Patients seen faster thanks to vital training | Cancer Centre News

Two oncology nurses are helping patients get seen faster after undergoing vital training.

Carlo Vinuya and James Albarracin have taken on physical assessment training to enable them to assess cancer patients who are suffering from acute symptoms as a result of systemic anti-cancer treatment.

The course, which lasts around four months, means nurses are qualified as specialist nurses so they can support patients in more ways, reducing their waiting times and being qualified to prescribe them medication.

James said: “This training means if the patients are fit enough to need treatment we can give them the chemotherapy straight away.

“If they need extra medication we can also help get it prescribed for them more quickly. 

“It’s a relief that we don’t need to ask anybody else to do this – we can go in straight away to help our patients. Sometimes the waiting makes the patients anxious and uncomfortable. If they know someone is seeing them straight away, it puts them at ease.”

Carlo added it’s better for the patients in the long run.

He said: “In our new role as specialist nurses, we are able to assess patients properly. This course has given us more confidence in our role and provided us with new skills. Not only will the waiting time be reduced, but we will also be better equipped to treat patients' symptoms.”