More than 100 chemotherapy drugs are in use today, which makes staying abreast of chemotherapy administration and its safety crucial for every oncology professional.

ASCO University, ASCO’s comprehensive online learning center, offers a Chemotherapy Administration and Safety Course. An update of ASCO University’s earlier Chemotherapy Administration Course, the revamped Chemotherapy Administration and Safety Course includes a case study and a larger emphasis on safety.

The course’s interactive format, which lets participants work at their own pace, is broken up into four sections:

• Challenges and benefits of oral therapy in the management of cancer
• Chemotherapy administration
• Chemotherapy safety standards
• Case study

The case study details the role of the nurse, pharmacist, and other advanced practitioners in the administration of chemotherapy. The course also discusses the proper way to dispose of remaining chemotherapy agents, the role of personal protective equipment, and hypersensitivity reactions.

“Successful adoption of the safe chemotherapy practices is multifaceted and involves many components, including a multidisciplinary team,” said course faculty member Michelle Rockey, PharmD, BCOP. “The ASCO University Chemotherapy and Safety Course highlights chemotherapy safety standards and their implementation, as well as opportunities for chemotherapy workflow standardization to reduce errors. This course is a useful resource for all practice sites.”

The course is designed for nurses, pharmacists, and other advanced practitioners who are involved in the administration of chemotherapy, as well as oncology fellows and trainees. At the end of the course, learners will be able to:

• Describe the potential benefits and disadvantages of oral anticancer therapy
• Identify the management of reactions/toxicities that can occur during the administration of the chemotherapy agent
• Discuss the safety standards for chemotherapy administration and assess personal and practice adherence to the standards
• Apply knowledge gained to address clinical situations encountered in actual practice

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, ABIM MOC Points, CNE Contact Hours, CPE Credits, Certificate of Participation, and Certificates of Completion are available upon successful completion of the course. For more information, visit university.asco.org or email ascou@asco.org.

ASCO University is supported in part by ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation.