Aim:

The purpose of the project was to utilise workforce planning & development to prepare Peninsula Health with an up to date and evidence-based education program, enabling staff to deliver optimal care to both people with cancer and their carers.

Method:

A cancer nursing workforce survey was developed and administered at Peninsula Health.  A gap analysis report outlined the gaps between nursing supply, demand and educational needs and identified that all clinical staff at Peninsula Health (PH) would benefit from some baseline cancer education.  Peter MacCallum[i], EdCAN[ii] and EVIQ[iii] were utilised when developing the ten education sessions; the first three were developed and promoted throughout PH and the Gippsland region. Significant interest in the seminars and positive feedback from attendees resulted in the development of the remaining sessions. A professional film maker and photographer were engaged to record the education sessions which will be made available for health professionals to access via the Southern Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service (SMICS) website.

Results

The attendance for each of the sessions varied, ranging from 24-55 people.  The sessions have been mostly utilised by nurses along with smaller numbers of medical and allied health professionals.

Preliminary results indicate that nursing staff attending the education sessions perceive a greater increase in their knowledge as compared to other attendees.  It’s was identified that the more in-depth topics need to be broken down over several sessions.

Overall, evaluation received from attendees has been very positive.  Respondents stated they enjoyed the content; the presenters were well prepared, sessions were informative and well delivered and that additional education sessions would be of benefit.

Conclusion

It is anticipated this will align with current workforce development programs across SMICS services.