Pediatric Oncology Nursing in Ghana

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the GlobalInitiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) in 2018 with the goal to reducesuffering, improve quality of life, and increase the survival rate of childrenwith cancer globally to 60% by 2030.  Ghana was selected as a prioritycountry, with nursing education identified as a key component in improvingquality of services in pediatric oncology. 

In 2020-2022 the Pediatric Oncology Nurse Specialist curriculumlaunched, developed through collaboration between the Ghana College of Nursesand Midwives,  Ghanaian stakeholders, internationalpartners, and the BCH Global Health Program. Kim Shepherd, CollenNixon, Sonia Nettey, and otherBoston Children’s nursing experts conducted lectures for 29 nurses from 6hospitals throughout Ghana. Program outcomes included expanded pediatriconcology nursing knowledge, enhanced confidence, and growth in clinical nursingskills.  

Boston Children’sglobal nursing fellows continued the partnership with nursing and physicianleaders from Ghana’s Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Accra and Komfu AnokeTeaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi to create continuing education forgraduates of the Pediatric Oncology Nurse Specialty Program. In 2024, CarlyCampbell, Amy Federico, Colleen Nixon and Lisa Morrisseyfacilitated a two-day Pediatric Oncology Reunion and Symposium at the GhanaCollage of Nurses and Midwives with 33 Ghanaian nurses in attendance. The nursingteam also taught a physical assessment skills course to over 60 KBTH pediatricnurses and participated in nursing rounds on the outpatient and inpatientpediatric oncology units. 

Subsequently, Amy Federico led a virtual PediatricOncology Nursing Leadership series, attended by pediatric oncology nurses fromseven hospitals across Ghana. The 6-session series featured leadershipeducation topics such as mentoring, stress management and resiliency, andcommunication fundamentals.

The pediatric oncology nursing collaboration highlights thesustainability of global nursing fellowship initiatives, as new fellows buildupon established projects to continue successes in nursing education andcapacity building.

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