery of chemotherapy
- involvement in clinical trials
- work as a nurse practitioner
- specialising in service improvement.
- Find out how some Australian nurses have developed their careers in a range of settings.
- Professional development requirements for individual nurses will depend on their roles and career goals.
EdCaN National Education Framework for Cancer Nursing highlights the potential role of all nurses in cancer control and identifies different levels of cancer practice 1
| Who | What | Knowledge / skills required |
|---|---|---|
| All nurses | Will come in contact with people affected by cancer | Demonstrate core capabilities in cancer control |
| Many nurses | Will participate more frequently or for short intensive periods in the care of people affected by cancer | Require access to further education in areas of specialist cancer control with a direct application to their role |
| Some nurses | Will choose to become specialists in cancer control | Achievement of Specialist Cancer Nurse competency standards would normally require further education in cancer control at postgraduate level |
| Few nurses | Will become competent and authorised to practice in an advanced and/or extended role in cancer control | These nurses will build on the capabilities of the specialist cancer nurse through additional experience and education at the Masters level or equivalent |
Typical learning experiences that will contribute to the development of the required level of competence in cancer control can include:
- actual or simulated practice situations involving working with people affected by cancer, where reflection and learning from practice experiences is facilitated
- structured learning experiences, including cancer control learning activities in entry to practice programs, continuing professional development programs relevant to cancer control, or postgraduate specialist cancer nursing courses
- ongoing learning about current practices and new advances in cancer control through activities such as reviewing research developments, participating in continuous improvement activities, or participating in professional meetings.
A range of grants and fellowships are available to nurses to support professional development activities.
- Aranda S, Yates P. A national professional development framework for cancer nursing. 2nd edn. Canberra: The National Cancer Nursing Education Project (EdCaN), Cancer Australia; 2009.
If you are new to cancer care, you will probably want to start with activities that will provide you with general information about cancer, its diagnosis and treatment. Gaining experience in a broad range of areas may help you not only in your understanding of the needs of patients with cancer but also in your decisions about future career directions.
(Beth, Lung Cancer Nurse Coordinator, NSW)
"The most important thing for me would be to find a local mentor. Find somebody that they feel inspired by, that they feel they‘ll get good objective feedback and advice from.... They‘re often not people that declare themselves. I think that some of the best mentors I had were fairly unassuming people, weren‘t necessarily people who were out there shouting their own worth. And it may not necessarily be people in cancer care, maybe not even in nursing, but often people who just will challenge an individual‘s own boundaries professionally and help them open some of those boundaries up and believe that you know they might be able to do more than they thought they could even in the environment that they currently work in."
(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
(Beth, Lung Cancer Nurse Coordinator)
"There are so many experiences to be had in cancer nursing – it‘s not just the patient care aspect of things in the inpatient setting. There‘s lots of supportive care in outpatients, there‘s palliative care, there‘s, you know very technical nursing in bone marrow transplant units. You don‘t have to be trapped into thinking that you‘re only going to be giving chemo or only doing palliative care. You can choose now and specialise."
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QL)
"There are groups looking currently at some sort of basic certification course but by far the best way is to get in and have a go."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
Good introductory websites include:
- National Cancer Institute ‘Understanding Cancer Series‘ http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics
- MacMillan Cancer Support http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Aboutcancer/AboutcancerHome.aspx
(Beth, Lung Cancer Nurse Coordinator)
"If I was going, for example, to do the CNC of palliative care, because I knew a bit about palliative care but not enough, I did heaps of pre-reading, I exposed myself to as much of that before I got to the job and then I felt I was a little bit more up to speed when I got there and then of course learned more while I was there."
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QLD)
"And the best thing I‘ve discovered is don‘t leave something hanging. If you come across something you‘re wondering about, find out about it now and being able just to jump online straight away and find an answer to your question is probably one of the most important things in this job I reckon."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
For more information, click here.
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QLD)
"And there are courses that are formal through universities and also informal through Cancer Council and CNSA, eviQ‘s got great things that you can do short stuff online, all of that, EdCan‘s coming, so you can actually take your time and develop – the resources are more available than they used to be....the resources are there and you can do whatever you like really – be really flexible."
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QLD)
"And the best thing I‘ve discovered is don‘t leave something hanging. If you come across something you‘re wondering about, find out about it now and being able just to jump online straight away and find an answer to your question is probably one of the most important things in this job I reckon."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
To access the Cancer Learning Multidisciplinary Toolkit, click here.
