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Keywords

oncology, medical-surgical patients

Disciplines

Nursing

Description

In the U.S. the number of hospitalized oncology patients has been increasing faster than medical-surgical patients. This is in part due to factors like increased cancer incidence, an aging population and new treatment options. New graduates and nurses practicing in non-oncology settings such as Med-Surg, may be lacking essential knowledge and skills in caring for cancer patients and families. Given the multidimensional impact of cancer care across the trajectory, it is imperative to develop competencies for nurses in all settings.

Bakker, et. al. (2013) describes how for the nurse caring for a cancer patient, each day was unique and determined by treatment, procedures and tasks required by the patient. It meant use of therapeutic presence or “being there” for the patient. Another described it as ‘caring in a climate of scientific research.’

As our inpatient oncology unit at William Beaumont University Hospital has had increased overflow, it made sense to begin to direct those patients to its sister unit, 6 Center Medical, Palliative/Hospice. 6 Center nursing staff already have the knowledge, skills and experience of symptom management and emotional support for palliative/hospice patients but voiced a need to learn more about oncology diagnoses, treatment and symptom management.

Publication Date

5-2025

Comments

Nurses Week at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, Royal Oak, MI, May 6-12, 2025.

Our Journey: Learning to care for oncology overflow patients

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