CNSA Communities of Practice: August-September Wrap Up

August-September Meeting Wrap Up:

Breast Cancer CoP – 5 August 2026

Featuring Pammie Ellem, Marisa Stevens and Jenny Gilchrist – Congress and Breast Cancer Treatment Conference Updates

The August Breast Cancer CoP shared key takeaways from recent cancer nursing and breast cancer conferences, with conversations ranging from supportive care and survivorship to sexual health, sleep, oral anti-cancer therapies and brain metastases.

Members also discussed OSCAN, the upcoming Florence cancer nursing resource and CPD platform, and the growing use of ePROs, digital health and AI in cancer care. One message came through strongly: asking patients what matters most to them and making quality of life part of the conversation.

Nurse Educator CoP – 12 August 2026

Featuring Professor Gemma McErlean – Clinical Ethics and Cancer Nursing

Clinical ethics comes up in cancer nursing every day, particularly when patient preferences, family expectations, clinical recommendations and organisational realities don’t quite line up. Professor Gemma McErlean led an engaging conversation around consent, advocacy, treatment burden, end-of-life care, confidentiality and equity.

The group also talked about moral distress and the role nurse educators can play in helping colleagues recognise ethical concerns and know where to turn for support. There was plenty of interest in more practical, case-based ethics education that reflects the realities of cancer nursing.

Survivorship CoP – 18 August 2026

Featuring Leilani Way – Implementing and Sustaining Cancer Survivorship Care

What does it take to turn a good survivorship model into a service that lasts? Leilani Way shared lessons from the development and expansion of Queensland’s statewide survivorship service, including how implementation science can help services understand barriers, bring people along and adapt to local needs.

Members shared their own experiences of challenges such as funding, workforce capacity and reliance on individual champions, as well as ways to demonstrate the value of survivorship services through patient experience and service data.

Melanoma CoP – 20 August 2026

Featuring Clare McInerney-Harris – Supporting People with Melanoma Through Uncertainty

Living with melanoma can bring ongoing uncertainty, fear of recurrence and scanxiety. Clare McInerney-Harris, Melanoma Nurse Counsellor at Melanoma Patients Australia, shared practical approaches from cognitive behavioural therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy to help nurses support people experiencing distress.

The conversation looked at validating patients’ experiences, making space for difficult emotions and helping people reconnect with the relationships and activities that matter to them. Members also shared ideas for future discussions, including emerging therapies, clinical trials and supporting people in regional and rural areas.

Rare Cancers CoP – 28 August 2026

Featuring Aleisha Stevenson and Peta Holly – Supporting People with Ocular Melanoma

The August Rare Cancers CoP took a closer look at the experience of people living with ocular melanoma, particularly when specialist care means travelling long distances and navigating different services.

Aleisha Stevenson and Peta Holly shared their experiences of working across clinical and supportive care roles, with discussion around distress screening, patient-reported outcomes and the development of a tailored ocular melanoma distress tool. The conversation reinforced just how important coordinated care, nurse navigation and accessible psychosocial support can be for people living with rare cancers.

Gynaecology CoP – 31 August 2026

Featuring Natalie Williams – Sexuality, Body Image and Supportive Care in Gynaecological Cancer

The Gynaecology CoP created space for an important conversation about sexuality, intimacy, body image and identity following gynaecological cancer treatment.

Natalie Williams spoke about the importance of giving patients permission to talk about these topics and normalising the conversation early in the treatment journey. Members shared practical experiences and resources, while also considering the particular challenges faced by people in regional, remote and Indigenous communities.

Sarcoma CoP – 15 September 2026

Featuring Katie Thomson – Complex Sarcoma Case Studies from Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

The September Sarcoma CoP brought two complex patient journeys to the group, offering a practical look at multidisciplinary care and the many factors that can shape a person’s experience of sarcoma treatment.

The cases sparked conversations around fertility preservation, survivorship, genomic profiling, treatment access and the challenges faced by patients outside major specialist centres. There was also a great discussion about looking after ourselves as nurses, particularly when caring for people with complex cancers and supporting families through difficult times.

Coming up in October and November:

There are plenty more opportunities to connect over the coming months:

• Gastro-Intestinal CoP – 29 October 2026, 6:30pm AEST
• Survivorship CoP – 3 November 2026, 10:00am AEST
• Breast Cancer CoP – 4 November 2026, 10:00am AEST
• Gynaecology CoP – 9 November 2026, 4:00pm AEST
• Nurse Educator CoP – 11 November 2026, 10:00am AEST
• Nurse Management/Executive CoP – 20 November 2026, 11:00am AEST
• Melanoma CoP – 24 November 2026, 1:00pm AEST
• Rare Cancers CoP – 27 November 2026, 11:00am AEST

Join a Community of Practice: Please click here to join one of our CoP Groups.