(Beth, Lung Cancer Nurse Coordinator NSW)
"With this job, coming on board and learning on the job, you really have to use your colleagues to learn so people who get into this kind of job one-out are going to find it very difficult if they‘re trying to learn on the job. Just having someone of whom you can ask a question if you need to is really really important."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
"I‘ve got access to a couple of really good doctors who if you‘re not sure they‘re really happy to help. Which is really good. Along the way there‘s always been someone who‘s been really good in doing that."
(Sonya, Data Manager, SA)
For more information about national and international groups, click here.
(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
If you are considering working in a specialised cancer role, you will benefit from training in the particular areas of care you will be involved in. This may involve undertaking short courses on specific aspects of cancer care (eg breast care nursing) or participation in a practicum or other work-based training program. If you are providing a specific cancer therapy (eg chemotherapy, radiotherapy), there are courses that are specifically designed to help you learn about providing these in a safe environment.
You may decide to do a postgraduate qualification in your particular area of interest.
For more information about national and international groups, click here.
(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
For conference listings, click here.
(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
"There are so many experiences to be had in cancer nursing – it‘s not just the patient care aspect of things in the inpatient setting. There‘s lots of supportive care in outpatients, there‘s palliative care, there‘s, you know very technical nursing in bone marrow transplant units. You don‘t have to be trapped into thinking that you‘re only going to be giving chemo or only doing palliative care. You can choose now and specialise."
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QL)
"There are groups looking currently at some sort of basic certification course but by far the best way is to get in and have a go."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QLD)
"Certainly finishing that degree I can very much see it changed how I thought about my clinical practice and it gave me the confidence and I guess really the imperative to challenge what I did daily and certainly to look at practice wherever I worked and question ‘Is this the best way we can do it, are we getting the best outcomes? And is it the best for us as nurses?"
(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
"And the best thing I‘ve discovered is don‘t leave something hanging. If you come across something you‘re wondering about, find out about it now and being able just to jump online straight away and find an answer to your question is probably one of the most important things in this job I reckon."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
Individuals working in clinical research are likely to be invited to attend start-up meetings or investigator meetings at which information about the trial and the protocol will be provided. Short courses on clinical trials management and good clinical practice can be very valuable to provide an overview of the trials process.
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
"Do a clinical trials training course as soon as you can. Look at what other areas you need – it will depend on what trials you‘re going to do and what experience you have. If you can get into a clinical trials training course it all just makes more sense."
(Sonya, Data Manager, SA)
"And the best thing I‘ve discovered is don‘t leave something hanging. If you come across something you‘re wondering about, find out about it now and being able just to jump online straight away and find an answer to your question is probably one of the most important things in this job I reckon."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QLD)
"There‘s two things, you‘ve got the general needs of the position – so the nursing issues, data management issues, general broad issues, like good clinical practice, that type of thing. And then there are the trial specific or tumour stream specific training needs. And probably the people who are looking at the general certification courses are looking at the general needs of the position. You‘re always going to have to do some of that trial-specific or tumour stream specific training off your own bat. You know you‘re going to have to go and look it up and self-direct your learning. And it‘s not really hard to do these days with med access but you‘ve just got to have the access." "(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
For more information, click here.
An important aspect of training for all nurses is self-care – learning to look after yourself in order to care for others. To access a list of self-care resources, click here.
(Beth, Lung Cancer Nurse Coordinator)
If you are working at or considering moving into an advanced role in cancer care, your professional development needs will be more specific.
For conference listings, click here.
(Sonya, Data Manager, SA)
"There are so many experiences to be had in cancer nursing – it‘s not just the patient care aspect of things in the inpatient setting. There‘s lots of supportive care in outpatients, there‘s palliative care, there‘s, you know very technical nursing in bone marrow transplant units. You don‘t have to be trapped into thinking that you‘re only going to be giving chemo or only doing palliative care. You can choose now and specialise."
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QL)
"There are groups looking currently at some sort of basic certification course but by far the best way is to get in and have a go."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
For a list of oncology-specific postgraduate nursing courses, click here.
(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QLD)
"Certainly finishing that degree I can very much see it changed how I thought about my clinical practice and it gave me the confidence and I guess really the imperative to challenge what I did daily and certainly to look at practice wherever I worked and question ‘Is this the best way we can do it, are we getting the best outcomes? And is it the best for us as nurses?"
