Learner in Focus

Mikki Layton

When Mikki Layton, a former Nurse Manager at Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH) discovered that de Souza Institute supports nurses in taking the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) certification exams in oncology and hospice palliative care, she knew her nursing team had to get involved. Being already CNA certified in oncology herself and preparing to write the hospice palliative exam, Mikki knew the benefits that came along with achieving this national recognition. 

With de Souza providing a free study group and financial reimbursement for CNA exam fees, Layton told her ambulatory chemotherapy nursing team there was no reason they all couldn’t meet this challenge. 

“The certification exams are challenging and do require a lot of studying and perseverance,” says Layton. “But with study group support and no financial expense, I knew all of our team members could work together and meet this important challenge.”

With four nurses on the TEGH ambulatory chemotherapy team not yet certified, three of the nurses signed up for de Souza’s study program and one studied on her own. Layton felt it was important to encourage her staff to become certified in order to increase their confidence and discover a broader perspective on the oncology field. The three nurses studied for 16 weeks through the Institute’s program and all four wrote their exams in April 2010.

“At first I found the task to be daunting, studying for such a huge exam seemed like a steep mountain to climb,” says Amanda Beazer, Registered Nurse on the TEGH ambulatory chemotherapy unit. “Then, after studying weekly with other nurses from across the province through de Souza and with the support of my peers in the oncology clinic, I felt confident in my abilities.”

The TEGH nurses received word they have all passed their certification exams, with three nurses becoming certified in oncology and one in hospice palliative care. This means the unit is now 90% CNA certified as a total of nine nurses on the unit have achieved certification. Their accomplishments have not gone unnoticed among other members of the ambulatory chemotherapy team and the unit’s doctors and manager have made positive observations.

“After the nurses achieved certification, some of the doctors commented they could see more confidence in them,” says Layton. “Nothing makes me more proud then to see the team flourish. We are all so proud of them.”

The next de Souza Institute CNA certification exam study groups for oncology and hospice palliative care will begin accepting registrations in the fall. More details will be provided in the upcoming months at http://www.desouzanurse.ca.