Advanced Education in Psychosocial Support for Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Cancer Programme description

According to # Ungdomshelse - the government's strategy for adolescent health 2016-2021, health and care services for adolescents and young adults is an important priority for the government. The strategy points out that current services are not sufficiently adapted to adolescent's special needs. This is also the case for cancer care.

Advanced Education in psychosocial support for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer seeks to ensure holistic psychosocial care for adolescents and young adults with cancer in the age group 13-26. Psychosocial care covers psychological and social support measures and follow-up for young patients and their families in all phases of the care pathway. The programme therefore deals with the phases from assessment and treatment in the specialist health service, transfer to the primary health service during and after the conclusion of treatment and measures linked to follow-up and care during the palliative phase and for those left behind. The programme emphasises the meeting and interaction between health personnel, the young patient with cancer and their family.

Patients with complex, long-term service needs require a coordinator. Coordinators are primarily from the primary health service, but the specialist health service will appoint a temporary coordinator when the patient is admitted to hospital, to ensure, among other things, that work gets underway on drawing up a plan. The programme is intended to enable health personnel to fill this role and ensure expedient transfers between service levels.

The coordinator has an important role in the interdisciplinary team and in network groups. Health personnel who are to care for adolescents and young adults with cancer need to supplement their skills to be able to fill this role.

The adolescent/young adult phase is often defined as being from 13 to 26 years of age. At the same time, this phase is more than just an age and is not absolute. The development period between childhood and adulthood starts at puberty and ends at the attainment of the adult role and its responsibilities. It is therefore individual.

In Norway, cancer is diagnosed in around 300 adolescents and young adults aged between 13 and 26 every year. The number of cancer survivors in this age group is significantly higher. Many of them sustain considerable late effects and functional impairments. Adolescents and young adults are treated in both children¿s and adult wards. Different procedures and the diverse experience and knowledge of health personnel can make the follow-up of adolescents and their families somewhat random. For this reason, guidelines were developed at Oslo University Hospital in 2016 covering psychosocial support for adolescents and young adults. OsloMet and Oslo University Hospital (OUS) have decided to provide a payment-based further education programme in psychosocial support for young people with cancer. This programme will provide a basis for a more holistic professional practice.

Relevance to working life and further studies

The advanced education in psychosocial support for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer

shall help to meet society's need for greater expertise in psychosocial support for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer in the specialist health service and the municipal health service. Young cancer patients are treated in medical oncology, paediatric oncology and surgical departments, at oncology and radiotherapy outpatient clinics and at palliative care units. Most young people with cancer stay at home during the course of the illness. It is the health personnel¿s responsibility to ensure that the different needs of the cancer patients are addressed.

Health personnel are generally required to work in an evidence-based manner where their practice is based on knowledge gained from research and experience, in addition to patient knowledge. Health personnel shall be able to analyse and take a critical approach to existing theories and methods. Moreover, they shall be able to contribute to new ideas and innovation processes in clinical practice, and use relevant methods for development work. A candidate who has completed Advanced education in psychosocial support for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer meets these requirements.

The learning outcome descriptions in the programme are equivalent to master¿s level. Candidates who complete Advanced education in psychosocial support for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer can apply for approval of the course as part of master¿s programmes in different health sciences.

The target group for the programme is authorised health personnel (including social workers) with a three-year bachelor's degree.

The assessments are carried out in accordance with the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations, and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at the university.

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed.