Standardizing Assessment of Competences and Competencies of Oncology Nurses Working in Ambulatory Care.

A nursing quality consortium standardized nursing practice across 17 independently functioning ambulatory oncology sites. Programs were developed to validate both competences and competencies. One program assessed nine competences needed to develop systems of care to detect and treat treatment-related side effects. A second program was developed to assess competencies needed to prevent harm to oncology patients. This manuscript describes a successful approach to standardizing nursing practice across geographically distant academic and community sites.