Outstanding cancer workforce

A highly skilled and capable cancer workforce is essential to research excellence and high-quality, patient-centred care.

The VCCC delivers a varied program of events, workshops, masterclasses, symposia, online learning and leadership to support and build our cancer workforce capacity and capability.

New internship program fast-tracks learning to address skills shortage

Expanding Australia’s clinical trial activity calls for a highly trained workforce. Internships provide the opportunity to accelerate theoretical and hands-on learning to address a skills shortage in the clinical trials domain. The VCCC, with the Parkville Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (PCCTU), has created a clinical trial pipeline to train Clinical Trial Assistants and Study Coordinators giving them the ability to immediately step into key roles.

100% Clinical Trial Assistant interns employedOne month after the inaugural program completed in August 2019, 100 per cent of Clinical Trial Assistant interns who participated in the SKILLED Internship program were fully employed in the clinical trial sector in Victoria.

Investing in cancer nursing research capability: a win for patients

Comparative to the size of the workforce, the pursuit of nurse-led research is limited, yet provides significant opportunity for innovation, quality improvements and safety in cancer care.

The VCCC’s development of the Nurse-led Research Hub has raised the visibility and appreciation of the value of nurse-led research, fostered support networks, ensured research knowledge and skills are expanded and is accelerating the development of a nursing research culture.

The development of the Hub is also a win for patients, as nurses learn skills to lead the generation of new knowledge in areas such as minimising line infections for haematology patients, patient preparation for complex therapies and optimising surgical outcomes. This investment in cancer nursing research capability will promote the progression of safe, effective and evidence-based care for all Victorians affected by cancer.

Collaborative education design to address global cancer challenge

People with cancer are living longer, but globally, more people are being diagnosed with cancer. To address this challenge, the VCCC alliance is curating cutting-edge learnings from some of Australia’s leading experts in cancer research and treatment to create a dynamic educational program for the workforce.

Australia’s first Master of Cancer Sciences program achieved the largest intake in 2019 of any new program in the healthcare suite delivered by Melbourne School of Professional and Continuing Education (MSPACE).

140 experts and countingThe educational program which includes professional development and certificate options is an exemplar of collaboration, creating a workforce ready to excel at a world-class level. Up to 30 subject matter experts – alongside a subject development coordinator recruited from the cancer field – contribute to each topic. A huge cast of more than 140 researchers, clinicians and educators from within the alliance and broader networks have already furthered the program’s development and delivery – which will see the first Master of Cancer Sciences graduates at the end of next year.

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