(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
"And the best thing I‘ve discovered is don‘t leave something hanging. If you come across something you‘re wondering about, find out about it now and being able just to jump online straight away and find an answer to your question is probably one of the most important things in this job I reckon."
(Chris, Research Nurse, NSW)
For more information, click here.
(Beth, Lung Cancer Nurse Coordinator)
""I did my Certificate IV in workplace training and assessment. And that was really important because whilst I think some nurses are natural teachers and leaders it actually clarifies your goals in developing educational resources in that you can do competency based assessments based on national standards."(Sally, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Services Improvement, QLD)
"It wasn‘t until I had actually undertaken a postgraduate course that I realised that it wasn‘t just what I learned but how it made me think about things and it really has changed how I think about things and how broadly I push the scope of what I think of things so it isn‘t just about looking at practice where I work and what I do and being aware of what happens in the setting that I‘m working in but looking beyond that to subspecialties and the rest of cancer nursing rather than just the field that I‘m working in and seeing what can be borrowed from those fields."(Meg, Cancer Nurse Coordinator, WA)
| Role | Lung cancer nurse coordinator (Hospital-based role, Metropolitan setting) |
| Links | Strong links with the community, palliative care, surgery, radiation oncology and medical oncology |
| Pathway |
I became an oncology nurse in a team, and worked in clinics and in the wards giving chemotherapy, I worked in palliative care for a while, I was in charge of the oncology ward." |
| Training and courses |
"I have to keep up to date with chemotherapy. I have to know about clinical trials that are going on. The one thing that I will always refer is palliative care because it‘s become such a strong speciality on its own. I can still provide support but it‘s not something I would consider myself an expert in. You have to let things go a bit but also have a really good grasp of as much as you can." |
| Group and networks | Member of:
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| What helps? |
"I‘m constantly getting something for patients so if something throws me I‘ll look it up. Or I‘ll be researching something for a talk and I‘ll put something into Google and go from there." |
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"Within the first 6 months I was already starting to look around for something that was going to develop me outside my working practice and I thought the more exposure I got to what was going on in the world of cancer the better. So I started looking at things like the Red Cross offered visiting sessions and a half day course on grief and loss and then they had a music therapist come and they were 2-hour afternoon sessions that were free and you could just go along and I went to those on my days off." |
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"Certainly my experience in London was fairly fundamental to how think about nursing and definitely cancer nursing now. The number of hospitals and the throughput of staff in London hospitals and certainly London cancer hospitals and cancer units is significant. And that turnover whilst it sounds like a nasty thing is actually really positive and really feeds a very healthy turnover of knowledge and just an acceptance of challenging things that have always been done in a certain way and people are just not threatened by new ideas being raised and existing practice being challenged. So that really paved the way for me for a cultural acceptance of asking questions and raising questions about what we do and why we do it and is this the best way?" |
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"The first manager in London – his parting words to me were ‘choose your place of work, don‘t just choose the job, and find a place of work with a culture and with somebody in it who inspires you to do things and to challenge things and to feel that they‘re going to embrace some of that." "They were very much people that were there by default but I guess over time – some of them I didn‘t recognise as being the mentors and significant influencers in my career until afterwards when I reflected on what I learned from them and what they stimulated in me in terms of wanting to do things in my career. I probably came to appreciate on reflection." |
| Role | Research Nurse, Rural private hospital, All cancer types "So because it‘s a regional practice it draws pretty much all the cancer patients from a reasonably sized geographic area so we get all types of cancers. For some of the more specialised things such as haematology, people might go off to a larger centre for review and for some procedures but a lot of the basic treatment is still given here. So we do clinical trials in most of the cancer streams. We would usually have somewhere around 30 clinical trials open at any one time and of course we‘ve got heaps of people in follow up from the 140 clinical trials this place has been involved in since the late ‘90‘s." |
| Links | One of a team of 5 research nurses |
| Pathway | Has been nursing since 1970 in a fairly broad range of settings.
