Nonspecialty Nurse Education: Evaluation of the Oncology Intensives Initiative, an Oncology Curriculum to Improve Patient Care

A community hospital combined its medical and surgical patients with cancer on one unit, which resulted in nurses not trained in oncology caring for this patient population.The Oncology Intensives Initiative (ONCii) involved the (a) design and implementation of a daylong didactic boot camp class and a four-hour simulation session and (b) the examination of nurses' worries, attitudes, self-efficacy, and perception of interdisciplinary teamwork.A two-group, pre-/post-test design was implemented. Group 1 consisted of nurses who attended the didactic boot camp classes alone, whereas group 2 was comprised of nurses who attended the didactic boot camp classes and the simulation sessions.Results of data analysis showed a decrease in worries and an increase in positive attitudes toward chemotherapy administration in both groups, as well as an increase in self-efficacy among members of group 2.

Duke Scholars

Author Sophia Kustas Smith School of Nursing