Nursing roles, competencies, and education in precision oncology: a scoping review

Abstract

Summary Background Nurses contribute across the precision cancer care pathway, providing continuous, person-centred care and supporting genomic testing integration. However, the scope of nursing competencies required for precision cancer care and the extent to which current education prepares nurses for these roles remain unclear. This scoping review maps and synthesises evidence on nurses’ roles and competencies in precision cancer care, and educational provision in this field. Methods A JBI scoping review was conducted; MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase and Scopus were systematically searched on July 18th 2025. International postgraduate and continuing professional education programmes relevant to nurses were identified via a generative artificial intelligence grey literature search undertaken between July 25th and July 30th 2025. Data were synthesised using convergent integrated thematic synthesis. Findings Fifty-two publications were included, addressing nursing roles and/or competencies (n = 44) and educational interventions (n = 23). Sixty-five education programmes were identified. Five themes captured nursing roles: 1) genomic risk assessment and stratification; 2) genomic communication and shared decision-making; 3) precision cancer care pathway coordination and clinical navigation; 4) interprofessional collaboration and genomic service integration; and 5) professional governance, quality assurance, and advanced practice roles. Educational provision predominantly addressed foundational competencies, with less explicit preparation for roles requiring professional autonomy, interpretive expertise, leadership, and governance. Interpretation Alignment between nurses’ competency expectations and educational preparation is uneven. We propose a three-level model of precision cancer nursing practice to differentiate foundational capabilities from advanced practice roles, distinguishing precision-informed, enhanced, and specialist precision cancer nursing practice. Explicit mapping of postgraduate curricula to stratified competency levels may support safe expansion of nursing scope within mainstreamed genomic cancer care. Funding This research was supported with funding from the 10.13039/501100001638Dublin City University Undergraduate Summer Research Internship 2025, which supported AC’s time on the project. The authors alone are responsible for the content of this presentation.