2025 Annual Congress: Upskilling the Cancer Nursing Workforce with Work Integrated Learning
Work by Senior Lecturer Lauren Zarb, Trevor Saunders and Prof Mei Krishnasamy sets new standard in cancer nursing education using work-integrated learning model.
At the 2025 Annual Congress, a collaboration between the Cancer Nurses Society of Australia (CNSA) and the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Case (ISNCC), Senior Lecturer Lauren Zarb, Trevor Saunders and Prof Mei Krishnasamy presented “Upskilling the Cancer Nursing Workforce: A work integrated learning model of specialist care nursing postgraduate education.”
The presentation highlighted an exceptional course offered by the Department of Nursing. The course is a unique graduate certificate offered nationally where students are required to undertake work-integrated learning (WIL), bench marked against the EdCan specialist cancer nursing practice standards. The WIL component allows students to combine theory and scientific advancements with clinical practice to develop a range of core clinical skills.
Feedback from the course indicates that the WIL component is highly valued. One student notes, “The clinical skills assessment were the most valuable in my opinion.” Another student praised the program and educators stating, “I really enjoy the clinical skills assessments and appreciate the support I have received from my clinical educator.”
The WIL approach leads to effective use of theory in practice. As one student explained, “The applications and integration of what we are learning in the webinar into an actual clinical skills assessment are a great way to solidify the theory. The discussion and reflection with the clinical educator after clinical skill assessments are also helpful in evaluating my work against the best practice guidelines.”
Overall, the course is making an impact on nursing practices and learning. One student reflecting, “The clinical skill assessments and the lectures have started to change my thought process and improve my clinical practice.”
The integration of WIL into the graduate certificate course represents an important step forward in preparing nurses for the complexities of specialized cancer care. By combining theoretical knowledge with practical experiences, the program is effectively upskilling the cancer nursing workforce and setting high standards in postgraduate cancer nursing education.
Find out more about the Graduate Certificate in Cancer Nursing
