134 Volume 25, Issue 2, sprIng 2015 • CanadIan onCology nursIng Journal
reVue CanadIenne de soIns InfIrmIers en onCologIe
Editorial
In the course of my work, I have the opportunity to speak with oncology nurses across Canada
on a regular basis. I love to hear what oncology nurses are doing and their stories about their
practice. I am constantly moved by their descriptions about how they make a dierence in the
lives of patients and families. And I am intrigued to hear how they are facing the challenges in
their work settings and ensuring patients are getting the kind of help and care they need.
During these conversations, three topics have emerged recently as signicant challenges
for oncology nurses. These topics are models of care, scope of practice, and inter-professional
teamwork.
‘Models of care’ is a phase that refers to the way agencies are organizing their sta and the
environment to deliver care. Often the implementation of a model of care involves dierent ways
of working, and new roles and responsibilities. The notion of ‘scope of practice’ is often cited to
illustrate whether or not nurses are working to the full range of their knowledge and education.
Far too often I hear a call for nurses to be able to work to their full scope, as their current roles
are seen as too narrow, focused to a great extent on tasks alone and, in many cases, embrac-
ing many non-nursing responsibilities. The dialogue about inter-professional team practice is
seen as a vehicle to determine how to provide the right care (evidence based and in accordance
with the individual’s needs) to patients at the right time (without undue waits) by the appropriate
health care provider (the team member who has the knowledge and skill to address the identied
patient need).
These are complex topics and have important implications for oncology nurses and oncol-
ogy nursing practice. They also have important implications for patients and patient care. As a
professional group, oncology nurses ought to be talking about the issues together. We need to
understand the underlying inuences driving these changes in health care, consider the impact
of the various approaches, and anticipate the outcomes for patients and families of moving in
certain directions. I am certain that dierent models of care, scopes of practice, and roles of the
inter-professional team members will have an impact on patients’ care and the end results for
them.
To engage in discussions and to inuence the results of these discussions, we need to under-
stand patient needs, the best ways to meet those needs, and the types of contributions we can
make as nurses and as members of inter-professional teams. We need to be able to describe and
talk about each of these aspects clearly and know what is best for patient care.
I am hoping the articles and features in this issue of CONJ will assist in the dialogue about
these issues. The articles by Wilkins and by Loughery and Woodgate contribute to understanding
the needs of two rather unique patient populations. Wilkins describes perspectives of individuals
who have experienced more than one primary cancer diagnosis while Loughery and Woodgate
focus on the supportive care needs of women with breast cancer living in rural settings. Nurses
are in wonderful positions, whether in front-line sta roles, educators or researchers, to add to
the evidence about patient needs by capturing the perspectives of those individuals and helping
to communicate the ideas as seen through the eyes of the individuals. We will be able to advocate
with a strong voice and organize eective and meaningful delivery of care if we are patient or
person centred in our approaches.