About one-third of all new cancer cases in Canada are skin cancers, making skin cancer the most common of type of cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, skin cancer is also one of the most preventable cancers, since reducing exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lower a person's risk. This course will introduce you to melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment, covering the foundational knowledge you need to provide nursing care to patients with skin cancer and their families. This online course will build on what you learned in Foundations of Oncology Nursing Practice or Cancer Care Basics.

Course Objectives 

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Apply the ABCDE acronym to differentiating benign moles from malignant melanoma.
• Conducting comprehensive patient teaching related to skin cancer prevention and patient self-screening.
• Explain the difference between the five different biopsy methods for assessing suspicious lesions.
• Identify patients with factors and hereditary conditions that put them at higher risk of developing non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers
• Differentiate the major clinical variants of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers by typical growth pattern, appearance, anatomical location, and grade.
• Identify the features of “low risk” and “high-risk” non-melanoma skin cancers
• Describe the general diagnostic pathway for skin cancer.
• Describe the TNM staging system for malignant melanoma.
• Compare the treatment of local and metastatic melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers, including the role of surgery, radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies.

Course Syllabus

This course consists of four modules in total. The first module will review the skin anatomy relevant to understanding skin cancer diagnosis and staging, as well as the skin biopsy methods used to diagnose all type of skin cancer. The remaining modules will cover the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma.

The final quiz consists of a case study where you will apply your knowledge to the care of a particular patient living with skin cancer. The quiz is open-book and a passing grade is 75%.

Although you can complete the various components of the course at your own pace, the course must be completed within 6 weeks from the time you register for the course. 

Download the full Course Syllabus.

Eligibility

Available to all regulated health care professionals working along the cancer care continuum.

Payment must be received before you have access to the course. For more information, please visit our Cancellation & No Show Policy.

Participants can pay for this course online with a credit card, or send a cheque to: