gynecologic oncology

Hi,
I'm a nurse practitioner who started in women's health care and have come over the past 10 yrs to specialize in gyn & breast oncology. It's a wonderful specialty--not easy, & very difficult for party conversations--but the most rewarding of my many incarnations.
We see women with all kinds of gyn cancers, and at all stages--docs do surgery & we give chemo in office. (Breast is not part of the deal in gyn onc but it is for us.) Lots of wound care, some of it complex. Lots of symptom management. Lots of body-image issues.
I'd be interested to know how you decided on this offer.

Hello Memesusan--
I would love to hear more about your experience as a NP in oncology. I have an interview at a breast center coming up next week-- I am a FNP with mostly experience in women's health and internal medicine, but no onco experience; so i am a little nervous. Any input as to how to best prepare for this type of position- clinically?

Hi, JoyRochelle, & sorry I've not been able to respond sooner. My best advice is to find an experienced clinician to "precept" you in the new role and ask for re-examinations of your patients by that person. Use ultrasound as much as you can. Don't be afraid to express uncertainty: it's a specialty fraught with it. I'd be glad to communicate directly with you about this--I find this website clumsy.
seshinn@bellsouth.net