"Advanced internship nurses have a fundamental role, we must explain what work we do to make a place for ourselves in the profession."

The School of Nursing of the University of Navarra presented on 24 February the second session of the cycle "Oncology Nursing: 3 conversations from the internship Advanced", moderated by Nuria Esandi, Vice-Dean of research of the School of Nursing. The goal of this cycle focuses on the role of the Advanced internship Nurse in the field of Oncology.

On this occasion, the session focused on analysing mentoring competencies, leadership educational, autonomy for the professional internship and how to incorporate research to carry out an evidence-based clinical internship . Ana Rosa Martos, oncology nurse at the Virgen de la Victoria University Hospital in Malaga, Antonio García de Lomas Mier, oncology nurse at internship Advanced in the oncology service of the Puerto Real hospital, and Georgina Serra, nurse at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, is a member of the Spanish Society of Cancer Nursing. Nuria Esandi, Vice-Dean of research of the School de Enfermería.

During the session, each of the speakers had the opportunity to talk about their professional journey and how they came to become Advanced Practice Nurses internship . In the case of Georgina Serra, she did not have in mind to become an APN; "the work itself leads you to become that figure and you see that you have to expand your training". Despite the fact that the figure of the Advanced internship in Nursing dates back to the 1960s, in Spain it arrived a little later and is still not widely recognised. "We have an important role to play, on the one hand we must be humble and try to explain what the work we do consists of in order to make a place for ourselves in the profession", explained Ana Martos. 

Mentoring and coordination are some of the competencies that an advanced internship nurse must develop in order to achieve better treatment for the oncology patient. "It is important that our figure leads the care of the patient, we must become a point of reference letter for the rest of the team," explains Georgina Serra. 

Finally, the speakers were able to explain the challenges they face in their professional internship in order to incorporate research into their usual internship . "It is important to belong to a team of research in which you can work together, advising, coordinating or even as a promoter", explained Antonio García de Lomas Mier.

Next and last session

This lecture series is part of the new Master's Degree in internship Advanced Nursing in Oncology of the School which will begin to be taught in Madrid in October 2022. The last session of the cycle will take place on 11 March in the session ".management quality and patient safety"with Isabel Mañas, nurse at internship Advanced in Palliative Care in a Palliative Care Support Team in Primary Care (ESCP-AP) in Seville. It will be held in online format at 18:30h, those interested can register at the following link.