Determining the Expected Competencies for Oncology Nursing: A Needs Assessment Study

Area of Science:

• Oncology Nursing
• Healthcare Education
• Competency Development

Background:

• Oncology nursing education often lacks defined competencies, despite its critical role in cancer care.
• Published literature infrequently addresses essential skills for oncology nurses.
• This study focused on developing cancer nursing competencies within the Iranian healthcare context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a needs assessment for developing oncology nursing competencies in Iran.
• To establish a comprehensive list of expected competencies for oncology nurses.
• To inform the design of effective oncology nursing educational programs.

Main Methods:

• A 3-phase, mixed-method approach was employed for the needs assessment.
• Methods included a modified Delphi technique, literature review, interviews, and an expert panel.
• Stakeholders involved nurses, faculty, patients, and their families; data analysis used manual content analysis.

Main Results:

• A total of 123 sub-competencies were identified across various domains.
• Key areas include holistic physical, psychological, social, and spiritual care.
• Other identified competencies encompass palliative care, prevention, teamwork, leadership, research, communication, professionalism, and critical thinking skills.

Conclusions:

• An updated and applicable list of oncology nursing competencies was developed.
• This competency framework can guide the creation of specialized educational programs.
• The goal is to train qualified oncology nurses for effective patient care.