News

Healthcare reforms that deliver: Actions for immediate impact

As part of our commitment to enhance cancer nursing education and professional development throughout our membership, we are delighted to announce the availability of three International Cancer Nursing Conference Scholarships for 2025. This includes 2 x CNSA grants of $2500 to assist two members in participating in International Cancer Nursing Conferences, and a $6500 grant, courtesy of Slater and Gordon, to support one member in attending the World Conference on Lung Cancer.

CNSA is delighted to collaborate with Melanoma Institute Australia and Melanoma Patients Australia to create this new CoP. We invite all members and interested nurses to join us for the first meeting on Tuesday 29 April, 1pm AEST.

We are thrilled to announce that we have renewed our national partnership with our preferred legal partner, Slater and Gordon Lawyers, for another two years! Building on the success of last year, this collaboration continues to provide legal resources, educational opportunities, and direct support for our members and their patients.

Cancer Nurses Day is more than just a date on the calendar - it's a moment to recognise and celebrate the incredible work being done by the 7,500 cancer nurses nationwide and champion their remarkable contributions to improving patient outcomes in Australia.

Do you want to be at the forefront of Cancer Nursing in Australia? Be involved with decision-making that can impact the profession? Actively implement a thorough and robust Strategic Plan for the betterment of your peers? If you've answered yes and are ready to bring your knowledge and enthusiasm to the fore, then we encourage you to nominate for the CNSA Board of Directors for a three-year term. We are currently calling for nominations for three Elected Director positions. We have big goals and aspirations, but we can only do it with your support.

We are so excited to share that the program for CNSA ICCN 2025 is now live! With over 700 registrations already, we’re on track to deliver the biggest and most important cancer nursing event of the year.

We’re excited to announce that applications are now open to apply for one of 5 x $2000 grants to help subsidise costs associated with attending our 2025 Annual Congress, Global Voices, Local Action: From Inspiration to Implementation, which is taking place from June 18-21 in Adelaide.

I am thrilled to share some exciting news with you - CNSA has recently been awarded nearly $1 million in grant funding from the Australian Government. This is part of the $16.5 million committed to the Cancer Patient Support Program, a component of the Australian Cancer Nursing and Navigation Program. The aim is to provide better outcomes for people affected by cancer and increase equity across tumour types. 

Thanks to our partnership with MooGoo Skin Care, we’re awarding three scholarships of $10,000 each to support postgraduate cancer nursing students in Australia. These scholarships help subsidise study costs and strengthen the education of our cancer nursing workforce. Apply before April 11.

CNSA is delighted to launch this new webinar series to support the cancer nursing workforce to build knowledge, connections and confidence.

In 2020, CNSA advocated to incorporate cancer care as a job area that health professionals could nominate in their AHPRA registration. We have used this data to create a snapshot of the Nursing Workforce in Australia, which provides a clear overview of key trends in the nursing workforce, helping to identify shifts in workforce demographics, practice settings, and cancer nursing distribution according to cancer cases. We encourage you to explore the insights and use this data to inform discussions about workforce planning in cancer care.

Please make sure you renew your membership before March 31, 2025 to ensure uninterrupted access to your member benefits. To complete your renewal, simply follow the prompts in the 'My Subscriptions' section of your CNSA account.

On World Cancer Day, we unite under the theme ‘United by Unique’ - a reminder that every experience with cancer is deeply personal, and that true progress in cancer care comes when we see beyond the disease to the people behind it. As cancer nurses, we play a pivotal role in ensuring that every patient’s journey is met with expert care, compassion, and advocacy.

Did you miss the first round of abstract submissions? From 29 Jan – 26 February, we’re calling for final abstracts for our Annual Congress, under the theme: Global Voices, Local Actions: From Inspiration to Implementation.

Interested in partnering with CNSA on a Community of Practice? Keep reading for the full process and roles and responsibilities. We'd love to work with you to deliver these key networking and knowledge-sharing discussions for the cancer nursing community.

As we approach the end of another incredible year, I want to take a moment to reflect on our collective achievements and extend my gratitude to our members, volunteers, fellow Board Directors, and head office team for your unwavering dedication and support.

We’ve been keeping this one under wraps, and we’re beyond excited to finally share the news that after months of work behind the scenes, our brand-new website is finally here! Built to better support you and your professional journey in cancer nursing, our new site delivers a smoother, more personalised member experience with significantly improved functionality.

November is Asbestos Awareness Month, with 25 November to 1 December being Asbestos Awareness Week. In collaboration with Slater and Gordon, we share two case studies below, to shed light on the serious impact asbestos has on many lives across Australia.

We’re thrilled to announce that registrations for the combined CNSA & ICCN 2025 Congress are now open! For a limited time, CNSA and ISNCC members can take advantage of our exclusive Pre-Early Bird Release Rate - a $50 discount on the early bird price for the Full Registration Package. But hurry, only 50 tickets are available at this special rate.*

Earlier this year, we launched our inaugural Mentoring Program, focused on individual career advancement for both mentees and mentors, whilst also strengthening the fabric of our profession as a whole. Here's what participants from this year had to say.

It's been nearly a month since our inaugural Cancer Nurses Day, and what an important milestone it was. We reflected on the success of the initiative and the widespread recognition across the country at our recent Board meeting and took a moment to look at the engagement metrics nationally. Click here to see how we performed. Imagine how big this can get as we continue to grow and evolve! 

Thursday the 15th of August marks the inaugural Cancer Nurses Day here in Australia. This special day is all about recognising and celebrating the incredible work of the 7,500 cancer nurses across the country.

At last week's CNSA Congress, the winners of the 2024 MooGoo Postgraduate Cancer Nursing Scholarship were announced! A huge congratulations to the three winners and two runners up who walked away with a combined $35,000 to help them with the costs of undertaking postgraduate qualifications.