Training of medical students and nurses to be members of cancer care teams.

BACKGROUND: A multiprofessional approach to the treatment of cancer patients already exists. However, in the educational process the principle of training students to work in cancer care teams is not yet common. Since 1998, undergraduate students in university schools of nursing in Ukraine have been studying oncology as a separate subject. Because nursing students are trained in oncology departments of medical universities, it is possible to teach a team approach to medical and nursing students simultaneously. Thus, a unified training program in oncology was initiated.
METHOD: The keystone of this approach is the training of medical and nursing students to function as a cancer care team.
RESULTS: The project is still at an early stage of development. The team is envisioned to consist of a physician-nurse student working unit. The theoretical knowledge of medical and nursing students and their practical skills should complement each other in each department in a comprehensive cancer hospital.
CONCLUSIONS: This teaching method should foster a professional relationship between the doctor and the nurse and contribute to their mastering cancer knowledge, which in practice will enable them to work as a team. Teaching students to function as cancer care teams should be considered for primary clinical training in oncology for future physicians and nurses.