"The thing I suppose that‘s most interesting about the job is there‘s something new all the time. And so when you come into it you‘re on a continual learning curve. Because there are new drugs on the market, there are new clinical trials of those drugs, as I say in the various different tumour streams. So you are continually learning and I‘d never intended being in the job for 5 years which I have been. I‘d wanted after so long in the system to move around a bit and do other interesting things. But this has maintained my interest for that long." |
| Training and courses | On-the-job training and self-directed learning has been the key |
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| What helps? | Sources of information
"The set up needs to involve the use of a computer on broadband. And you can‘t do it time-sharing. You need to be able to use your computer all the time if you‘re going to be involved in this sort of work. And a lot of the work is becoming web-based now anyway. So filling out the case report forms for example is now done on weblink." "Being in a regional area – we‘re lucky, we‘ve got two universities in Albury-Wodonga so there are libraries available but there would be other places that don‘t have the sort of facilities that we‘ve got where things would be next to impossible if you didn‘t have access to web-based information." |
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CNSA http://www.cnsa.org.au/CNSA_Winter_conference.htm
HSANZ http://www.hsanz.org.au/news/events.cfm
COSA http://www.cosa.org.au/asm.html
Cancer Council Australia (and state/territory groups) http://www.cancer.org.au/Home.htm
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre http://canceraustralia.nbocc.org.au/our-organisation/news-and-events/news-events
CNSA – Cancer Nursing Society of Australia http://www.cnsa.org.au/
The peak national body for cancer nurses in Australia, CNSA is the nursing group within the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA) while maintaining its status as an independent body for cancer nurses in Australia. CNSA is committed to achieving and promoting excellence in cancer care through the professional contributions of nurses. There are professional updates held in each state by the regional groups.
COSA – Clinical Oncological Society of Australia http://www.cosa.org.au/
COSA is Australia‘s peak national body representing health professionals whose main work is cancer control.
Oncology Nurses Group http://www.cancerqld.org.au/page/need_support/education_programs/Oncology_Nurses_Group/
For nurses in Queensland the Oncology Nurses Group is a state wide body that operates under the auspices and sponsorship of The Cancer Council Queensland. As a state-wide body, the group is composed of Oncology Nurses Groups located in urban and rural centres throughout Queensland.
HSANZ Nurses Group – Haematological Society of Australia & New Zealand http://www.hsanz.org.au/news/HSANZ-NG.cfm
Group for specialist haematology nurses from Australia and New Zealand formed under the umbrella of the HSANZ. Aims to inform members of the most recent developments in haematology, and to advance knowledge and inspire continued professional development in haematology.
Australian Psychosocial Oncology Society http://www.cosa.org.au/groups/psycho-oncology.html
Membership is open to all members of COSA who are interested in the psychosocial care of patients with cancer and their families.
PoCoG – Psycho-oncology Cooperative Research Group http://www.pocog.org.au/
PoCoG is a member of the Cooperative Clinical Trials Groups of COSA. Membership is open to researchers and health professionals from Australia and New Zealand. PoCoG aims to improve capacity and facilitate a co-ordinated and collaborative approach to the conduct of large-scale, multi-centre psycho-oncology and supportive care research.
ISNCC – International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care http://www.isncc.org/
ISNCC is the international voice of oncology nursing dedicated to the protection and preservation of health and the relief of cancer-related sickness through the provision of education, research and international networking opportunities among cancer nursing groups and individuals.
ONS – Oncology Nursing Society http://ons.org/
The ONS is a professional organisation of over 35,000 registered nurses and other healthcare providers dedicated to excellence in patient care, education, research, and administration in oncology nursing. It's also the largest professional oncology association in the world.
EHA – European Hematology Association http://www.ehaweb.org/
Provides opportunities for both professional and personal development in the growing specialty of haematology.
International Psycho-oncology Society http://www.ipos-society.org/
Created to foster international multidisciplinary communication about clinical, educational and research issues that relate to the subspecialty of psycho-oncology. Membership is open to individuals with a diversity of clinical and research backgrounds, including nurses.
Postgraduate Qualifications
Many of the Postgraduate Certificates are recognised and provide credit towards a Postgraduate Diploma – however this needs to be checked at individual locations. This section lists postgraduate qualifications in cancer nursing. A range of other postgraduate qualifications are also available that may be relevant for you. Talk to colleagues or professional bodies for more information.
