Professional Development

The burden of cancer to the NSW community is extremely high. Cancer causes pain, disability, suffering and deaths in our community. Across NSW we spend around $1.1 billion each year on the prevention, early detection treatment and ongoing care for people affected by of cancer. Each year, thousands of people have their lives turned upside down as they or a loved one face the diagnosis of cancer.

Improving cancer services is not always about more staff and equipment. Enhancing the skills and key competencies of existing personnel is just as important. Developing a highly educated and trained profession is essential if we want to ensure the best possible outcomes for cancer patients and attract and retain personnel.

The Cancer Institute NSW Professional Development Program aims to provide practical resources and learning opportunities to support and develop health care professionals working in cancer.

Leadership Training Program

To ensure Directors of Area Cancer Services, Lead Clinicians and Cancer Service Development Managers in NSW Area Health Services are equipped with appropriate skills to lead and manager cancer services across NSW, the Cancer Institute NSW will be offering a Leadership and Strategic Thinking professional development program in 2007. Further details about the program will be made available in the near future.

Education Scholarships

As part of our commitment to the ongoing professional development of cancer health professionals, the Cancer Institute NSW has established Education Scholarships for 2007. This program aims to provide an opportunity to access a range of study options available through universities, tertiary institutions and Area Health Services. The program is offered to cancer health professionals currently employed in institutions within the NSW public sector cancer centres and/or NSW hospitals that provide cancer treatment. Scholarships are available for courses commencing in Semester 1 each year.

The Cancer Institute NSW is proud to announce the awarding of seventeen Cancer Institute NSW Education Scholarships for 2007. The Cancer Institute NSW would like to congratulate all recipients.

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Clinical Fellowship Program

The Cancer Institute NSW is committed to the ongoing professional development of clinicians working in cancer. To increase the depth and expertise of the discipline in NSW and to further train the next generation of cancer specialists, the Clinical Fellowship Program is designed to specifically address the need to provide a year of in-depth training and research for doctors who have recently completed specialty training in oncology.

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Travel Grants

International and national travel grants are available to support the ongoing professional development of cancer health professionals from NSW working in public, private, community or clinical acute settings. This includes medical registrars in training, cancer nurses, clinical trials nurses, data managers, cancer nurse coordinators, social workers, psychologists, radiation therapists, medical physicists, Cancer Institute NSW Clinical Fellows and other health professionals (e.g. cancer genetic counsellors). Applications are now open.

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Communication Skills Training Grants Joint Initiative with the National Breast Cancer Centre

In September 2006, the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) invited institutions across Australia to apply for a grant allocation to coordinate communication skills training for cancer health professionals at the local level. This initiative aims to improve the awareness and capacity of health professionals to communicate effectively with people with cancer. As part of this initiative, funding and resources to support the local implementation of communication skills training workshops to the successful recipients of the grants is provided.

The Cancer Institute NSW has joined with the NBCC to further expand the workshops within NSW by funding all successful recipients. This has enabled the NBCC to allocate additional funds to other States and Territories. All applications were reviewed for eligibility against strict selection criteria.

Each grant, up to a value of $3000, funds one or more workshop using evidence-based modules developed by the NBCC. The three modules selected by NSW grant recipients were:

Breaking Bad News
Discussing the transition from curative to palliative care
Addressing the needs of younger women with breast cancer

Each module comprises of a concise summary of the relevant literature and research with reference to the NBCC and NCCI’s Clinical practice guidelines for the psychosocial care of adults with cancer.

The NBCC and Cancer Institute NSW are proud to announce the following grant recipients for NSW in 2007.

Greater Southern Area Health Service ; Queanbeyan, GSAHS
Moruya Community Health Centre ; Moruya
Hunter New England Centre for Gynaecological Cancer ; New Lambton, HNEAHS
Newcastle Mater Misericordiae Hospital ; Newcastle, HNEAHS
Manning Rural Referral Hospital ; Taree, NCAHS
Westmead Hospital ; Westmead, SWAHS
Prince of Wales Hospital ; Randwick, SESIAHS
St George Hospital ; Kogarah, SESIAHS
Wollongong Hospital ; Wollongong, SESIAHS