Pilot Curriculum for Continued Professional Development of Radiation Oncology Nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Radiation Oncology
• Clinical Workflow Optimization

Background:

• Limited structured professional development exists for radiation oncology nurses.
• Continuing education is crucial for maintaining high standards in patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a pilot curriculum for radiation oncology nurses.
• Focus on enhancing clinical workflow and toxicity management skills.

Main Methods:

• Developed a curriculum with lectures, guidelines, and EHR order preference lists.
• Administered pre- and post-curriculum surveys with subjective and objective questions.
• Analyzed survey data using Wilcoxon signed ranks and McNemar's mid P tests.

Main Results:

• 100% of 13 nurses completed surveys.
• Significant increase in understanding of nursing roles and care processes (P < .01).
• Objective knowledge scores improved from 52% to 80% (P < .01).
• 70% rated the curriculum as "extremely useful".

Conclusions:

• The pilot curriculum was well-received and effective.
• Demonstrated promising results in improving nurses' knowledge of toxicity management.
• Provides a model for developing multicenter nurse onboarding and continuing education programs.