Abstract
Background: Oncology advanced practitioners (APs) are integral to the daily care of patients with cancer. There is a gap in the literature addressing APs’ training in genetics, specifically in baseline oncogenomics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the reported oncogenomic training and proficiency of APs working in hematology/oncology. Methods: An interventional pre- and post-test study was conducted with the target population of hematology/oncology APs, which was facilitated through a partnership with the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO). A survey was created to assess demographic variables, oncogenomic training, and concepts of knowledge proficiency among the participants. The intervention was an oncogenomic course. Results: 75 participants enrolled in the study, with 37 completing both the pre-test and post-test surveys. 78% of the participants reported limited genetics/genomics training in their master’s or doctoral professional programs. 35% of the participants were undecided about access to oncogenomic on-the-job training. Many participants expressed uncertain or limited proficiency with ordering and interpreting tumor genomic profiling for somatic and potential pathogenic germline variants. A statistically significant improvement in the median scores was observed after taking the course in all six of the oncogenomic proficiency statements in the 37 participants who completed the study (t score = –8.841, p value < .001). Discussion: This study evaluated the importance of perceived genetics/genomics training in formal and informal educational settings, as well as oncogenomic knowledge in APs working in hematology/oncology. The statistically significant increase in all the oncogenomic proficiency concepts analyzed in the post-test indicates that a focused oncogenomic course for APs is an effective learning strategy.
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