A Single Site Pilot Project Examining Radiation Oncology Nursing Education Needs And Nursing Confidence

Background Moskalenko et al. published the first radiation oncology (RO) nursing needs assessment in the USA in 2021. No RO nursing credential or scope of practice exists in the USA. RO and related disciplines are rarely covered in nursing education. Opportunities for continuing education (CE) are limited at the local, state, and national levels. However, nurses are required to sustain clinical knowledge by obtaining CE credits for multiple organizations. RO nurses serve a growing role with increasing patient acuity, complex multidisciplinary team care, concurrent systemic therapies, and survivorship. Methods Permission was obtained to use and adapt the needs assessment from Moskalenko et al. for a pilot study at a single academic medical center RO department. Nurses were asked for demographics regarding experience and education. A five-point Likert scale (1, "Extremely Confident"; 2, "Quite Confident"; 3, "Somewhat Confident"; 4, "Not Very Confident"; 5, "Not At All Confident") was used to capture confidence levels regarding educating patients, and providing acute versus late care. A knowledge pre-test was developed with physician input. A series of self-study recorded PowerPoint presentations was created. A knowledge post-test and feedback are planned. Results Item response rates ranged from 92-100% (n=12-13). 91% (n=11) of respondents reported being RNs for ≥5 years, 75% (n=9) reported having ≥5 years of oncology experience, and 50% (n=6) reported ≥5 years of RO experience. 66.6% (n=8) of respondents reported being oncology certified nurses, and 17% (n=2) nurses reported having the Oncology Nursing Society/Oncology Nursing Credentialing Corporation radiation therapy certificate. On-the-job experience (100%; n =12), physicians (83%; n=10), and nursing colleagues (67%; n =8) were the most reported sources of RO knowledge. All nurses reported responsibility for patient education, with 58% (n=7) "Somewhat Confident" to "Not At All Confident" that they could explain simulation and concurrent chemoradiation therapy to patients. 67% (n=8) reported being "Somewhat Confident" to "Not At All Confident" that they could explain brachytherapy, external beam, CT, MRI, or PET scans to patients. The greatest number of nurses reported they were "Extremely Confident" to "Quite Confident" managing lung and prostate/GU patients acutely (both 67%; n=8) and prostate chronically (67%; n=8). The greatest number of nurses expressed they were "Somewhat Confident" to "Not At All Confident" managing pediatric patients acutely (75%; n=9) and chronically (92%; n=11). Discussion We report findings from a RO nursing needs assessment from a single academic healthcare facility. These data may inform ongoing efforts to optimize RO nursing education. Moskalenko et al. published the first radiation oncology (RO) nursing needs assessment in the USA in 2021. No RO nursing credential or scope of practice exists in the USA. RO and related disciplines are rarely covered in nursing education. Opportunities for continuing education (CE) are limited at the local, state, and national levels. However, nurses are required to sustain clinical knowledge by obtaining CE credits for multiple organizations. RO nurses serve a growing role with increasing patient acuity, complex multidisciplinary team care, concurrent systemic therapies, and survivorship. Permission was obtained to use and adapt the needs assessment from Moskalenko et al. for a pilot study at a single academic medical center RO department. Nurses were asked for demographics regarding experience and education. A five-point Likert scale (1, "Extremely Confident"; 2, "Quite Confident"; 3, "Somewhat Confident"; 4, "Not Very Confident"; 5, "Not At All Confident") was used to capture confidence levels regarding educating patients, and providing acute versus late care. A knowledge pre-test was developed with physician input. A series of self-study recorded PowerPoint presentations was created. A knowledge post-test and feedback are planned. Item response rates ranged from 92-100% (n=12-13). 91% (n=11) of respondents reported being RNs for ≥5 years, 75% (n=9) reported having ≥5 years of oncology experience, and 50% (n=6) reported ≥5 years of RO experience. 66.6% (n=8) of respondents reported being oncology certified nurses, and 17% (n=2) nurses reported having the Oncology Nursing Society/Oncology Nursing Credentialing Corporation radiation therapy certificate. On-the-job experience (100%; n =12), physicians (83%; n=10), and nursing colleagues (67%; n =8) were the most reported sources of RO knowledge. All nurses reported responsibility for patient education, with 58% (n=7) "Somewhat Confident" to "Not At All Confident" that they could explain simulation and concurrent chemoradiation therapy to patients. 67% (n=8) reported being "Somewhat Confident" to "Not At All Confident" that they could explain brachytherapy, external beam, CT, MRI, or PET scans to patients. The greatest number of nurses reported they were "Extremely Confident" to "Quite Confident" managing lung and prostate/GU patients acutely (both 67%; n=8) and prostate chronically (67%; n=8). The greatest number of nurses expressed they were "Somewhat Confident" to "Not At All Confident" managing pediatric patients acutely (75%; n=9) and chronically (92%; n=11). We report findings from a RO nursing needs assessment from a single academic healthcare facility. These data may inform ongoing efforts to optimize RO nursing education.