Cancer Nursing Discovery Program
2 min read 24 February 2023
Please note that we are no longer running the Cancer Nursing Discovery Program. For more information, please visit Cancer Nursing Development Pathway.
The Cancer Nursing Discovery Program is a comprehensive professional development program supporting Registered Nurses to transition into an acute oncology setting, and/or further build and consolidate foundational cancer nursing skills over a 12-month period.
During the program, participants will have the opportunity to work alongside a multidisciplinary team of world class cancer experts, caring for patients’ through-out the treatment trajectory, from diagnosis, through to treatment, supportive care, survivorship and palliative care.
Eligibility criteria:
Division One Registered Nurses with 12 months experience in an acute care setting upon completion of a graduate year (Grade 2 Year 3 and above), and ability to work a rotating roster at a minimum of 64 hours/8 shifts per fortnight. Ongoing employment will be offered upon successful completion of the program.
Clinical Rotations:
The program includes two six-month rotations on Peter Mac’s inpatient Haematology (5A), Medical (3A) or Surgical Oncology (6A) wards.
Ward 3A: 32 bed ward with a clinical focus on people who have been diagnosed with lung, head and neck, bone, soft tissue sarcoma, neurological, skin and melanoma cancers, paediatric inpatients and those receiving radionuclide therapies. Treatment modalities provided to patients on Ward 3A include: chemotherapy, symptom management and palliative care, external beam radiotherapy, adolescent care and nuclear medicine treatments.
Ward 5A: 32 bed ward with a clinical focus on people diagnosed with haematological malignancies and breast cancers. People with haematological malignancies including myeloma, lymphoma, myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic diseases and chronic leukaemia as well as patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant and CAR T-cell therapy are treated on Ward 5A.
Ward 6A: 32 bed ward with a clinical focus on people receiving surgery following a cancer diagnosis. This includes people who have been diagnosed with gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, urological, prostate, gynaecological, breast, head and neck, melanoma and sarcoma. Treatment modalities and services on Ward 6A include: surgery, high dose radiotherapy and seed implants for prostate cancer, external beam radiotherapy, robotic assisted surgery and stomal therapy.
Education and Support:
Nurses participating in the Cancer Nursing Discovery Program receive tailored support from a dedicated team with the aim of advancing your career, both professionally and personally, in a caring and nurturing environment.
Education and support includes four additional study days above the Nurses Award entitlement, a dedicated clinical support nurse, structured competency assessments and small group education and reflection sessions tailored to the clinical areas.
Application Process:
The next intake of the Cancer Nursing Discovery Program will commence on Tuesday 16th May, 2023. For more information, please register for our online information evening being held on Wednesday 8th March, 2023.
To apply, see Cancer Nursing Discovery Program.
Contact us:
For enquiries regarding the Cancer Nursing Discovery Program, contact:
Louise Wilks, Cancer Nursing Discovery Program Coordinator
Phone: (03) 8559 5674
Email: