title: Assessing the learning needs of oncology nurses.
abstract: The Nurse Oncology Education Program (NOEP) is a nonprofit organization of the Texas Nurses Foundation that develops and provides education for nurses in all fields of practice on cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship. To meet the most current educational needs of nurses, NOEP conducts a biannual needs assessment survey to better understand its audience and inform its course development. The 2013 NOEP needs assessment survey used a convenience sample of licensed nurses throughout the United States. Nurses completed the online survey, and results revealed several priority areas for educational programs, including management of cancer symptoms and treatment side effects, complementary and alternative or integrative medicine, and screening recommendations. Time was noted as the largest barrier to educating patients and families about primary prevention practices. Results from this survey can be compared to those from previous surveys, particularly the 2009 and 2011 surveys, to determine changes in the demographics of NOEP's constituency, as well as consistencies in educational gaps. The results from the 2013 NOEP needs assessment survey offer valuable information about the learning needs of nurses across the country. The data can be used by the nurse educators and faculty who are responsible for providing cancer-specific education to nurses.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cannon
authors.affiliation: Nurse Oncology Education Program, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Lisa K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Nurse Oncology Education Program, Austin, TX.
authors.forename: Matt T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Roth
authors.affiliation: Texas Hospital Association Foundation in Austin.
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: LaVergne
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D013781:Texas; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: cancer program development; continuing education; management or evaluation; nursing education; professional issues