Genomic Support for Cardiac Nurses
Cardiac genetic nurses are an essential part of the genomic workforce and their specialist knowledge is critical to helping patients understand the impact of a genetic result. However, there is currently no framework to ensure these nurses have the skills and support required for this vital role.
To change this, the South East GMS Nursing and Midwifery team held a workshop to develop a competency framework and lay out the requirements for future cardiac genetic nurses. To help with this, Inherited Cardiac Condition (ICC) nurses from across the region were invited to share their experiences.
The workshop was funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, through the High Impact Cardiac Interventions Programme for ICCs. ICC experts from across the UK were also invited to develop a list of skills and capabilities for future nurses and midwives in cardiac genetics.
Amy Braddel, a Principal Genetic Counsellor from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, started the workshop by presenting her research; ‘Exploring the training needs of ICC Healthcare Professionals: a research series’. Her work investigated the genomic education needs and support required by ICC nurses to fulfil the requirements of their role. The results of Amy’s research highlighted the need for a bespoke competency framework for these specialty nurses. Amy’s presentation demonstrated the importance of the workshop and ensured everyone was aligned in the goals of the day.
One of the priorities of the workshop was for a consensus and discussion of the current needs ICC nurses. One key requirement was the need for more psychological and mental health support for the patients, particularly following a genetic diagnosis. This specific feedback was an important takeaway from the workshop, as it highlighted the collective demand for psychological training, which was then be passed on to the Burdett Trust.
The team also held a session to prioritise and rank competencies in the framework. The exercise prompted discussion on the importance of the skills, and which were most important for future cardiac genetic nurses.
The day was filled with interesting discussion and suggestions that were fed back to the Burdett Trust. These recommendations for a competency framework will ensure future cardiac genetic nurses have the skills, knowledge and support they need to best serve patients.
