Thinking about switching from surgical pediatric patients to HemeOnc speciality. Any suggestions? How long did it take you to get certified? Is working with this patient population very sad or more rewarding? I want to learn more and feel like at my current unit all I do is assess my patients, hang vanc, timentin, and gent, or do the occasional dressing change. I want to advance my nursing skills and learn more. Will heme-onc be a good way of going about that?

Hem/Onc is the best! It is so rewarding and while it can be difficult, it's an amazing, unbelievable field to work in. It's hard to explain almost. I'm a new grad and though I knew I wanted to do peds and oncology, I also had a desire to work in PICU/ER. I won't ever do anything but hem/onc-transplant. I knew I'd enjoy it, but I did not anticipate falling in love with it...you're always on your toes. Always learning.

I loved it, but it was also very hard emotionally. I lost five patients in the course of a year, and another became quite ill just before I left. I do not know how he is doing now.

Be prepared to ask for help and support from those around you, both at work and at home. I loved the challenge, but I tended to carry too much emotional baggage home with me at the end of the day. This began interfering with my family life and was one of the reasons that I chose to leave ped heme/onc nursing.