Every year, the St Mark’s Academic Institute—the education arm of St Mark’s Hospital Foundation—supports the planning and delivery of an annual programme of education for gastroenterology and colorectal healthcare professionals. By disseminating the clinical best practice and ground-breaking research developed at St Mark’s to the wider medical community, we ensure that more patients see the benefit of our specialist hospital.
This autumn, we were proud to support our nursing colleagues to put on the first Colorectal Genomics Masterclass for Nursing at St Mark’s. The course brought together nurses and healthcare professionals working in colorectal cancer or genomics-related services to teach the essentials of colorectal genomic testing, with a strong emphasis on translating genomic knowledge into everyday clinical practice and supporting nurses to feel confident having conversations with patients and families.
Across the programme, delegates attended talks by St Mark’s nurses that explored the genomic nursing landscape, types of genetic testing, family history assessment, Lynch syndrome, bowel cancer screening, polyposis, and some of the more complex or “grey” areas encountered in clinical practice. Delegates also learned from one another by participating in interactive case discussions.
At the heart of the Masterclass was a focus on creating a space for nurses and other healthcare professionals to come together, ask questions, share experiences and learn from each other.
“As nurses, we don’t often have the chance to showcase the breadth of our knowledge and skills, so delivering a course for nurses, by nurses, was incredibly important to us. It gave us the opportunity to demonstrate our professionalism, expertise and passion for what we do. We thoroughly enjoyed it and are already planning another event next year.”
– Menna Hawkins, Regional Lynch Syndrome Nursing Lead
“For us, providing excellent care to our own patients is only part of the picture. Sharing our knowledge and supporting the education of colorectal nurses beyond St Mark’s is fundamental to ensuring that nurses have a strong baseline understanding of this rapidly expanding area of practice.”
– Vicky Cuthill, Consultant Nurse/Manager of the Polyposis Registry and Family Cancer Clinic
Through education and collaboration, St Mark’s continues to support the wider colorectal community to develop the knowledge and confidence needed to deliver high-quality, genomically informed care for patients and their families. By supporting this work, we help ensure that even more patients and communities have access to the best possible standards of care.