ONS Connect - February 2008 - (Page 15) ONENurSE’SpErSpECTivE What Were Your Experiences Promoting Cancer Control Efforts in Jordan? Team Establishes a Train-the-Trainer Program for Jordanian Nurses Georgie Cusack, RN, MS, AOCN® Georgie Cusack, RN, MS, AOCN®, a clinical nurse specialist for outcomes management in the Research and Practice Development Service at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, describes her palliative care work in Jordan. y work in Jordan was in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NCI Office of International Af fairs, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, and the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Amman. Educa tion, prevention, and palliative care were the focus of cancer control efforts led by Dr. Samir Khleif, the director of KHCC, and the KHCC leadership team. KHCC’s cancer control programs included an early detection unit for breast, colon, and prostate cancer; smoking cessation program; and public awareness programs for prevention and early detection that were distributed through mass media. The cancer center developed a comprehensive palliative care program that included the first inpatient palliative care M program, palliative homecare program, and family support group in Jordan, as well as a pal liative care consultation service. The program now serves as a World Health Organization dem onstration module in palliative care. The nursing infrastructure pri orities at KHCC included basic oncology education and cancer control efforts. Our goal was to “train the trainers”—a group of nurses who would teach others about pathophysiology, pre vention, screening and early detection, treatment, and symp tom management. A core group of 20 KHCC nurses were trained by a team of U.S. nurses from the NIH, National Naval Medical Center, Georgetown Hospital, and Duke University Hospital. Training consisted of five modules over six months, with lectures, clini cal application, journaling, and examinations to evaluate each nurse’s competence in oncology nursing. Ongoing training was provided in policy and procedure development as well as smoking cessation. KHCC staff members had an incredible thirst for knowledge and were very engaged in the process of learning and educat ing others about cancer control and symptom management. Working with this group in Jordan was an amazing experience and very fulfilling for me as an oncology nurse of 23 years. ✱ February 2008 ONS CONNECT 15
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