Offered new position!

MarnnaRN · Mar 28, 2002

Amy, are you planning on learning chemo? Are they going to send you to a chemo class, or expect you to do it on your own time and money? I love working oncology, though, I only get to float there occasionally. I take pride in being able to comfort patients and family members. Good luck on the oncology floor. You might find the hospice is a good choice for you when you go for home health.

eltrip · Mar 28, 2002

Amy, congrats on the new job! Mazel tov!

As for getting revved up for the new job, may I suggest...caffeine?!:chuckle

Have a blessed day!

Joy

Brownms46 · Mar 28, 2002

Originally posted by AmyRN1227
Hi all!
Well, just a little update.....I was offered a position at a nearby hospital on an oncology floor. I will even be getting paid about $2.00 more an hour! The staff seems very warm and genuine, hopefully it will last. My manager seems very nice too. I've been off work for a few weeks now, so I need to get back into the swing of things. I start my "orientation" next week. I hope I am up for this. I'm going to stay positive, I'm going to learn alot. Every time I mention to someone I am going to work oncology they sound disappointed. But, hey, I won't know unless I try it right. Besides, I just want to get my year in and then try to get into home health....Any suggestions for revving myself up for the new job???
Thanks all for your support!!!

Way to GO AMY...Yeaaaaaaaah! Congrats on the new position.. :cool: !

Isn't wonderful that you will be paid more...:)!

Suggestions for reviving youself:

Forget the experience you had with the other place...it is behind you now.. Thankfully..:)

Go with an open ear and a closed mouth...:). No mention of the other situation to those you meet in this new position. Make the same statement everytime someone asks " where did you work before...and why did you leave".....-" It wasn't a good match"...period. Always be positive on the job...and go the extra mile.

Then enjoy your new surroundings...throw yourself into learning as much as you can. Ask questions...find related CEUs.....sign up for classes.........stretch yourself. Be open to instructions from those who have been there....and who you see have a desire, to do their best in caring for those assigned to them. If the person assigned to you doesn't want to share all they know with you....find someone who is willing to be as a resourced for you. And drain their brains dry!...:chuckle

Best of Luck to you Amy....I'm sure you will do very well... :cool:

mattsmom81 · Mar 28, 2002

Congrats Amy!! Working with good people makes ALLl the difference in the world in our profession! Oncology nurses have a very special way about them, IME. :)

Glad you're ready to put 'the other place' behind you.....:)

I was an oncology nurse for quite a few years and it has it's very special pros and cons....take care of yourself , it can be quite emotional particularly as you're starting out and you will get very close to your patients and grieve for them as they deal with cancer.

It can be very rewarding as well, and I have felt good about my time there, and in helping family and friends through a patients last stage of life. My father's home hospice nurse was a wonderful woman and I'll never forget her....maybe you'll find your niche here...maybe not, but hope you find your new position to be a positive move for you! Best wishes and let us know how you are! :)

aimeee, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2002

That's great news, Amy! And this will be terrific experience for you. Congratulations!

thisnurse · Mar 29, 2002

congrats amy!

youll be just fine. i would check into what kind of chemo training you are going to be recieving.

you have a lil extra time right now so maybe you could go online and get a head start.

if your goal is home health care, i truly believe some med surg experience is required....you never really know what you are going to run into.

i think it would be extremely frightening to find myself in a critical situation and have no clue what to do....and be on my own.

hoolahan, ASN, RN · Mar 29, 2002

Congrats Amy.

Sorry to hear some have seemed disappointed with your choice. This can be a very rewarding job. Helping others with pain management and to have the best quality of life under duress is an honorable thing to do. And for some, helping them to die comfortably and with dignity is also an important role you will play.

Stay positive, and remember we are here for you when you need to vent.

As for home health, your experience will be fine. If you do chemo and have experience with PICC's and Ports, all the better for IV therapy in HH, and/or hospice, and you do have med-surg mixed in with an oncolgy unit, so I think you'll be fine. About half of my caseload right now is pt's with cancer.

grouchy · Mar 29, 2002

I did oncology and then home health. I think oncology can give great overall training, just like med-surg, because between all the different types of cancer you will encounter, and the side effects of the treatments, you will see every organ system affected, and develop excellent assessment skills. You see alot of stuff that people may not immediately associate with cancer. For example, I saw a surprising amount of CHF. Good luck!

AmyRN1227 · Apr 14, 2002

Hi everyone!

Well, I'm in my second week of orientation....it's going great! I'm meeting a LOT of nice, wonderful people. It's TOTALLY different than the other place. I'm finding that alot of the people on my floor have been there for MANY MANY years, so I guess that's a good sign. I've heard many times that it's a great unit to work on. We have a good mix of both med surg patients and oncology patients. I've already seen a lot of neat things. We have a clinical nurse specialist, who will be doing my chemo training, I will have to find out all the details. Every time something's going on though, they pull me with them so I can absorb and learn a lot. I think I have somewhat put the other experience behind me. I ran into an old teacher of mine and briefly told her what happened and she told me it was a learning experience....so I guess that's how I will look at it. It's amazing to see the difference in how different hospitals are run. The people here acutally seem to love what they do. There's so much compassion! The other night, I started my own IV! Wow, I haven't even done that yet, because the other place had their own IV team. I was kinda nervous, I got into the vein at first, but think that it was on the side of the vein because when we started the fluids, it puffed up and we had to take it out. Then my preceptor did the next one...but she complimented me and said I'd be a pro in no time, she said I did great!! Any good tips on how to start good IV's? My patient was kind of acting like it hurt too, and I felt bad....does this happen a lot or is it just that some people are more sensitive to needles.

Well, thanks all for listening....so far so good.

Amy

petiteflower · Apr 15, 2002

My trick is to stabilize the vein with the finger of my off hand, it seems to help keep them from "rolling" and I don't miss beside near as often. Congrats on your new job. It takes special people to work in Oncology. All the best.