Diverse Educational Programs Keep Oncology Nurses Up to Date

SAN DIEGO—Oncology nurses who work in an adult community–based practice can remain abreast of new information provided that a range of options for continuing education (CE) is available, according to a new study.

“The provision of multiple CE opportunities is important in a busy practice environment where most nurses are certified by OCN/AOCN and need continuing education credits to maintain certification,” Sandra Purl, RN, MS, AOCN, oncology nurse clinical specialist at Oncology Specialists, S.C. in Park Ridge, Illinois, observed.

“What’s more, the availability of programs in a variety of formats that provide information on a variety of clinical topics with instruction by a variety of healthcare professionals has meant that most of our nurses have been able to retain their ONS certification.”

It is essential for oncology nurses to establish and maintain a strong knowledge base in order to provide optimal care for their patients, who often have complex management issues, she said.

Purl outlined a list of some of the programs available to oncology nurses in her practice:

• Interdisciplinary meetings known as “Stump the Chump,” where difficult cases that have been referred to oncologists in the practice are discussed. The once-monthly hour-long meeting is routinely attended by physicians and staff from the pharmacy, nursing, and billing departments, and in recent years, members of the palliative care and ethics services. Among the topics to date: caring for adults with Down’s syndrome and caring for patients with comorbidities who are not candidates for standard treatments.
• Weekly hour-long nurse meetings where operational and clinical issues are discussed. Details of the meeting are recorded and distributed to staff members who are unable to attend.
• Pharmaceutical company lectures, usually a breakfast or dinner program, provide updates on how to use a new drug or existing drug with new indications. Typically, an expert will discuss the pharmacokinetics, administration, and symptom management of the drug, and there is always an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. Ideally, a lecture is held before the drug being discussed has been introduced in the oncology practice.
• Presentations are given by fourth-year medical students rotating through outpatient oncology. The subject matter, which is selected jointly by the medical student and an oncologist and clinical nurse specialist in the practice, usually involves oncology or hematology but also includes general medical and psychosocial issues. Presentations are limited to 30 minutes. Topics have included depression in cancer patients, Bell’s palsy, thyroid disorders, and hot flashes.
• A journal club offers a forum for nursing and other nonphysician staff to meet and discuss a journal article that focuses on clinical or nonclinical topics that are relevant to clinical practice. A staff nurse from the practice and a clinical nurse specialist select an article for discussion, and a copy of the article is distributed to each nurse in the practice along with a flyer specifying the date, time, and location of the meeting plus the name of the facilitator. Meetings are scheduled in the morning before patients arrive. Topics to date have included healthcare literacy, navigating a package insert, and nursing professionalism.

Sandra Purl died shortly after the ONS meeting where she presented her research. Her friend and colleague Danielle M. Gale, ND, MSN, of Oswego Illinois said, “Sandy was a role model to many oncology nurses...Sandy’s passion was to improve the care of oncology patients through her work and volunteer activities in the Chicago chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society.”