ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the emerging climate with regard to achieving competence in chemotherapy nursing and managing the educational needs of staff. It also looks at the realities of the chemotherapy environment and asks how education can be best provided to meet the needs of the cancer workforce. Chemotherapy nursing education is central to providing excellent patient care. Chemotherapy nurses know that it has been a long time coming. In 1998, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) published its clinical practice guidelines for the administration of cytotoxic chemotherapy. In many clinical areas, nurses have developed into skilled practitioners with excellent capabilities, while in others the acquisition of skills has been less rigorous. The use of e-learning as a tool for chemotherapy education has yet to be evaluated. However, as technology continues to develop, there is a real opportunity for knowledge in this field to be acquired through interactive e-learning packages.
