Frequently Asked Questions

The dates and times of our courses and workshops can be found on our course calendar here.

Due to the high volume of applicants to each de Souza sponsored event, we require participants to attend the full duration of the event. You may not send someone in your place for a day that you cannot attend.

At this time, the majority of our programs are not recognized towards university credit. However, on successful completion of any of our courses, we will provide you with a continuing education certificate for your records.

The only exception to this rule is that the Institute offers financial support for Ontario oncology nurses who participate in the Interprofessional Psychosocial Oncology Distance Education (IPODE) courses. These courses may count towards University credit. More information can be found here.

At this time our funding is to support Ontario nurses who work in oncology. Although we are hoping to expand both nationally and internationally in the future, at this point in time funding is dedicated for nurses from Ontario.

We strongly encourage you to join our mailing list and check back with our website for the latest information. Click here for more information.

To register for de Souza courses, go to the course registration page, choose the course you would like to register from the drop down menu and complete the online registration form. Upon approval, you will receive an email from de Souza Institute confirming your course registration.

• de Souza courses and workshops
• eMentorship program
• Virtual Library (coming early 2010)
• eLearning Centre (online learning courses)
• de Souza Fellowships

Sign up for our newsletter here. You can also check our news page and de Souza educator Ashleigh's oncology nursing blog as they are updated regularly.

Currently our funding is restricted to support nurses who work in oncology in Ontario. In the future, we hope to move towards an interdisciplinary model of education and encourage you to check back frequently for updates to our programming.

Please note the de Souza Institute will not be accepting requests for reimbursement until the CNA has notified you about the outcome of your examinations.

In June 2010, we will post the procedure to apply for reimbursement for the exams.

At this time, the de Souza Institute does not financially support certification renewals, either by re-writing the exam as renewal or through educational credits.

However, upon completion of a de Souza educational program, we will provide participants with attendance certificates that can be used towards renewal of the CNA certification, in the two specialty areas that we support.

In the event a FAIL result has been received, the Institute will reimburse for your exam fees and up to one re-write fee, provided you demonstrate participation in a minimum 80% of our weekly study group course.

In order to promote your success in writing the CNA specialty exams, we strongly encourage your attendance and participation in the study group sessions. However, attendance is not mandatory for the first writing of the examinations.

In the event you are requesting reimbursement for a re-write, participation is mandatory at 80% of the study groups.

Unfortunately the Institute does not reimburse individual nurses in attending professional conferences. We encourage those who wish to obtain financial support in attending conferences to check with their home institutions for financial assistance.

Unfortunately, at this time, the Institute is not able to compensate you for your time (i.e. salary related costs) to attend our events. We encourage you to check with your home organization regarding this issue.

We appreciate that emergencies can and do happen. Given that we have high demand for our programs, the Institute requires at least 48 hours notice prior to the event. This will ensure that we can accommodate those on our waiting list.

No, although we strongly encourage oncology nurses to become members in professional organizations such as RNAO, CAPO or CANO, the Institute is not able to financially support these memberships.

Certification will allow you to build on the solid foundation of your Ontario RN registration and the clinical experience gained in your specialty area. Some of the benefits of certification include:

• Stay current by testing your specialized knowledge and skills
• Having a trademarked credential after your name indicating certification validates your competency and knowledge in your area of nursing practice
• Commitment to the leading edge in national health-care standards
• Join a growing network of specialized nurses - more than 15 200 in an increasing number of areas of nursing practice

For more info, see here.

To qualify to write the exam you must:

• Hold current registration/license in Canada as a registered nurse
• Have your supervisor or a consultant in your specialty or area of nursing practice complete the endorsement section of the application
• Meet the experience and education requirements outlined by the CNA

For detailed eligibility criteria for the CNA certification, please see here.

According to the Canadian Nurses Association, certified nurses renewing their certification require 100 hours of Continuous Learning hours. Please detailed information please see here.

Both the CNA Oncology and Hospice Palliative Care exams take place on April 17, 2010. For more information, please visit this site.

You must register with the CNA to write the exam before registering for the de Souza study group. Upon approval of exam registration from CNA, you may complete the de Souza Institute's study group online registration.

After registering for the study group, you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to access the online learning content. More information about the study groups can be found here.

The CNA Oncology Exam Study group began November 3, 2009 and occurs weekly until March 14, 2010. The CNA Hospice Palliative Care Exam Study Group begins January 25, 2010 and occurs weekly until April 10, 2010. For more information on the Oncology study group please visit this page. For the Hospice Palliative Care Study group information please see here.

No, reimbursements are provided only after completing the spring 2010 exam and sending all of the required documentation to the de Souza Institute. Please refer to the de Souza policy on CNA Exam Reimbursement for further details (PDF).

Fellowship application submissions are no longer being accepted for the 2009-2010 academic year. Please check back in summer 2010 for further information at this page.

There are no automatic renewals of fellowships. However, current fellows are welcome to reapply for de Souza fellowship funding each academic year.

Fellowships can be awarded for graduate studies in a health related discipline - up to $10,000 for Masters and up to $20,000 for PhD students.

A standardized approach to chemotherapy and biotherapy education and administration is endorsed by many international oncology programs, including the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO/ACIO) and Cancer Care Ontario (CCO). By developing a standardized approach to chemotherapy education across the province, the de Souza Institute supports the same high quality, safe cancer care for all Ontarians regardless of region or setting.

Standards guiding the curriculum development:

• Cancer Care Ontario
• Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology (CANO/ACIO)
• Oncology Nursing Society
• Infusion Nurses Society
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• RNAO Best Practice Guidelines
• Additional evidence-based standards

Please visit this page for more information on the chemotherapy course.

Organizations are encouraged to become one or two day host sites for our course. We will travel to you to deliver the program. Please see here for more information.

You must take both our standardized chemotherapy course and the facilitator course. More information can be found at here.

There is no cost for either course.

The mentorship program is a partnership between de Souza Institute and McMaster University. The program provides mentorship matches to any interested oncology nurses in Ontario to provide professional support and guidance based on your identified interests and needs: Mentors can provide resources and advice to help mentees develop skills and confidence. Please visit our this page for further details.

You can become a mentor by signing up here.

You can become a mentee by signing up here.

The pain course occurs several times a month at various locations across the province. For information and dates of upcoming pain workshops please see here, or request a session near you by e-mailing the course facilitator, Cindy Shobbrook.

There is no cost to attend the workshop. There is also no cost to have this program brought to your organization.

Check the course calendar to see if we are coming to your location. If not, you may e-mail the course facilitator Cindy Shobbrook to request a session near you.

Yes, please register here.

Visit here to subscribe to our mailing list.

Visit here to unsubscribe.

Please visit this page. You may also click on the "forgot password" button when attempting to log in to learning.desouzanurse.ca.

OTN stands for Ontario Telemedicine Network. It is a two-way videoconferencing system available across Ontario that facilitates delivery of healthcare services and education. For more information visit www.otn.ca.

Visit www.otn.ca to view a map of OTN coverage areas or contact your organization's audiovisual department.

Many organizations employ a Telemedicine/Telehealth Coordinator. Contact your Telemedicine or Audiovisual (AV) department for further details. Due to the high demand for OTN services, it is your responsibility to identify the coordinator for your videoconference systems.

We offer this option only in exceptional circumstances. OTN equipment is widely accessible across Ontario and most organizations have multiple systems available. If there are OTN scheduling conflicts that prevent you from accessing a de Souza event, please contact Ashleigh Pugh for further assistance.

If you are having trouble accessing OTN through local organizations, please contact Ashleigh Pugh for further assistance.