Tutored Online CPD

Introduction to Oncology Nursing (Feb 2025)

£205.00 Ex VAT


Start: 
24th February 2025
CPD:    10 hours (UK), 10 points (AUS, NZ) over 4 / 6 weeks
Level:  Intermediate

 

Description

This CPD course is aimed at veterinary nurses working in general practice

 

It is estimated that one in three companion animals will die of cancer, which makes understanding the disease and caring for these animals and their families common within our role. Despite this demand, there is limited space in the veterinary nurse curriculum dedicated to cancer and so here we explore the subject in more practical detail.

 

This course discusses how cancer manifests in the companion animal, how a cancer diagnosis is made and how chemotherapy treatments are administered. Throughout the weekly sessions there are activities and opportunities to test your learning and evaluate how you could introduce some of the practical elements into your practice.

 

After completing this 4 week online course, the participants will have a greater knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of veterinary oncology and be able to apply this to their own working practices.

 

Week 1

What is Cancer?
  • Pathophysiology of neoplasia
  • Common causes of cancer in animals
  • Classifications of cancer types
  • The difference between benign and malignant disease

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

 

  • Understand the alterations in the cell cycle that results in neoplastic disease
  • List the different types of cancer based on tissue origin
  • Describe the different causes of cancer in small animals
  • Explain how benign disease is different to malignant disease and the risks associated with both conditions
  • Identify higher risk categories of patients and analyse the research available in line with evidence-based medicine

Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)

  • Pre-recorded tutorial with Nicola = 60 minutes
  • Further reading = 60 minutes
  • Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
  • Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes

Week 2

Diagnosis and Prognosis
  • Fine needle aspirates
  • Cancer cytology
  • Cancer staging
  • Specialist tests for cancer

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

 

  • List fine needle aspirate methods to optimise cytological yield
  • Evaluate a cytology sample in-house to ensure sample is of diagnostic quality
  • Understand the commonly preferred methods for staging patients with neoplasia
  • Describe the types of specialist tests required to further categorise cancer
  • Analyse personal skill set and determine if any modifications to current practice would be beneficial

Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)

  • Pre-recorded tutorial with Nicola = 75 minutes
  • Further reading = 60 minutes
  • Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes
  • Written task – practice resource = 60 minutes

Week 3

Common Chemotherapy Agents
  • Overview of common chemotherapy drugs
  • Administering chemotherapy
  • Chemotherapy safety
  • Adverse effects with administering chemotherapy

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

 

  • Understand how chemotherapy agents work
  • Explain how to correctly administer chemotherapy agents
  • List what safety factors should be observed when administering chemotherapy in practice
  • Describe how to manage an extravasation injury and reduce risk of chemotherapy associated nausea and vomiting
  • Evaluate practice protocols to standardise and promote best practice in line with most current information

Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)

  • Pre-recorded tutorial with Nicola = 80 minutes
  • Further reading = 60 minutes
  • Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes

Week 4

Client and Patient Support
  • Introduction to oncology clinics
  • Nadir checks
  • Managing adverse effects following chemotherapy administration
  • The Cancer Journey

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

 

  • Describe how and why a nadir check is performed
  • Identify common adverse effects associated with chemotherapy
  • Understand preventive and interventional treatment protocols for chemotherapy associated adverse effects
  • Explain the causes for likely outcome of treatment failure and the physiology behind this
  • Reflect over professional skill set and evaluate how you can further enhance your personal development to support clients of patients with cancer

Learning materials this week:
(released on Monday morning for on demand learning until the course ends – approximate timings)

  • Pre-recorded tutorial with Nicola = 75 minutes
  • Further reading = 60 minutes
  • Forum discussion topic = 10 minutes
  • Multiple choice questions quiz = 10 minutes

 

The course will be fully tutored by Nicola Read and will consist of 10 hours of CPD given in various formats, including tutorials, tasks, case studies, forum discussions and quizzes.  This course is tutored for 4 weeks, followed by a two week extension of untutored ‘catch up’ time, before the course officially ends.

 

All delegates will then have unlimited lifetime access to the learning material for future reference

17 reviews for Introduction to Oncology Nursing (Feb 2025)

  1. Letitia Saunders

    This course was full of information and taught me a lot. I really enjoyed it!

    Rated: Intermediate level
    (Qualified RVN in general practice >5 years – NZ)

  2. Cathrine Carlsen Myklebust

    An overall great course that focuses on the veterinary nurses role in aiding cancer patients. The content and layout of the course was great.

    Rated: Introduction / Intermediate level
    (Qualified RVN in general practice <5 years - Norway)

  3. Rachel Morgan

    Very informative and a lot of content packed into 4 weeks.

