New online cancer course launched.

The online learning website developed by United Kingdom (UK) charity Nurse learning, CancerNursing.org, has launched a new, free course covering peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and PICC chemotherapy. The PICCs course provides a detailed overview of the insertion, management and after care of PICCs. It covers cancer chemotherapy and the drugs associated with PICCs and it illustrates their use with a case study written by a patient. The course has been developed by clinical nurse specialist for chemotherapy at Plymouth Hospitals National Health Service Trust in the UK and peer reviewed by an international panel of referees.

Periperally inserted central catheters are used in many hospitals and units throughout the world and I hope that nurses benefit as much from this course as other courses the online learning website has offered.

Since the launch of its first course in February 2003, the response to the CancerNursing.org site has been tremendous. More than 5000 nurses internationally have registered with the site. CancerNursing.org expects this figure to grow substantially with the launch of the new course. New courses are being developed and all are being written by experienced cancer nurses who have volunteered their knowledge and experience for the benefit of their colleagues worldwide. Courses currently under development include cancer of the stomach, cancer of the lung, pain and symptom management, introduction to cancer and cancer nursing, oncology clinical trials, stoma care and introduction to palliative care nursing.

Nurses interested in taking the PICCs course can register for free at: http://www.cancernursing.org.

For further information contact CancerNursing.org's strategic development manager, Ray Irving, at [e-mail].

Mark Irving, RGN, BSc, chief nursing officer CancerNursing.org