Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions offers new graduate degree in oncology nursing

Birzeit University’s Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions now offers registered nurses the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in oncology nursing.

The faculty recently received the program’s accreditation from the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission at the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education.  

Birzeit University’s oncology nursing is a unique program in Palestine and the Arab region and considered a milestone in the field of nursing, as it goes beyond the traditional design of the local graduate nursing programs. As an interdisciplinary program, it combines different fields of knowledge and concepts. Courses include core nursing sciences, oncology sciences including, types of cancer, diagnosis and treatment modalities, palliative care, and cancer prevention. In addition, it offers the opportunity to conduct relevant research and clinical training. 

The Master of Oncology Nursing is geared towards registered nurses. It aims to provide hospitals and primary health care centers which carry out services related to preventive, diagnostic, or palliative care with competent professionals who are capable of providing high quality and evidence-based clinical care in oncology nursing in the Palestinian health sector.

The program comes amidst the ongoing rise of cancer cases worldwide and in Palestine. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, cancer is the second cause of death in Palestine, with 15.4 percent of the deaths reported in 2018 caused by cancer, and around 118 cases of cancer per 100,000 population documented in the same year.

Students can enroll in the program from the beginning of the second semester of the current academic year, i.e., in January 2020. Teaching will start with the first semester of the 2020/2021 academic year.