"The oncology patient suffers from the first diagnosis, so it is important to give them security and a guarantee that they are in good hands".

"The role of the EPA adds a lot to the health Departments , because the patient carries a previous work that greatly facilitates their treatment", explained Isabel Mañas, nurse of internship Advanced, the importance of the role of the Nurse of internship Advanced in the session "management of quality and clinical safety of the patient". The cycle "Oncology Nursing: 3 conversations from the Advanced internship " organised by the School de Enfermería, has taken place during the months of January, February and March, and has brought together a total of 150 registered participants. 

Isabel Mañas works as an Advanced internship nurse in a Palliative Care Support Team in Primary Care (ESCP-AP) in Seville, specifically in homes in rural areas. Her professional degree program has led her to become a nurse of reference letter, for this reason she wanted to highlight the importance of training as a nurse of internship advanced to be able to manage and coordinate the needs of patients in the most effective way. "The EPA is a figure who coordinates the patient's needs in an orderly manner and optimises all possible resources to the maximum. Always based on preparation and having the necessary tools to do so," she explains. 

Patients in palliative care areas are very diverse, ranging from people who need specific care because of their advanced age or because they are suffering from a terminal illness such as cancer. "The oncology patient suffers from the first diagnosis, so it is important to give them security and a guarantee that they are in good hands. He also stresses the importance of taking the family into account in the patient's treatment; "the family also suffers, if the family fails us we will fail with the patient, it is important to take care of the caregiver", he says.

The demand for a new profile in nursing

In Spain, cancer is one of the main causes of mortality, while the annual number of diagnosed cases continues to grow. "This reality affects thousands of people and their families, so nursing professionalsare expected to be prepared to become the leaders and coordinators of the complex treatment and care teams that this disease requires", comments Navidad Canga, manager of the Master's Degree in internship Advanced Nursing in Oncology of the School de Enfermería. 

This new programme of postgraduate program will take place next year 22-23 at the University of Navarra's Campus in Madrid, and will focus on training professionals in competencies such as decision-making in complex cases, research, coordination, partnership, ethics and transformational leadership.