Background and Context:
The Community Cancer Programs Network (CCPN) is a provincial program of CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB) that works to enable patients living outside of Winnipeg to receive their cancer care closer to home. There are 16 Community Cancer Programs (CCPs).
CCP sites are outpatient units located in rural hospitals and are staffed by a multi-disciplinary team that has received specialized education in Oncology. This education is developed and provided by CCMB.
This presentation will outline the CCPN program and how it has saved thousands of miles for patients. It will also focus on the oncology nursing curriculum provided through a standardized provincial education program.
Aim:
The enhanced CCP nursing curriculum was created to reflect the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO) Standards and Competencies published 2011. The need for enhancement was based on the fact that : (1) Cancer specific nursing education is required to transform the general nurse caring for cancer patients into a specialized cancer nurse as oncology nurses remain at the forefront of the cancer patient journey. (2) Systemic therapy can be highly toxic and present risks for patients, health care providers and care givers. As such the care of patients receiving systemic therapy requires specific knowledge, skill and judgment-CANO (2010)
Strategy/Tactics:
The curriculum is broken down into four parts:
• Home study using case studies, recommended readings, videos and web links.
• Five shifts spent in home CCP prior to formal training.
• Three weeks at Cancer Care Manitoba where a variety of teaching / learning strategies are incorporated.
• Return to the home CCP with continued professional development.
Outcomes/What was learned:
A standardized educational program provided by the Provincial Cancer Agency / CCMB ensures that there is equal care provided to all Manitobans. This allows patients and families to receive their cancer care whilst remaining close to home.