
Through a multimodal training framework, investigators at Hackensack University Medical Center successfully prepared more than 100 oncology registered nurses (RNs) for the complexities of modern cancer care, according to findings presented at the 51st Annual Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Congress.
Specifically, researchers evaluated a large-scale chemotherapy onboarding initiative to bolster nursing competency and safety during the administration of antineoplastic agents. The project addressed the need for standardized, specialized education among inpatient RNs caring for patients with cancer and ensured new staff reached clinical proficiency within a set timeframe to mitigate system-level risks and support high-quality patient outcomes.
Main data
The onboarding initiative yielded robust results regarding nurse preparedness and program completion. A total of 100 RNs successfully completed the full chemotherapy training program during the 2024 and 2025 evaluation periods. This cohort demonstrated high levels of clinical engagement, though 5 medical oncology RNs resigned or transferred before finishing the validation process.
Data from post-program surveys indicated significant success in building staff morale and readiness. Investigators reported that 100% of the participating nurses felt “confident” in their ability to safely administer antineoplastic agents to patients with cancer. Furthermore, the initiative demonstrated that a structured approach could efficiently move a large volume of staff through a complex curriculum without compromising quality. Only 1 RN required formal remediation before they were able to successfully complete the final competency validation, suggesting the training materials were highly effective for most of the population.
“Overall, between 2024 and 2025 the average time to competency for those units was 2.8 months from when they completed the eight hour in-person didactic class for hematology oncology and our stem cell transplant and cellular therapy [SCTCT] units,” Melanie Longo, MSN, APN, AGPCNP-BC, TCTCN, CRRN, oncology nurse specialist at Hackensack University Medical Center, stated in the presentation.1 “We see a lot more volume of chemotherapy in those areas due to conditioning regimens and inductions… the time to compensate was about 3 weeks [for] those events. Overall, this initiative demonstrates that a structured, multimodal chemotherapy training program can successfully and efficiently prepare large cohort nurses for safe chemotherapy administration.”
Read full article: https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/boosting-nurse-competency-with-antineoplastic-onboarding-in-oncology