- Bachelor of Nursing or a nursing certificate from a hospital-based program
- minimum of 1 year‘s postgraduate experience
- registered in the state/territory in which they practice
- expected to practice in cancer/palliative care setting for the duration of the course
Post-graduate certificate in cancer or palliative care nursing
http://www.nursing.unimelb.edu.au/future_students/specialty_and_advanced_practice
The College of Nursing
Graduate certificate in cancer nursing
Graduate certificate in breast cancer nursing
http://www.nursing.edu.au/Online_Course/ShowCourseProfile.aspx?CourseID=582&CategoryID=1
La Trobe University
Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing – Distance Education (HCCN) (exit option one from Master of Nursing: Cancer and Palliative Care)
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/handbook/2012/postgraduate/health-sciences/coursework/hmncp.htm
Graduate Certificate in Breast Care Nursing (exit option one from Master of Breast Care Nursing)
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/handbook/2012/postgraduate/health-sciences/coursework/hmnbc.htm
Queensland University of Technology
Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing (NS31)
http://www.hlth.qut.edu.au/nrs/study/postgrad/course-major.jsp?major-id=12556
University of Sydney
Graduate certificate in Cancer and Haematology Nursing
http://sydney.edu.au/nursing/course_information/specialty_courses/cancer_haematology/cancer_haematology_cert.shtml
Australian Catholic University
Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nursing (oncology)
http://www.acu.edu.au/courses/
- Degree or diploma from a university or college or a nursing certificate from a hospital-based program
- Registered in the state/territory in which they practice.
Graduate Diploma in Cancer Nursing –Distance Education (HCCN) (exit option two from Master of Nursing: Cancer and Palliative Care)
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/handbook/2012/postgraduate/health-sciences/coursework/hmncp.htm
Graduate Diploma in Breast Care Nursing (exit option two from Master of Breast Care Nursing)
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/handbook/2012/postgraduate/health-sciences/coursework/hmnbc.htm
University of Adelaide
Graduate diploma in nursing science (oncology nursing)
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/degree-finder/gdnsc_gdnsoncol.html
University of Melbourne / Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Postgraduate diploma in Nursing Practice (Cancer and Palliative Care)
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2009/J04-AA
Queensland University of Technology
Graduate Diploma in Nursing (Cancer Nursing)
http://www.hlth.qut.edu.au/nrs/study/postgrad/course-major.jsp?major-id=12555
University of Technology of Sydney
Graduate Diploma in Nursing
http://datasearch2.uts.edu.au/nmh/courses-subjects/postgraduate-detail.cfm?spk_cd=C07044&spk_ver_no=3
University of Sydney
Graduate diploma in Cancer and Haematology Nursing
http://sydney.edu.au/nursing/course_information/specialty_courses/cancer_haematology/cancer_haematology_dip.shtml
Edith Cowan University
Diploma of Palliative Care
http://www.ecu.edu.au/future-students/our-courses/overview?id=M48
Candidates seeking entry to the Master of Nursing are normally required to hold an undergraduate degree in nursing (or equivalent) at a grade point average of 5 or above. Alternatively, applicants may be admitted on the basis of relevant experience at the discretion of the Head of School of Nursing.
Edith Cowan University
Master of Clinical Nursing (oncology nursing)
http://www.ecu.edu.au/future-students/our-courses/overview?id=I52
University of Ballarat
Master of Clinical Nursing Studies (Palliative Care stream)
http://www.ballarat.edu.au/ProgramFinder/displayProgram.jsp?ID=346
Queensland University of Technology
Master of Nursing (Cancer Nursing)
http://www.hlth.qut.edu.au/nrs/study/postgrad/course-major.jsp?major-id=12554
University of Melbourne
Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Cancer Care)
http://www.nursing.unimelb.edu.au/future_students/specialty_and_advanced_practice/manp
University of Technology of Sydney
Master of Nursing
http://datasearch2.uts.edu.au/nmh/courses-subjects/postgraduate-detail.cfm?spk_cd=C04228&spk_ver_no=1
University of Sydney
Masters of Cancer and Haematology Nursing
http://sydney.edu.au/nursing/course_information/specialty_courses/cancer_haematology/cancer_haematology_m.shtml
University of Canberra
Master of Advanced Nursing Practice
http://www.canberra.edu.au/courses-units/pgd/health/domestic-only/911aa
The University of Notre Dame
Master of Nursing
http://www.nd.edu.au/nav-future-students/courses
Australian Catholic University
Master of Nursing (Practice)
http://www.acu.edu.au/courses/
La Trobe University
Master of Nursing: Cancer and Palliative Care
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/handbook/2012/postgraduate/health-sciences/coursework/hmncp.htm
Master of Breast Care Nursing
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/handbook/2012/postgraduate/health-sciences/coursework/hmnbc.htm
There are a number of short courses available on-line, in the work setting, and delivered by private companies. When considering the course to undertake you may want to consider the following aspects.
