Rationale and development of an institutional pediatric chemotherapy certification course

In a large pediatric teaching hospital located in the southwestern part of the United States, few nurses had participated in a formal program that taught the knowledge and skills required for the nurse to care for the patient receiving chemotherapy. In order to enhance the necessary clinical competency of the nursing staff, a Chemotherapy Certification Course was developed for this institution. In reviewing the literature there was minimal information on how to develop such a program. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of this course with the intent that it can serve as a guide in facilitating and implementing such a course in other institutions. As more hospitals adopt institutional certification as a form of continuing education in cancer nursing, perhaps the gap between knowledge and practice will decrease. The institutional certification course will be a significant step toward improving the level of practice of nurses caring for patients receiving chemotherapy. The goal of promoting professional competence will benefit the nurse, the institution, and patients and their families.