There's an effort afoot to train nurses in genomics, according to Nursing Times.
"Nurses have a pivotal role in bringing the benefits of genomics to everyday healthcare," Kathleen Calzone from the US National Cancer Institute said at a nursing meeting recently. "However, global effort is needed to transform nursing policy, practice, education, and research to be mindful of the implications of genomic technologies for individuals and societies."
The Global Genomics Nursing Alliance aims to develop a roadmap for folding genomics into nursing education, research, and practice. According to its website, the Alliance will pursue four initiatives aimed at identifying constraints, genomics assets that can be shared throughout the nursing community, establishing partnerships and collaborations, and improving its website.
At the meeting at the Wellcome Genome Campus, Nursing Times notes that changing attitudes regarding the status of nurses and their ability to lead care was identified as a main stumbling block. Maggie Kirk from the University of South Wales adds that there appeared to be broad support for the alliance at the meeting.