Your objectives for wanting to do the course, for example:
- to improve your clinical skills, (consider a course that includes supervised clinical experience, eg PEPA)
- to expand knowledge (consider the specific areas of knowledge – does it relate to disease type, treatment type, the theory behind the treatment?)
- to find out the latest treatments or meet other clinicians in the same area (consider external conferences or workshops)
- to complete requirements for continuing professional development (CPD).
Criteria for assessing short courses
- Look at the names of the presenters, their qualifications, and publications – are they respected and known for the subject they are presenting?
- If there are a number of topics, are there a number of different presenters (it is unlikely that one person can be expert on all topics)?
- Consider the expertise of the organiser of the short course – are they clinicians, hospitals, companies such as drug or book companies?
- Consider the cost of the course – what does it include?
- Is there an assessment as part of the course? For any course to be recognised for prior learning there generally needs to be assessment of learning.
- If you need to complete the course for CPD does the course information indicate the number of points that are allocated for completion of the course? Is a certificate provided?
- Identify if there is a process for follow-up with lecturers if required following completion of the course.
- Does the course articulate to other courses?
http://www.cancervic.org.au/breast_cancer_disease_entity_nursing
Breast Cancer Institute NSW Breast care nurse practicum through the College of Nursing
http://www.bci.org.au/medical-professionals/breast-care-nurses.html
Prostate care nursing education
http://www.cancervic.org.au/prostate_care_nurses
The Cancer Council Queensland
http://www.cancerqld.org.au/page/need_support/education_programs/cancer_nursing_education_programs
Course topics include palliative care, breast cancer nursing, prostate cancer nursing and contemporary cancer therapies.
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- short course program (see PDF) http://www.petermac.org/ShortCourseProgramNursingEducation/
- graduate education program http://www.petermac.org/NursingGraduates
- postgraduate programs:
Distance education courses:
http://www.nursing.edu.au/DistanceEd/
- breast cancer nursing – interventions in breast cancer care
- breast cancer nursing – role of the nurse in the management of breast cancer care
- breast cancers
- chemotherapy and other systemic treatments in cancer care
- communication in cancer care
http://www.nursing.edu.au/CPDh/
- short face-to-face courses of 1–5 days duration
WA Centre for Cancer & Palliative Care
Collaboration between Curtin University of Technology and Edith Cowan University that provides courses and a biennial cancer nursing research conference.
http://www.supportiveandpalliativecare.org.au/
NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre
http://www.ctc.usyd.edu.au/education.aspx
ARCS Australia
http://www.arcs.com.au/
Quintiles
http://www.clinicalresearch.com/
The College of Nursing
http://www.nursing.edu.au/CPDh/
e.g. workshops on:
- breast cancer care
- current issues in chemotherapy
- supporting the end of life journey
The Cancer Council WA
Professional Development Program
http://www.cancerwa.asn.au/professionals/
The Cancer Council Queensland
Allied Health Professionals Oncology Group Forums
http://www.cancerqld.org.au/page/need_support/education_programs/ahpog/
The Cancer Council Victoria
Short courses in Victoria on:
- BreastHealth
- Communication
- Sexuality and cancer
- Living with cancer facilitator education
http://www.cancervic.org.au/about-cancer/for-health-professionals/training_courses_and_education
Nursing Australia
Professional development courses and workshops in each state and territory organised by Nursing Australia (nursing agency)
http://www.nursingaustralia.com/education.htm
Self-directed learning resources that may be particularly valuable for cancer nurses are listed below. For a complete list of cancer resources click here.
Cancer Learning
http://www.cancerlearning.gov.au/
Interactive learning modules on:
- Multidisciplinary care
- Psychosocial care
- Links to cancer education resources across a broad range of areas.
