Improving the Education and Training of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners to Meet the Healthcare Needs of Long-Term Cancer Survivors

The United States has a well-documented shortage of primary care providers (PCPs) and oncologists. Cancer survivors are living longer because of advances in treatment, and, consequently, more are seeking survivorship care from PCPs; this trend is predicted to continue. One proposed solution is to increase the use of nurse practitioners (NPs). However, most NP programs do not provide adequate training or education that is specific to the needs of long-term cancer survivors. At a Glance Nurse practitioners (NPs) may help to alleviate the shortage of primary care providers and oncologists in the United States. An urgent need exists to provide oncology-specific education and training to NPs. Training NPs in the areas of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of cancer is key to meeting future healthcare demands.