Program seeks to support professional development, retention of oncology nurses
Key takeaways:
- The Oncology Core Education and Networking program provides over 20 hours of live virtual learning.
- Nearly 82% of nurse participants are still employed at 1 year — 12% higher than the national average.
An initiative developed by The US Oncology Network has demonstrated effectiveness for addressing the ongoing shortage of oncology nurses, as well as high turnover rates in the profession.
The Oncology Core Education and Networking (OCEAN) program, launched in 2023, is designed to provide education, promote teamwork and encourage professional growth for new oncology nurses.
Healio previously reported on the extent and impact of the ongoing nursing shortage.
A 2022 nursing workforce analysis showed the number of registered nurses decreased by more than 100,000 between 2020 and 2021, representing the largest 1-year decline in 4 decades.
The shortage has had profound impacts on oncology, partly due to the specialized skills practitioners require.
The OCEAN initiative has demonstrated potential to help address this problem.
The program currently includes 200 nurses from 26 oncology practices. Roughly 82% of participants are still employed at 1 year — a 12% improvement over the national average reported in the 2023 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report.
The program also has yielded a dramatic improvement in oncology knowledge.
OCEAN — led by a multidisciplinary team of experts and speakers from The US Oncology Network and McKesson— provides basic knowledge in 12 core areas of cancer care over the course of 22.5 hours of live virtual learning.
Participants have reported a 70% knowledge improvement between pre- and post-course evaluations.
“I had a nurse leader tell me that a previous OCEAN participant still tells her how great it was a year later,” Heather Wood, BSN, RN, OCN, clinical education specialist at The US Oncology Network, told Healio. “We’ve also heard from providers that they noticed nurses who went through OCEAN come to them with more appropriate, critical-thinking questions while showing a deeper understanding of the clinical situation.”
Healio spoke with Wood about the importance of retaining oncology nurses, the value the OCEAN program has provided so far and how this approach could be adopted at other institutions.
Healio: What prompted the development of the OCEAN program?
Wood: A few years ago, we noticed that many nurses being hired into The US Oncology Network had no oncology background. In nursing school, there is minimal education on oncology, so it leads to a significant learning curve when nurses come to this specialty.
Additionally, we had a lot of new hires after the pandemic, and there was a lot of pressure to bring these new-to-oncology nurses up to speed. Many practices in The Network don’t have dedicated nurse educators, so our managers and directors were trying to onboard all these new nurses in addition to their other duties. Nurse leaders came to The Network and asked for support, which drove the creation of this program. The Network saw the need and invested in the program.
Healio: What type of education does it provide?
Wood: We can’t teach everything about oncology in one course, but we selected the “big ticket items” applicable to every oncology nurse regardless of their role in the clinic. We selected some fundamental or foundational oncology topics, and that’s what we built our curriculum on.
We cover parts of the whole patient journey, from the basics of what cancer is through diagnosis, treatment and a little bit about survivorship. This wide range of topics makes nurses feel more comfortable, confident and well-rounded in oncology care.
Healio: What benefits have you observed?
Wood: The program has had great success. There is an obvious difference between the pre- and post-course assessments that the participants complete. We tend to see about a 70% knowledge improvement. Additionally, about 97% of the nurses who go through the course rate their onboarding experience as “good” or “excellent.” That’s a big improvement.
We’ve also had good retention of the nurses who have gone through the program — above the national average. That is a major benefit, as well.
Healio: How might this program expand or evolve?
Wood: We do evaluations of every session, and that tells me if the content we’re covering is truly the content the nurses need for their positions. As we were developing and fine tuning the program, I relied on their feedback to adjust the curriculum to make improvements.
We also adjust the content delivery methods to make sure it is helpful and impactful for the participants. We try to keep things interactive and engaging through games and quizzes. We know it’s not always fun to listen to someone lecture for 2.5 hours, so we are always evolving, tweaking and adjusting to keep things exciting. Not only that but traditional lecture-based education is not the best content delivery method for adult learners. Adults also have short attention spans, so we must keep learners engaged.
Healio: Could this be replicated at other centers?
Wood: In the world of education and onboarding of health professionals, there’s often the challenge of location. There are a lot of large health systems that have satellite locations in different states, so a virtual model like this could definitely be replicated by other practices or institutions.
It’s important for centers to consider their needs and who they’re trying to reach, because the virtual live setting is not necessarily appropriate for every type of education.
Healio: What else would you like to emphasize?
Wood: A live virtual education program can do wonders for onboarding new-to-specialty nurses. In our program, our ideal candidate is a nurse with no oncology experience and is still in orientation. That way, it has less of an impact on staffing.
Our program is unique in that it is nationwide, so one challenge is that we cover four different time zones. We overcome that by offering the course at alternate times in efforts to have a class at a feasible time no matter the time zone.
Reference:
- The US Oncology Network launches innovative program to foster retention of new oncology nurses: https://usoncology.com/news/the-us-oncology-network-launches-innovative-program-to-foster-retention-of-new-oncology-nurses. Published Nov. 21, 2024. Accessed March 25, 2025.
For more information:
Heather Wood, BSN, RN, OCN, can be reached at heather.wood@mckesson.com.
Perspective
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I graduated nursing school in 2005, knowing I wanted to work in oncology. Throughout my training, I watched my grandfather undergo treatment for metastatic lung cancer. Seeing the compassionate, specialized care he received, both during treatment and eventually through hospice, deeply inspired me to pursue this field. His care team didn’t just treat his disease; they supported him and our family through every stage of his journey. That experience gave me a clear sense of purpose.
I was hired into my first oncology position pending my NCLEX results and proudly started at a large teaching hospital. I still remember my first day, meeting my lifelong nurse friends and beginning an oncology-specific orientation with dedicated nurse educators. The education and mentorship I received were invaluable. They planted an early seed in me — someday, I aspired to become a leader and educator myself so I could provide new nurses with the same experienced, meaningful education and support that had shaped my own journey.
Throughout my career, I have continued to grow, always learning as oncology constantly evolves with new therapies, technologies and treatment approaches. No one ever “knows it all” in oncology, and that’s part of the beauty of this specialty. It keeps us curious, humble and collaborative.
Reading about the OCEAN (Oncology Core Education and Networking) program resonated deeply with me. A structured, oncology-specific education program is essential for success. OCEAN gives new nurses the clinical foundation, confidence and sense of belonging they need to thrive. But it’s more than just a curriculum. It’s a professional community that emphasizes connection, shared knowledge and mentorship.
Programs like OCEAN play a crucial role in reducing burnout and turnover, which are significant concerns in high-stress specialties like oncology. By providing a structured onboarding experience, led by experienced oncology professionals, OCEAN helps ensure that nurses feel supported from day one. The program also emphasizes networking and relationship-building, which helps foster teamwork and collaboration, two key elements in effective oncology care.
In addition, OCEAN’s virtual education platform is a smart, modern approach. It increases accessibility across large health care systems, allowing nurses from different locations to receive the same high-quality training while minimizing the logistical challenges of in-person sessions.
The OCEAN program is an outstanding example of how investing in nurse education directly strengthens the future of oncology care. It ensures that new nurses enter the field feeling prepared, connected and inspired — exactly what our patients deserve.
Phelps Memorial Hospital
Northern Westchester Hospital
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