Oncology self-management support education in a baccalaureate nursing program: An exploratory case study

Abstract

Background: As the largest cancer care workforce, nurses are well situated through daily interactions to provide effective oncology self-management support to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for cancer survivors. Self-management support education for nurses is very limited, and international oncology nursing experts have implored an urgent need for research in baccalaureate nursing education to ensure nursing students have the requisite knowledge, skills, and competencies when entering the workforce to enable persons with cancer to better manage the effects of cancer as a chronic disease.

Aim: Grounded in Caring Theory, Self-Directed Adult Learning Theory, Social Cognitive Learning Theory, and guided by the Self- and Family Management Framework and the Competency Framework for Cancer Nurses Providing Self-Management Support, this study aimed to explore the extent and impact of oncology self-management support education being taught and learned in a baccalaureate nursing program.

Design: A qualitative exploratory case study was conducted at a baccalaureate nursing program.

Methods: Purposeful sampling technique recruited three faculty professors with teaching responsibilities, two nurse educators, and five fourth-year nursing students, for one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Additional data sources included documents (course syllabi, class lectures, textbook(s), readings) from four courses within the nursing program, and reflective journaling notes. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the participant interview data to identify themes that represented the data and a deductive analysis approach was used to analyze the course documents.

Results: Three overarching data interpretations emerged from the study: 1. The inadequate curriculum coverage of critical performance criteria and requisite competencies to prepare nursing students to provide oncology self-management support. 2. The need for curriculum and instruction on cancer as a disease, cancer being considered a unique chronic illness, and self-management support for persons with cancer and 3. The need for the integration of oncology self-management support teaching and learning across all program areas (i.e. classroom curricula, lab simulations, and clinical preceptors).

Conclusion: This study makes a novel contribution by exploring oncology self-management support education in undergraduate nursing education. The study has shown that undergraduate nursing oncology self-management support education is insufficient and makes the following recommendations: 1. Integrate curriculum on cancer as a unique chronic disease. 2. Integrate self-management support performance criteria. 3. Integrate oncology self-management support and coaching curricula program. 4. Prepare academic educators in oncology. 5. Collaborate and coordinate oncology clinical preceptors and 6. Collaborate with nursing organizations to build oncology education capacity.