Nursing Services
- Message from Acting Chief Nursing Officer
- Our Governance Approach
- Specialist Nursing Services
- Nurse Led Specialist Services
- Voluntarily Outreach Programme
- Nursing Education Programmes and continuous professional development
- Pakistan Cancer Nursing Forum
- Recognition and Awards
Message from Acting Chief Nursing Officer
Warm greetings. It is my pleasure to introduce the Nursing Division at SKMCH&RC. As the Director of Nursing, I proudly serve at this state-of-the-art cancer care institution. The organisation understands and values its nurses’ critical role in achieving positive patient outcomes and enhancing patient experience. Nursing leadership at both the campuses of SKMCH&RC is a unique and well-balanced team of experienced nurses committed to the organisational goals.
We are proud to mention that in 2022, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust achieved Enterprise Accreditation by the Joint Commission International; this gold seal certifies our standards of excellent quality health care in terms of diagnostic, treatment, and nursing care services for our patients. The Nursing Division has contributed enthusiastically to the progress of our institutions under the umbrella of the SKMT.
Joining as a nurse at SKMCH&RC leads you to join an organisation committed to its staff. Whether you are a novice or an experienced nurse, the nursing division encourages life-long learning by providing opportunities for continuous professional growth and development and advancement in your career through in-service education programs and speciality nursing education from a post-registration diploma to a degree level.
Nurses are the future leaders of the healthcare system, so it is the right time to join an institution which allows you to achieve those roles. I welcome your interest in this ever-growing organisation and hope that you will choose to become a part of the dedicated and passionate team at the Nursing Division of SKMCH&RC.
The clinical nurses and nursing leadership are part of the shared governance at all levels of management at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre.
The Head of Nursing (Director of Nursing) is part of the quarterly Board of Governors meeting and presents strategic updates about the nursing division activities and key performance indicators. The Director of Nursing also participates in major decision-making fora i.e., Management Executive Board, Clinical Executive Board, Quality Council, and Professional Standards Board.
The Clinical Nurse Managers and Assistant Director Nursing are also involved in executive fora like the Hospital Operations and Coordination Committee, Quality Council, Institutional Review Board, and others.
Additionally, nurses are part of all major hospital committees like the Infection Control Committee, Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee, Blood Utilization Committee, Safety Committee, Operating Room Committee, ICU Committee, Chemotherapy Committee, etc.
To meet the diverse and highly specialised needs of cancer patients, there are many specialised nursing services available for high-quality and safe patient care. The nurses in these services work with multidisciplinary teams.
- Palliative Care Nursing
• Palliative care nurses specialise in comforting patients and their family members during one of the most difficult phases of life. They are trained to provide holistic care to patients receiving palliative care. They assist the palliative care physicians in providing the best possible care to patients.
• Home Based Palliative Care Nurses, along with the physicians, visit palliative patients at home for symptom management and end-of-life care. - Bone Marrow Transplant Nursing
With specialised training and education, Bone Marrow Transplant Nurses care for patients during different phases of the bone marrow transplantation program. The BMT nurses are trained to cater to the specialised needs of adult and pediatric BMT patients. - Infection Control Nursing
The hospital infection control programme is run by the Infection Control Nurses guided by the Infectious Diseases physicians. SKMCH&RC has a comprehensive infection control programme that includes monitoring of infection control practices, data collection, analysis and presentation at executive fora, education, and training of health care workers, ensuring preparedness for disease outbreaks, and much more. Infection Control Nurses are at the forefront of all these activities. - Pain Management Nursing
With the introduction of modern pain management techniques like epidural analgesia, nurse-controlled analgesia, and patient-controlled analgesia, etc., Pain Management Nurses are an essential part of the acute pain management team. - Tissue Viability Nursing
The Tissue Viability Nurses are responsible for taking care of the specialised needs of patients with complicated pressure injuries, monitoring patients with tissue flaps, and highly specialised wound care e.g., VAC (Vacuum Assisted Closure) dressing, etc.
- Breast Care Nursing
• Breast cancer is the leading cancer in females in Pakistan. SKMCH&RC has specialised breast care nurses who provide the best possible care to breast cancer patients across the spectrum of treatment. Breast Care Nurses are based in inpatient and ambulatory services and are involved in pre-and post-operative patient education, external breast prosthesis, a dedicated cell phone service for breast cancer patients, and a breast cancer support group. - Stoma Care Nursing
Ostomy care is an important branch of nursing for patients with different types of stomas, e.g., urostomy, colostomy, and ileostomy. The specialist Stoma Care Nurses of SKMCH&RC not only provide physical care to the patient but also take care of their mental well-being by providing education and involving them in a support group. The Stoma Care Nurses are involved in pre-and post-operative education of patients with a stoma, providing supplies related to stoma care and a stoma support group.
Voluntarily Outreach Programme
Our nurses volunteer in an outreach programme, striving to make a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of the communities, often focusing on preventive care, education and addressing specific health needs, e.g., Breast Care Nurses participate voluntarily in outreach programs such as Breast Cancer Awareness, etc.
Nursing Education Programmes and Continuous Professional Development
The Nursing Division of SKMCH&RC firmly believes in the continued professional development of their employees, both in academic and clinical areas. Nursing Division offers various academic programs for nurses to advance and further strengthen their knowledge. These programmes are divided into diplomas and degree programmes. Details can be accessed at (link will be available soon)
a. In-service Education Program
There are several in-service education workshops designed to equip the staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide safe patient care. The following workshops are offered throughout the year to nurses, with a defined validity period. After the validity period, nurses attend the workshop again.
- Infection Control
- Nursing Pharmacology and Pain Management
- Cytotoxic Drug Administration
- Management of CIV lines
- Procedural Sedation Management
- Nursing Approaches to Quality and Patient Safety
- Nursing Responsibilities in Code Blue Situations
- Induction & Orientation Program (IOP)
- OR Technician Course
- OR Surgical Technician Course
- CSSD Technician Course
- ICU Technician Course
b. Online Continuous Professional Development Courses
The nursing division has identified certain online opportunities for nurses to enhance their professional development. These courses are sourced from the following sources.
- The World Continuing Education Alliance
- World Health Organization
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Oncology Nursing Society
c. Education Sessions by the Human Resource Department
The HR department offers various education and training sessions, which are also open to the nursing staff.
The following sessions are arranged periodically.
- Team Building
- Communication and decision-making
- Spirit of Service
- Workplace wellness program
- Stress Management and Burnout
- Anger Management
- Living Well
- Weight Loss
- Appropriate behaviour and sexual harassment
- Laser Safety Training
- Basic Radiation Protection Training
- Workplace Violence
- Second Victim
The Nursing Division’s Pakistan Cancer Nursing Forum is affiliated with the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC) since 20th October 2001. This forum provides a platform for nurses specialising in cancer care to share knowledge, best practices, research and updates in the field.
- International Nurses Day Celebrations
- Annual Sports Day
- Annual Awards Ceremony
- Long Service Awards
- Best Employee of the Month- Unit-based certificate