Institute for Integrative Oncology Navigation

Cancer can be a devastating illness that affects a person physically, mentally, and spiritually. While we have developed ground-breaking medical treatments, these do not often address the holistic needs of the patient. Complementary cancer therapies are widely used, but not always well-understood or researched by patients. Additionally, many patients and clinicians don’t know about how these therapies can be integrated into conventional cancer care. 

The Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) and Smith Center for Healing and the Arts innovative Integrative Oncology Patient Navigator Training Program will vastly expand one’s knowledge of complementary health therapies and enhance your skills to empower patients/clients in accessing integrative cancer care resources that support them with an individualized, holistic approach.

“Integrative oncology is a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilizes mind and body practices, natural products, and/or lifestyle modifications from different traditions alongside conventional cancer treatments. Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum and to empower people to prevent cancer and become active participants before, during, and beyond cancer treatment.” ~ Society for Integrative Oncology

This comprehensive professional training program is designed for healthcare professionals and complementary and integrative health practitioners to learn how to successfully navigate cancer patients/clients through the challenges of cancer by using an integrative cancer care approach. This program provides in-depth education about integrative oncology and current complementary cancer therapies, how to review evidence for these therapies and their use, and the body mechanisms targeted by various integrative approaches. Learners will identify resources to offer a deeper level of support and how to assist patients/clients in gaining access to these resources. They will hone skills for evaluating current evidence for complementary health approaches and for educating their patients/clients in how to choose appropriate integrative therapies to enhance their cancer care journey, in consultation with their healthcare team. To tie it all together, learners will discover how to effectively empower patients/clients in developing appropriate integrative care plans in collaboration with their healthcare team.

Course Modules

1. The Landscape of Integrative Cancer Care and Integrative Navigation
2. Introduction to Evidence-based/informed Complementary Therapies in Cancer Care
3. Hallmarks of Cancer/Tumor Microenvironment/Body Terrain
4. Deep Dive into Selected Complementary Therapies and 7 Healing Practices
5. Deep Dive into Natural Products and Off-Label Drugs (OLD)
6. Creating Integrative Navigation Care Plans with Your Patients/Clients
7. Navigating Professional Stress and Developing Sustainable Self-Care Practices
8. Course Wrap-Up and The Path Forward

As a result of this program, learners will be able to: 

• Explain integrative cancer navigation and the role of integrative navigators during each phase of the cancer experience.
• Examine the concepts of the hallmarks of cancer, body terrain, and tumor microenvironment and how an integrative care approach can manipulate them to cancer’s disadvantage.
• Contrast an integrative cancer care approach with conventional, complementary, and alternative care approaches.
• Examine the major categories and applications of complementary therapies in cancer care.
• Examine the use and safety of natural products, herbal supplements, and Off-Label Drugs applied in cancer care.
• Investigate the major categories of complementary therapies and describe examples of evidence-based/informed complementary therapies within each category.
• Assess patient/client barriers to accessing integrative cancer care.
• Create a sample integrative oncology navigation plan for a patient/client.
• Reflect on your self-care needs, implement a simple self-care practice, and evaluate the experience to relate to and provide a superior quality of whole-person care to your patients/clients throughout their cancer experience.

The training is open to both new and experienced health and wellness professionals who would like to expand their skills and services to include whole-person and comprehensive navigation support. Our past trainees serve diverse populations and come from a variety of backgrounds:

• Oncology Nurses, Oncology Social Workers/Counselors, Integrative Nurses, Holistic Nurses, Health and Wellness Coaches, and other professionals currently serving as healthcare navigators
• Integrative Health Professionals (including, but not limited to):
  • Nutritionists & Dieticians, NDs, Functional Medicine practitioners, Health & Wellness Coaches, Health Educators, Ayurvedic practitioners, Acupuncturists, Herbalists, Yoga Therapists, Yoga Teachers, Qigong or Movement professionals, Mind-Body Therapists/Practitioners, etc.
• Mental Health Professionals working with oncology patients/clients
• Integrative Physicians, Oncology Physicians, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, Medical Assistants, Physical Therapists, and Other Oncology Health Professionals
• Oncology Patients/Survivors/Caregivers (Prior training in basic oncology navigation and/or 2 years of experience in oncology navigation is strongly advised.)

