Why our undergraduate nursing programs need oncology content: Reflections of a nursing instructor

Abstract

Undergraduate nursing education programs can play an integral role in developing the next generation of nurses by incorporating more oncology content to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of patients diagnosed with cancer. While oncology nursing is a specialized area of practice, student nurses and new graduates will come in contact with patients who have been diagnosed with cancer whether they work on a specialized unit or not. Increasing the amount of oncology content provided in undergraduate nursing programs can help to encourage interest in this specialty area and improve the ability of new graduates to care for this patient population.