Recognising Cancer Nursing Capability

The Australian Cancer Nursing Capability Framework (AusCaN) provides a shared national standard that describes the knowledge, skills and professional capabilities required across all levels of cancer nursing practice. It helps make visible the expertise behind the care cancer nurses deliver every day.

Whether supporting nurses in planning their professional development, guiding workforce planning, or informing education, AusCaN helps strengthen recognition of cancer nursing as a specialised profession.

On Cancer Nurses Day, we celebrate not only the compassion cancer nurses show, but also the advanced knowledge, clinical judgement and leadership that underpin safe, evidence-based and person-centred cancer care.

Resources To Help You Understand And Apply The Framework

03 Jul 2026

EPISODE 26 - Introducing AusCaN: What the New Capability Framework Means for Cancer Nurses

Australia’s cancer nursing workforce now has a contemporary national capability framework. In this episode hosted by CNSA CEO Jemma Still, Dr Carla Thamm, Professor Gemma McErlean, Nikki Dean and Dr Pammie Ellem reflect on why the Australian Cancer Nursing Capability Framework, or AusCaN Framework, was needed, how it was developed and what it could mean for cancer nurses, educators and health services.

Podcasts

31 Jul 2025

EPISODE 18: The Redevelopment of the Australian Cancer Nursing Framework

This month on Nursing Excellence in Cancer Care Jemma Still, CEO of CNSA, Professor Catherine Paterson and Dr. Carla Thamm of Flinders University, and Associate Professor Gemma McErlean from the University of Wollongong and St George Hospital, discuss how and why we have redeveloped the Australian Cancer Nursing Framework.

Podcasts

Members only

01 Jul 2025

Plenary 4: Dr Carla Thamm

In this recording from our 2025 CNSA & ICCN Congress, Dr Carla Thamm introduces the redevelopment of the Australian Cancer Nursing Framework— a national initiative to revise the existing EdCan Framework to elevate contemporary cancer nursing practice.