Redesigning and implementing a Canadian oncology nursing curriculum for an international partnership

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and disability globally. As a result, there is a need to provide specialized nursing care to the increasing number of complex oncology patients. Numerous healthcare centres do not have specialized oncology nursing education programs, creating an environment where oncology patients may be cared for by generalist nurses. To address this gap, advanced practice nurses in Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have redesigned a local program to provide specialized oncology education to nurses caring for oncology patients. The purpose of this article is to share the experience of redesigning and delivering a Canadian Specialized Oncology Nursing Education (SONE) program in the Middle East. The article describes learnings from an international collaborative project undertaken in Qatar.