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Oncology Education and Training Courses Available

Oncology courses for nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, and other health care professionals caring for oncology patients are outlined below. Registration is required for all courses.

UPMC employees are required to register for educational programs through Learning. Learning is located within HR direct on the left-hand side of the Infonet home screen. Manager approval may be required for some programs. If you receive this notice when enrolling, please notify your manager of your interest in the program.

Links to the registration forms for non-UPMC employees are provided below.

Time: Unless otherwise specified, are as follows:

  • Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.
  • Lectures begin at 8:00 a.m.
  • Course adjournment is at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Location: Courses are held on the UPMC Shadyside Campus at 5150 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232 and virtually via Microsoft Teams.  Exact location will be provided in the confirmation letter sent one week prior to the course.

Continuing Education Credit

In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Specific course information including objectives, information on continuing education credits, course brochure and location are available by clicking on the course brochure.

For questions or to request additional information, email Brittni Prosdocimo at bittnerb@upmc.edu or call 412-623-3671.

The following five courses make up the Foundations to Practice in Oncology series:

  1. Pathophysiology of Cancer, Cancer Treatment Modalities, and the Immune System
  2. Overview of Solid Tumors
  3. Symptom Management of Patients with Cancer
  4. Oncology Emergencies and Advanced Cancer Care Issues
  5. Hematologic Malignancies

It is strongly recommended that UPMC staff who are required to take the Comprehensive Chemotherapy and Biological Therapies Course take these five courses as a prerequisite. All others may take individual courses of choice.

Course Brochures:

Registration Forms:

Dates:

  • Fall 2024 Course
    • Pathophysiology of Cancer, Cancer Treatment Modalities, and the Immune System – September 4, 2024
    • Overview of Solid Tumors – September 11, 2024
    • Symptom Management of Patients with Cancer – September 18, 2024
    • Oncology Emergencies and Advanced Cancer Care Issues – September 25, 2024
    • Hematologic Malignancies – October 2, 2024
  • Winter 2025 Course
    • Pathophysiology of Cancer, Cancer Treatment Modalities, and the Immune System – January 2, 2025
    • Overview of Solid Tumors – January 8, 2025
    • Symptom Management of Patients with Cancer – January 15, 2025
    • Oncology Emergencies and Advanced Cancer Care Issues – January 22, 2025
    • Hematologic Malignancies – January 29, 2025
  • Spring 2025 Course
    • Pathophysiology of Cancer, Cancer Treatment Modalities, and the Immune System – March 5, 2025
    • Overview of Solid Tumors – March 12, 2025
    • Symptom Management of Patients with Cancer – March 19, 2025
    • Oncology Emergencies and Advanced Cancer Care Issues – March 26, 2025
    • Hematologic Malignancies – April 2, 2025

This one-day course provides a general overview of cancer, the disease process, treatments, symptom management, and its impact on patients and families. It is intended to enhance the practice of both health care professionals and ancillary staff who care for cancer patients in hospitals, ambulatory care, home care, hospice, extended care, or rehabilitation settings. 

Dates:

  • July 1, 2024
  • August 1, 2024
  • September 5, 2024
  • October 3, 2024
  • November 7, 2024
  • December 5, 2024
  • January 6, 2025
  • February 6, 2025
  • March 6, 2025
  • April 3, 2025
  • May 1, 2025
  • June 5, 2025

This four-day course is designed to address needs of nursing, pharmacy, advanced practice providers, and other professionals in relation to antineoplastic therapies and immunotherapies. It includes information on current pharmacotherapy, safe handling, administration of anticancer agents, and various issues concerning the management of patients receiving cancer therapy.

Dates:

  • Summer 2024 Course: August 16, 2024, August 21, 2024, August 23, 2024, August 28, 2024, and September 6, 2024 (test)
  • Fall 2024 Course: October 9, 2024, October 16, 2024, October 23, 2024, October 30, 2024, and November 14, 2024 (test)
  • Winter 2025 Course: February 5, 2025, February 12, 2025, February 19, 2025, February 26, 2025, and March 13, 2025 (test)
  • Spring 2025 Course: April 9, 2025, April 16, 2025, April 23, 2025, April 30, 2025, and May 14, 2025 (test)

This two-day course addresses the individual and joint needs of nursing, pharmacy, and other professions in relation to stem cell transplantation. It includes information on current transplantation issues such as patient work-up, disease process, and patient care and management. Topics include types of transplants, mobilization, preparative regimens, growth factors, the role of total body irradiation, transfusion issues, graft vs. host disease, veno-occlusive disease, and other transplant related topics.

Dates:

  • Fall 2024 Course: November 6, 2024 and November 13, 2024
  • Spring 2025 Course: May 2, 2025 and May 9, 2025

This one-day course provides an overview of the information required to assist the oncology nurse in preparing for the oncology nursing certification (OCN) exam. Information provided in this course is consistent with review materials provided by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation.

Dates:

  • Summer 2024 Course: August 15, 2024
  • Fall 2024 Course:  November 21, 2024
  • Spring 2025 Course:  May 15, 2025