ANNUAL CHEMOTHERAPY COMPETENCY: THE NEW NORMAL.

Our institution performs chemotherapy/immunotherapy competency verification on an annual basis for nursing via in person simulation of chemotherapy specific skills. In previous years, live simulation was done with our team of nursing professional development specialists (NPDS). During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, we adjusted the competency to a paper format for social distancing compliance. Feedback around the paper format was mixed, yielding a change for 2021. Utilizing technology to its fullest, we opted to transition the activity to a digital Learning Management System (LMS) platform. The purpose of this project was to implement an electronic process for validating competency of nurses who handle chemotherapy/immunotherapy. The goal is to provide easy accessibility to ensure that nurses have completed the competency requirements within the deadline and provide instant continuing education (CE) credits. The NPDS team met and reviewed feedback from the 2020 competency program to determine the best way to proceed in 2021, providing a high quality experience while maintaining social distancing protocols. Consensus was obtained to proceed with an on demand LMS module. After a careful review of safety events reported along with trends identified by NPDS as a knowledge gap, topics were selected to be the focus of 2021's chemo/immunotherapy competency. Independent verification at the bed/chairside, hazardous drug spills, sexual and reproductive health during treatment, and order set verification were identified as priority topics. Each participant will receive a link to a survey upon completion of the LMS module. Results will be tabulated and reviewed by the NPDS team to compare to previous models of competency assessment. This project was designed using the data collected in during the 2020 assessment to meet the needs created by the changing landscape of the Covid 19 pandemic. The aim is to continue to share and evaluate how we have evolved the delivery of high quality content on an annual basis. The collation of data from this year's competency will be compared with previous years and used to help us grow and develop our annual competency verification program. Using technology to assess annual chemotherapy/immunotherapy competency by building a module within our existing LMS platform. This innovation will allow for easier use for nurses and easier compliance tracking / CE dissemination for NPDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]