Ipsen preceptorship: a forum for nurses, by nurses, caring for men with prostate cancer

An enriching and eye-opening curriculum created for nurses, by nurses

“Education for nurses is often overlooked – that’s why I am passionate about IEE-STEP”
Dr Jason Alcorn, nurse consultant for uro-oncology and andrology, Mid Yorkshire Teaching Trust

The Ipsen Educational Exchange (IEE)-STEP curriculum aims to support nurses across primary and secondary care in understanding prostate cancer, how to manage diagnosis, side-effects and quality of life through holistic care. Co-created and delivered by a steering committee of nurse specialists with clinical experience in the management of prostate cancer, the curriculum launched in May 2023 and will run until mid-2025, with a mixture of face-to-face and virtual meetings, followed by online support and training modules focused on understanding prostate cancer, how to manage diagnosis, side-effects and quality of life through holistic care.

The second winter IEE-STEP 2023 meeting, held in October, saw more than 70 nurses come together from across the UK, in person and online.

Highlights included:

Vineetha Thankappan Nair’s practical guidance around hormone therapy;
Deborah Victor discussing long-term management of prostate cancer;
Professor Sara Faithfull highlighting the value of holistic management;
Dr Jason Alcorn’s live practical demonstrations on digital rectal examinations and Decapeptyl® SR (triptorelin) administration;
A lively experience and knowledge sharing session, which explored the importance of communication between practice nurses and clinical nurse specialists (CNS), and the long-term effects of prostate cancer treatment, with a reminder that “the risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes should be on our radar for every patient".

Attendee Louise Riddell, urology CNS, said: “The presentation on side-effects was particularly useful and I’ll be able to take that back home to my clinical practice. I would definitely recommend this course. It’s also nice to meet other people doing the same work as me and sharing best practice.”

As a British Association of Urological Nurses (BAUN)-endorsed and Royal College of Nursing-accredited preceptorship – created by nurses, for nurses – IEE-STEP aims to:

Enhance understanding of the management of prostate cancer care;
Optimise service provision through practical skills training and experience sharing;
Gain experience in the holistic management of quality of life of men living with prostate cancer.

“The mixture of content and practical experience is really helpful to nurse colleagues. I highly recommend this course to novice CNSs, nurses in primary care who work with people on hormone therapy, as well as anybody wanting to update their knowledge”

Pauline Bagnall, BAUN education chair and uro-oncology nurse specialist

Providing men with better support

Discussing what inspired her to become involved in the preceptorship, Deborah Victor, uro-oncology nurse specialist at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Many men on hormone therapy are now moved into stratified follow-up, including remote monitoring using web-based programmes, so the only health professionals they have regular contact with is their practice nurse. Ensuring practice nurses know what the treatment is and what the side-effects are, can help us ensure men on hormone therapy live well alongside their treatment.

“A learning resource for nurses new to prostate cancer, and for primary care nurses who are the backbone in the delivery of hormone therapy, was something I felt was long overdue.”

Vineetha Thankappan Nair, Macmillan lead nurse at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, added: “When I was a new specialist nurse, I wished there was a platform where I could get the information to enable me to provide the best support to men under my care. IEE-STEP allows me to share my experiences and help colleagues provide excellent care for prostate cancer patients, in a stimulating environment where we can network and share experiences.”

Professor Sara Faithfull, visiting professor of cancer nursing practice at the University of Surrey, agreed: “Helping nurses understand the side-effects of prostate cancer therapy is important for providing men with quality cancer care.”

Join us for the next IEE-STEP meeting

“I found everything useful. I would definitely recommend this course to my colleagues, it’s really nice to meet other people and share best practice. I’ve definitely learnt things I can take with me into my practice.”

IEE-STEP attendee Maria Nugent, urology CNS

The next IEE-STEP meeting will be held at the Park Regis Hotel Birmingham on 15 and 16 May 2024. Click here to register your interest (password: PREIEE24)