Counselling Service: A Life-long Learning Journey
It is important that oncology nurses giving counselling to cancer patients have up to date information of the disease and its treatments. To ensure a high-quality information service, The Cancer Society of Finland has a training programme for its Cancer Information Service (CIS) nurses. In Finnish cancer organisations, advice is given by nurses specialized in cancer. They know how the patient journey evolves in health care settings, about different types and forms of cancer, treatments, psycho-social and psychological support, social reimbursements, rehabilitation, peer support and how to support patient´s family members, other relatives and friends.
Oncology nurses from the counselling services are trainers themselves and they often give lectures about their work. The themes include the disease itself, rehabilitation or volunteering for the organisation.
Typical annual training programme
There are total of fifty advice nurses within CIS nationwide. Every year counselling service nurses have a two-day education event. The nurses from the Cancer Society and its member associations attend. In addition, interested nurses working in health care institutions, hospitals or similar establishments can attend. Education aims to deal with current topics. One module is about training of hereditary cancers, because the Society offers advice of cancer in the family on national level and regionally. This genetic counselling is organized in collaboration with Helsinki University Central Hospital`s Clinical Genetics Unit.
Rehabilitation issues are also on the agenda. Nurses take part in planning nationwide courses together with organisations that are responsible in arranging these courses.
What sort of training nurses prefer?
“We are interested in how diagnostics will be developing”, says Taina Häkkinen, who leads the national counselling service in Helsinki. “There are new digital tools, such as Noona mobile service for following-up cancer patients. They are interesting. As new cancer drugs may be expensive, biosimilars are alternatives and gaining popularity. There is economic incentive from society´s point of view to have biosimilars. Nurses need to translate this knowledge to patients. More training would be useful,” Häkkinen says.
Finnish Oncology Nursing Society has an annual education event. The association is member of the European Oncology Nursing Society, EONS. The Cancer Society has a partnership with Fioca, a training unit for the Finnish Association of Nurses. The Society and Fioca arrange together an annual training event of their own.
Keeping connections to hospital work is also about life-long learning. In addition to counselling, some nurses work in hospitals along their own work at the Society. This keeps them aware of what is happening in oncology wards.
Returning to working life? Web can help
Patients go back to work – how should a counselling nurse support this?
– “We are developing new forms of support. For instance, interactive support via web-based platforms may focus on work-life after treatments with special emphasis on peer support.”
Among strategic projects Häkkinen mentions the need of getting better support for people around the patient.
– “There is a focus on a new kind of approach considering family and friends. They have big impact on patient´s well-being and need support in their own role, Taina Häkkinen explains”.
There has been a pilot course which showed that group activities had a positive impact on coping and mental well-being of next of kin.
More information
Taina Häkkinen, oncology nurse, head of CIS, taina.hakkinen@cancer.fi
Links
Cancer Society of Finland-Advice Service
European Oncology Nursing Society
NOONA-Patient-reported outcomes