Frequently Asked Questions
What is Genius and do I need to make an account?
Genius is the Learning Institute’s online registration system. It is where you can register for your Transition to Practice (TTP) Pathway which can include the Cancer Care Systemic Therapy Certification Course (CSTCC). Once you have selected your TTP Pathway in Genius, Genius will send you automated emails with step-by-step instructions to help guide your registration.
Once you have submitted your Resume, Consent to Release form and emailed the Confirmation of Sponsorship form to your manager, you will receive access to a separate online platform called de Souza Institute Learning Pathway. This is where you will see a listing of the eligible TTP Pathway courses available for you to enroll in.
**If you have already registered for a TTP pathway via the Learning Institute from 2023 to 2025, please re-register via Genius to create a Genius account. This will give the Learning Institute your most up to date personal and unit information. You do NOT need to submit a new resume, consent to release form, and sponsorship form.
I have completed by first pathway course. What do I do to take my next course in my pathway?
Congratulations on completing your first course. The courses in your assigned pathway align with transition to practice milestones to support your growth in specialty oncology nursing. There is no specific timeframe that needs to pass before enrolling in your next course, however, before enrolling in your next pathway course, please connect with your unit clinical leadership team (Clinical Practice Lead [CPL] and/or Clinical Resource Nurse [CRN], Clinical Nurse Educator [CNE], and Health Services Manager [HSM]) to discuss your transition to practice progress goals and if it’s the right time to be enrolling in a new course.
I have discussed my transition to practice with my unit leadership team and I’ve been approved to enroll in the next pathway course, what do I do now?
Please review your pathway and familiarize yourself with the next course mapped to your area of practice. Once you and your leadership team have mutually agreed that you may enroll in the next de Souza course, there are two steps to enrollment.
- Your HSM or CNE are required to submit a Practice Progression Form found on the Learning Institute for Health Care Providers Specialized Oncology Nurse Transition to Practice Program website to notify program faculty/administrator of their support for you to progress within your pathway.
- You can enroll via your de Souza Institute account. A verification of enrollment email will be sent to the program faculty/administrator at the Learning Institute. If the Practice Progression Form has been received by the Learning Institute, your course will be approved. If the Practice Progression Form has not been received, approval will remain pending until the form is received.
How many courses can I enroll in at one time?
For courses with larger learning hours or longer durations, we recommend enrolling in only one course at a time so you can fully focus on the content.
Some shorter courses, such as the 17 available 3–5 hour Foundations of Cancer Disease Sites Series, may allow you to enroll in up to three site‑series courses at once. However, we still recommend enrolling and completing one at a time to ensure you can finish each course within the 6‑week timeframe.
I have successfully completed the Provincial Standardized Chemotherapy and Biotherapy course and I have been notified that I will have to enroll in the Chemotherapy Competency Maintenance Course on Demand (CCMD). Why?
As part of your responsibility toward your maintenance of competency in systemic therapy administration, the CCMD is endorsed as a continuing competency activity for RNCCs working in NS. The course will be open for enrollment every 12-24 months. As your 12–24-month competency period restarts at the end of the last course you completed, please ensure the CCMD is completed as close to your 24-month anniversary date as possible, e.g., If you completed your PSCB in December 2023 and you complete the CCMD in May 2025, your new anniversary date will be 24 months from your May CCMD completion day (next due May 2027). Please see de Souza reminder emails for your specific lapse date.
If you do not successfully complete the CCMD within your 24-month renewal period, you will need to repeat the PSCB in total if competency lapses.
Current NS Health cancer care staff who are interested in learning more about STC administration maintenance of competency expectations, or are in search of supporting documents, can visit the internal Nova Scotia Cancer Care Program SharePoint site, under Systemic Therapy Program -> ST Certification and Maintenance of Competency -> Staff Education
I am interested in taking a de Souza Institute course that is not listed in my pathway. Can I enroll free-of-charge?
You can certainly enroll in courses of interest outside of the courses listed in your pathway, however, the tuition costs will not be covered by your pathway agreement. Please discuss any course enrollments with HSM or CNE to prior to registration as support for any education requests would be at their discretion.
I’ve moved to another Nova Scotia Health oncology specialty unit and the pathway looks different. Does my pathway need to change?
Yes, if the practice focus has changed. Please have your HSM or CNE notify us of this change via the Practice Progression Form so we can promptly update your pathway. Completed courses will still appear in your de Souza account.
Example: Nurse A was originally hired to 8A/B and has accepted a new role in the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre in the Radiation Oncology Clinic. Nurse A’s pathway will change from Inpatient 8A/B to Radiation Oncology Clinic.
I have decided to leave specialty oncology nursing and/or leave my role at Nova Scotia Health. Can I still access my de Souza account and enroll in courses?
Your de Souza account will remain accessible to you, along with your records of course completions if you no longer work in a NS Health specialty oncology unit or leave NS Health as an employee. However, you will no longer be granted access free-of-charge to courses via your de Souza account when you attempt to enroll. Please have your HSM or CNE notify us of this change in employment via the Practice Progression Form.
As a note, if your de Souza account was created with your NS Health email account, please update your email within your de Souza account so that you are able to receive communications from de Souza.