Oncology
Professional Development and Support
Orientation
Every new nurse at our hospital takes part in a general Hospital orientation. They also particpate in a general nurse orientation which, normally takes place the day after the hospital orientation.
Support in Oncology Services
Ward Orientation
Camperdown Ward offers a structured ward orientation. The first two days you spend on the ward you will be supernumerary. The first day you will spend working with the Clinical Nurse Educator. On this day you will be introduced to some of the nursing skills on the ward such as taking blood from a Central Venous Access Device, giving drugs, giving blood products, giving drugs as well as an introduction to hospital policy and procedures. This day will also include a general overview of how to care for a child with cancer and their family. The second day you will work with your allocated preceptor and observe the care for the children that they are allocated to.
Preceptors/Mentors
When you start work on Camperdown Ward you will be allocated a preceptor. The preceptor allocated to you will have been working on the ward for a period of 12 months or more. The preceptor is generally an experienced nurse who is able to assist you to learn the skills required to function as a nurse in Camperdown Ward. You will work with your allocated preceptor for a day in a supernumerary capacity and assist in the care of the children that your preceptor is allocated to care for. You will then work most of the same shifts as your preceptor for the next 4 weeks.
Ward educators
The ward has a number of roles that support and lead education for both staff and families. The Nurse Educator is responsible for the oncology self development including those nurses who care for outlying patients. The NE develops programmes for new staff, graduates and parents and families. They are responsible for reviewing and implementing hospital policies and procedures and alerting staff to them. They run the annual chemotherapy study day, provide the chemotherapy accreditation for staff and give lectures and keep nurses up to date with oncology advances and research. They also manage funding for nurses to attend conferences and carry out study. They are supported by the Clinical Nurse Educator. This role provides a hands on support and review service to the nurses. They provide the ward orientation to all new nurses and provide daily education and learning needs, such as the giving of drugs and chemotherapy. They review all mandatory training such as CPR and fire training and offer support to the families and parents. Both of these roles work 'office hours' and so there is out of hours oncology educator support across the whole hospital by two experienced oncology nurses.
In Service
In service sessions are held on the ward on most Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays for 20-30 minutes. The programme aims to alternate clinical with professional and current issues. Other in service opportunities include the Oncology Planning Meeting, Grand Rounds, and multi disciplinary meetings. Staff debriefing sessions are led by the psychology team.
Target 40
The Target 40 programme is to help us to examine exactly what sort of development activities have been undertaken. It is a minimum requirement that all staff perform at least 40 FTE hours of development each year. This can include in-service, conferences, courses, reading journal articles, attending lectures, mandatory updates, unit workbooks etc. The value of the learning is formally reviewed at appraisal. The ward encourages autonomous learning and has funds available to help with funding courses.
External Professional Development
Nurses within The Children's Hospital at Westmead are encouraged to continue their professional development. The College of Nursing has a strong link with the hospital and hospital staff are encouraged to attend these courses. The hospital also encourages nurses to attend conference related to specialty areas and nurses are able to obtain funding to attend conferences or attend courses relevant to their work. Nurses working in Camperdown Ward are given the opportunity to complete a Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Oncology which is run through the college of nursing. Nurses are also encouraged to undertake further tertiary study relevant to their area of work.
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