    Rated: Introduction level
    (Qualified RVN in general practice >5 years – UK)

  4. Kayla-Anne Kingdom

    a lot of good information which helped understand oncology nursing role and chemotherapy

    Rated: Intermediate level
    (Referral or specialist RVN – AUS)

  5. Naomi Ledger

    Really interesting and eye opening course on oncology for a nurses perspective with background on cancers, the effects of chemo on the body and dose calculation to nursing support for the patient and owner.

    Rated: Intermediate level
    (Qualified RVN in general practice >5 years – UK)

  6. Ella Barlow

    A great introduction to oncology nursing.

    Rated: Introduction / Intermediate level

  7. Emily Brough

    Fab information on well presented slides. Great to work through at own pace.

    Rated: Introduction level

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Speaker

Nicola Read MSc (Veterinary Nursing), PgCert (Oncology Nursing), PgCert (Vet Ed), DipAVN (Med), AFHEA, RVN
Head Oncology Nurse, Royal Veterinary College

 

Nicola qualified in 2000 from a well-established small animal general practice in North West London where she also gained the D32/33 Assessor qualification. She spent a year at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2001 to gain experience in a charity based organisation and then moved to the Queen Mother Hospital, Royal Veterinary College in 2002, in order to study for the RCVS Advanced diploma. In June 2008 she became the Head Medicine Nurse at the Royal Veterinary College, then Head Oncology Nurse in 2015 after a departmental split. She recently earned her MSc in Veterinary Nursing and PgC in Veterinary Education. Her clinical interests are endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology immune-mediated disease and palliative care.

CPD Hours

This online course is worth 10 hours of CPD.

 

A certificate will be available from the ‘My Courses’ section, for you to download and print, once you have completed the course.  A permanent record of your total CPD hours will also be recorded in your account section.

AVNAT

Australia and New Zealand 

The Australian Veterinary Nurse and Technician (AVNAT) Regulatory Council has allocated 10 AVNAT CPD points to this continuing education activity.

 

This course is also recognised by the New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association (NZVNA) as providing 10 CPD points.

 

Information

Upon purchase you will be registered to attend the course, for 4 weeks from the start date.  The course will consist of various interactive tasks and lessons, including quizzes, case studies, forum discussions and further reading material.

 

The course is fully tutored, with new material will be provided each Monday morning, but the onus will be on the individual delegate to ensure that all tasks are fully complete.  The certificate will only be issued at the end of the course when all tasks have been accomplished.  Fewer CPD hours will be awarded at the the end of the course if there are unfinished tasks or there has been no contribution to the discussion forum, for example

 

The course is fully flexible, and there are no weekly ‘deadlines’ – the lessons and tasks may be completed whenever is convenient for each delegate, and any live lessons with be recorded and made available later that same day.   Furthermore, all the course material will be available for a further 2 weeks, to allow delegates the opportunity to catch up on missed lessons and tasks, or to take the opportunity to delve further into the suggested reading texts.  Please note however, that the course will not be tutored by the speaker during these final two weeks, but the time spent will count towards your CPD hours

 

After 6 weeks, the course will be complete and there will be no further opportunity to gain the certificate or CPD hours, however, you will have unlimited lifetime access to the tutorials, further reading and quizzes for future reference.  If you make any personal notes during the course using the ‘take notes’ app, these will be saved, along with your certificate and CPD record for permanent access in ‘My CPD’

Levels

This course has been listed as ‘Intermediate’ level

 

All of our courses are aimed at veterinary nurses in general practice, but everyone who works in the veterinary profession is very welcome to attend, whether you are a clinical receptionist, veterinary surgeon, student nurse or have been a qualified nurse for over 20 years!

 

The courses are not formally assessed for skill level, so the following CPD levels are just a rough guide to help you decide if a course may be more or less suitable:

 

Introduction
– maybe most suitable for qualified nurses in general practice approaching a new topic or looking for a refresher course

Intermediate
– maybe most suitable for qualified nurses in general practice along with referral / specialist nurses looking for a refresher course

Advanced
– maybe most suitable for referral / specialist nurses and highly experienced qualified nurses in general practice

Pawprints

You will earn 205 Pawprint Points (£20.50 website credit) when you purchase this course

 

Our loyalty scheme rewards you with 10% in website credit to spend on future courses.  Choose pay with Pawprint Points during checkout.

Invoice My Practice

Invoice

Debit or credit card is the preferred payment method

Please ask your practice manager or accounts department to visit the website, register an account in their own name, and during checkout, complete the ‘delegate name’ and ‘delegate email’ sections with your personal details.  We will then register you a personal account on your behalf, and transfer the course booking over to your new personal account.  We will of course email you all the information you need to access this new account and your CPD course.

 

If you need an invoice and no other payment method is available to you, then please email [email protected] with all the following information:

Please note the following:

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