Nurse Practitioner (NP), Preventing Cancer with Medications (PCMed) service
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Position Summary
Several medications are efficacious in reducing the risk of breast cancer by up to 60%. However, they are currently infrequently prescribed in Australia, at least in part due to clinician knowledge gaps. The Preventing cancer with Medications (PCMed) Service helps fill this existing evidence-implementation gap by providing specialist support to initiate prevention medications where appropriate. The Service was initiated in late 2023 and has been shown to be effective and highly acceptable to women and their clinicians.
The NP, PCMed is an expert practitioner who uses and facilitates evidence-based practice to triage, provide expert advice and education to patients, in collaboration with the medical consultants and wider PCMed Service. They will provide expert patient assessment and management (via telehealth), and coordination of complex care in the clinics. The NP demonstrates leadership and innovation in clinical practice, education, and research. They are responsible for the continuous quality improvement and growth of the PCMed Service and for building capability of the service in collaboration with the medical lead. The NP will be responsible for achieving and & reporting key performance indicators and for promoting safety and quality including representation at relevant meetings when required.
The NP, PCMed will be an expert cancer, primary care or women’s health nurse with experience in the management of patients. Key responsibilities of the NP PCMed role will be to:
- Provide clinical service delivery within the PCMed service in collaboration with the medical and care team.
- Assist admin staff with triaging new referrals to the PCMed service
- Prioritise equity of access to the service
- Review clients’ breast cancer risk assessment data (using iPrevent (www.petermac.org/iprevent) and other validated tools)
- Assess client suitability for medications that reduce breast cancer risk
- Provide evidence-based information about risk-reducing medications that is personalised to the individual client
- Prescribe medications to reduce breast cancer risk, and manage side-effects in conjunction with GPs and others in the client’s treating team
- Staff a hotline telephone service to promptly address queries from GPs, other referrers and PCMed clients, regarding management of medication side-effects
- Facilitate case discussion and multidisciplinary collaborations
- Lead development of information and education resources for clients, GPs and other referrers.
- Understand the psycho-social impact and needs of patients attending the PCMed and liaise with GPs
- Promote the service to potential referrers nationally
- Participate in data collection and quality assurance activities
- Present at internal and external peer reviewed forums
- Maintain and update standard operating procedures, policies and guidelines relevant to the current and future direction of the PCMed service.
- Assist with development of clinician training materials as the Service scales up