[DUPioneerGal]

Hello everyone!
I am currently an undergraduate student at The University of Denver. I will be graduating summer of 2007 with a BA in Molec. Bio, minors in Chem. and leadership. I will be applying for a 1-year accel. BSN program at Denver's Regis University in Jan of 2007 to start Jan of 2008. I have a very large medical history myself and I have always known this general career field was my calling....nursing, however, has been a recent inspiration within the past year or two. What has really pushed my interest toward ped. onc. is very recent: My boyfriend lost his cousin in 1998 to a fast growing brain tumor, she was 6. Now, I am employed by his aunt for her foundation that her and her husband formed in their daughters memory. My heavy involvement with this organization and becoming part of their family has impacted me deeply and I feel that pediatric oncology may be where I belong. However, I have a few questions. After completing the 1 year accel. BSN...do I need to obtain further certification to really aim for a job on a ped. onc. floor? Is it better to start in a diff. department and gain experience and work my way up? Any hints, tips, personal experience...please share! Thank you!
DUPioneerGal

[LinZ_956]

Great question. I'm considering Pediatric Oncology as well, and I'd really like to get some feedback from those actually working in the field. Thanks for bringing up the topic DUPioneerGal!

[debbieGa]

I don't know if I will be much help but here goes, I started in Peds Heme/Onc right out of school. I have been working there for 8 months now. The nurses on our floor are great with us new nurses (don't know if I can call myself that anymore! ). I have not run into any problems by not starting in another area (med-surg for example). I did not need and further certification before starting, however once I started working on the floor there were a lot of classes to take. I had to become chemo certified for the hospital. Our nurse educator is very good at having a different article or education each month pertaining to our floor. They gave us a book with a lot of the information that we need to know during orientation week. Most places will educate you with what you need to know during orientation or after employment. My goal was not to work with Oncology pts. I feel like God called me to that interview. Now that I am there I cannot dream of doing anything else. I love it.
Debbie

[jillyk*rn]

I think it is absolutely wonderful that you have felt this calling .

Where I work, you can start Peds right out of school (we have lots of new grads), and then after almost a year, you can take a hospital given chemo course (which I happen to be attending this Thursday, Friday & Monday). They usually wait until you have been there a little while, so that you aren't overwhelmed, and I think, offer the course, just once a year. Being staff relief, I haven't had to do it, but volunteered for it this time around.

Good Luck with everything .

[Camila_cmg]

I'm also really interested in pediatric oncology. Do you girls think of becoming a NP? Is there any specific course for us to improve our skills or just that PON certificate?

[DUPioneerGal]

NP is nurse practitioner, right? I know what PON is. How does NP different from RN? Further "advanced" I'm assuming, but how so? Sheesh I need to catch up on my lingo! hehe.

[Camila_cmg]

As far as I know NPs (yeah, nurse practioners) have a MSN while RNs have a BSN or even an ADN.
They have much more training in a specific field and are able to do many more procedures. They're also more independent..
I know we have NP programs in Oncology, Pediatric Nursing, and Pediatric Acute Care, but I've never heard of any Pedatric Oncology program and that's why I wonder which of these programs best fit my desire to become a NP and work with children suffering from cancer.
This certificate (CPON) is for RNs as it certificates one is able to practice competently at the basic level.

[debbieGa]

I believe but not a 100% sure, that there is a peds onc np in CA. One of my co-workers was looking into that degree.

[glb1960]

Hey DUPioneerGal , LinZ_956 and others considering peds heme/onc,

I have been at a peds BMT ( blood and marrow transplant) unit for 1 1/2 years now and LOVE it. I started here right out of school. There were certainly days early in the training when I thought I wasn't smart enough or that I might not make it, but I have. I have been through the AOPN certifiaction class and that has helped. The hard part is how sick we have to make these kids to save their lives. The hardest part is the small percentage that we can't save, no matter how hard we work, sweat ,cry or pray. Most parents/families are terrific and supportive and easy to work with but there are some that can be very difficult. With some you can never help them fast enough, have the answer they want to hear, be in the room enough or convince the doc about some little thing they feel they need. I guess that isn't different than any other nursing, is it? If you are good with the little ones, please give it a try. This is a pretty rewarding field when most of the cases survive if you can tolerate the occasional loss.

[cyang22]

It is a great job, believe me. I had been a ped oncology nurse for seven years in my home country. I loved it.

BTW, my preceptor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is an NP. She has very proficient knowledge of ped onc.