EdCaN learning resources
Case studies: http://www.cancerlearning.gov.au/edcan_resources/#/xml/module_3/casestudies/
Supporting modules:
- The cancer journey and domains of specialist cancer nursing practice
- Population health concepts in cancer control
- The biology of cancer
- Cancer treatments:
- - Fundamentals of cancer surgery
- - Fundamentals of radiotherapy for cancer
- - Fundamentals of systemic cancer therapies
- - Fundamentals of cancer biological and molecular targeted therapies
- - Fundamentals of haematopoietic stem cell transplant
- Supportive care
- Culture-centred approach in cancer control for Indigenous Australians
The Cancer Council NSW
http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/
Resources on:
- Cancer awareness (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers)
- Talking about sexuality, body image and cancer
- Managing cancer pain
Virtual Nursing Education
http://www.virtualnursingeducation.com/
Online educational modules; includes an Introduction to Cancer module
Clinician‘s Health Channel
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/clinicians/
For health professionals in Victoria – provided by the Department of Human Services
CancerNursing.org
http://www.cancernursing.org/index.asp
UK-based online training resources
Oncology Nursing Society
http://ons.org/ClinicalResources
US-based online training resources
Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA)
http://www.pepaeducation.com/health-professionals/nurses.aspx
CareSearch
http://www.caresearch.com.au/Caresearch/Default.aspx
Cancer Learning listing of Clinical Practice Guidelines
http://www.cancerlearning.gov.au/find/evidtreat_rsrc.php
IPOS Core Curriculum
http://www.ipos-society.org/education/core_curriculum/core_curriculum.aspx
National Cancer Institute Office of Cancer Survivorship
http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/ocs/index.html
MacMillan Cancer Support
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx
British Columbia Cancer Agency
http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/default.htm
National Cancer Action Team
http://www.ncat.nhs.uk/
National Cancer Institute Introduction to Clinical Trials
http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning
CNSA – travel grants
http://www.cnsa.org.au/grants_scholarship_research_travel.htm
Cancer Institute NSW – education scholarships
http://www.cancerinstitute.org.au/media/57830/2010-clinical_education_scholarship-rd2-GUIDE.PDF
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre
Polo Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Campaign
http://canceraustralia.nbocc.org.au/pinkpony/
Lions Nurses Scholarship Fund
For nurses in NSW and ACT
http://www.nswnurses.asn.au/infopages/3065.html
Edith Cavell Trust
NSW only
http://www.nswnurses.asn.au/infopages/2768.html
NSW Health
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/nursing/scholarships.asp
Western Australia
http://www.ocno.health.wa.gov.au/scholarships/index.cfm
The Cancer Council NSW
Travel grants for oncology and palliative care nurses
http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/editorial.asp?pageid=2030
The Cancer Council Queensland
http://www.cancerqld.org.au/page/need_support/education_programs/health_professional_grants/
Australian Nursing Federation (Victoria)
The annual Barry Rea Scholarship encourages and assists regional Victorian oncology nurses to continue professional development through attendance at a conference or seminar relevant to their clinical practice. (Victoria only)
McGrath Foundation
http://www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au/our-nurses/funding-for-new-nurses
The aim of the McGrath Foundation is to provide funding for new breast care nurses primarily in rural and regional areas of Australia, however, each application will be considered on its merits.
The College of Nursing
http://www.nursing.edu.au/Scholarships/
Check hospitals/area health services for local grant availability
UICC Trish Greene International Cancer Nursing Training Workshops
http://www.uicc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15957&Itemid=303
Cancer Institute NSW eviQ Cancer Treatments Online
http://www.eviq.org.au/
EdCaN
http://www.edcan.org/
Information about the EdCaN project and access to relevant publications, including a draft framework and competencies for Specialist Cancer Nurses
RCNA – 3LP Program
http://www.3lp.rcna.org.au/network/home.php
Royal College of Nursing, Australia website to assist nurses in planning, undertaking and recording professional development (not cancer specific)
Nurse Info website
http://www.nurseinfo.com.au/index.aspx
Developed by the Royal College of Nursing, Australia; provides information on professional development opportunities, areas of nursing and midwifery practice, scholarships, registration, working conditions and pay, and employment opportunities (not cancer specific).
Think Nursing
http://www.thinknursing.com/education-training/
For nurses in Queensland
Australian Nursing Federation
http://www.anf.org.au/
The ANF is the national union for nurses and the largest professional nursing organisation in Australia. Provides links to state and territory bodies and other relevant nursing organisations (not cancer specific).
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council
http://www.anmc.org.au/
The ANMC develops standards for statutory nursing and midwifery regulation (not cancer specific).
Nursing in General Practice Recruitment and Orientation Resource
http://generalpracticenursing.com.au/recruitment/nursing-in-general-practice-recruitment-and-orientation-resource2
Provides information about nursing in general practice (not cancer specific)
Clinical Leadership Programme in Australia
http://www.clinicalleadership.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry
http://www.anzctr.org.au/
Online Family Nurse Practitioner Training links
http://onlinefnp.com/