• Our course prepares navigators to confidently share their knowledge of evidence-based complementary therapies with their patients and equips learners with resources, tools, and skills to help patients better cope with their illness.
• Up to 44 continuing education credits or contract hours are offered to Nurses, Social Workers, Health and Wellness Coaches, and Nutrition Specialists.
• Learners come away with a greater awareness of self-care practices and their usefulness for serving patients and preventing burnout.
• Each learner receives educational resources and information to establish their integrative navigation practice.
• Learners have access to renowned, expert faculty in the field of integrative cancer care and professional navigators offering cutting-edge, whole-person care.
• Our training enhances ACOS-accredited hospital cancer programs’ ability to meet the Commission on Cancer’s Patient-Centered Standards.

• 2-year access to self-paced course materials
• 8 comprehensive course modules of video lessons and written educational content developed by a team of subject matter experts
• Extensive course resources: all presentation slide PDFs, numerous professional PDF course handouts and workbooks, bonus experiential demonstration videos and more
• Professional Certificate of Completion awarded by an accredited integrative health university, training digital badge & CEs or Contact Hours (upon successful completion of lesson content and required program assessments). CEs or Contact Hours are currently available for the following professions:
  • Maryland Nursing Association (MNA) – 44 contact hours
• • American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) – 44 contact hours
• • MD Board of Social Work – 41 CEs

The training contains 8-course modules with multiple lessons, activities, handouts, assessments, and experiential activities. We estimate that the training will take each learner approximately 45 hours total to complete. Learners may interact with the material at their own pace and have two (2) years of access and complete the content.

Our comprehensive self-paced training course costs $750 and includes two-year access to the course materials and up to 44 continuing education credits or contact hours for Nurses, Social Workers, Health and Wellness Coaches, and Nutrition professionals. Learners will gain a valuable toolbox of resources and skills to support patients/clients with integrative tools throughout the cancer continuum.

You can register for the course today by visiting: https://ce.muih.edu/browse/ce/courses/integrative-oncology-patient-navigator-training.

If you have any questions, please contact Erin Price, LICSW, OSW-C, erin@smithcenter.org.

Continuing Education Approvals:

MUIH is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education learning activities and maintains full responsibility for this program. This training qualifies for 41 Category II continuing education units.

This nursing continuing professional development activity is approved for 44 contact hours by Maryland Nurses Association (MNA), an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by Maryland Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Approval for contact hours through the Maryland Nurses Association is based on an assessment of the educational merit of this program and does not constitute endorsement of the use of any specific modality in the care of clients. In order to receive all contact hours for this course, learners must complete all 8 modules with an 80% score of better on each module post-test and complete the course evaluation. No contact hours will be awarded for partial course completion. No one with the ability to control content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship to disclose except Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, presenter and content reviewer for this educational event, is on the speakers’ bureau for Gaia Herbs and NutraBiogenesis, as well as, a Principal Investigator on a research study funded by Pharmavite. All of the relevant financial relationships listed for these individuals have been mitigated. Course access expires 12/31/2025. This course is being jointly provided by Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in partnership with the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH). Smith Center is responsible for the content development and MUIH is responsible for course administration including awarding contact hours to learners.

This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the American Holistic Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Approval for contact hours through the American Holistic Nurses Association is based on an assessment of the educational merit of this program and does not constitute endorsement of the use of any specific modality in the care of clients. No one with the ability to control content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship to disclose except Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO, presenter and content reviewer for this educational event, is on the speakers’ bureau for Gaia Herbs and NutraBiogenesis, as well as, a Principal Investigator on a research study funded by Pharmavite. All of the relevant financial relationships listed for this individual have been mitigated. Course access expires two years from the date of course registration. AHNA Contact Hours were approved on 05/10/2023. For AHNA Contact Hours, course must be completed by 05/10/2025. This course is being jointly provided by Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in partnership with the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH). Smith Center is responsible for the content development and MUIH is responsible for course administration including awarding contact hours to learners. In order to successfully complete this course and earn a Certificate of Completion, you must: 1. Complete all course Modules; 2. Successful completion of 7 module-based post-tests (participant must score 80% or higher); 3. Completion/submission of evaluation form at the end of the course.

Disclaimer:

*Various other professional organizations and boards may accept this offering for continuing education requirements. Please verify with your respective relevant professional organization and email ce@muih.edu with questions.

In order to successfully complete this course and earn a Certificates of Completion and CEUs/Contact Hours learners must complete all course Modules, successfully complete 7 module-based post-tests (participant must score 80% or higher), and complete and submit an evaluation form at the end of the course.