RN's Negative Opinions of Oncology

[touchhealth]

Hi all,

I am a massage therapist who works at a hospital and am very interested in moving to the oncology department. I'm also a pre-nursing student and feel a strong draw to oncology so in my conversations with nurses I always mentions this.

I've had some very mixed reactions to Oncology nursing. Those who work as oncology nurses all seem to LOVE it, and really enjoy their jobs. One oncology nurse at Stanford told me she went into the field because of the amazing colleagues in that department. I've noticed people who love working Oncology often mention the quality staff members that are drawn to this field being great to work with.

On the flipside, I've had a number of nurses make really disparaging remarks about it (these were not oncology nurses). I had one nurse tell me she thought the way modern oncology medicine is practiced is "barbaric" and another nurse told me, "I just don't like the idea of poisoning people more than I already do with all these pharmaceuticals."

Thoughts?

[psalm, RN]

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, or at least it seems. To feel fine and yet have a cancer found somewhere in your body opens the pt. up to chemo, and/or radiation, both with unpleasant side effects. Add to that the reality of possible death within so many months/years if the pt. doesn't go with chemo, it can be dismal.

I work med/oncology floor but am not an oncology nurse. I just can't hang chemo, after seeing what the pt. goes thru. It is their choice; I can nurse them but not hang chemo. And I don't apologise for it anymore. To thine own self be true...

[liriel]

I am an LVN (what Texas calls their LPNs) working on an oncology unit at the hospital fulltime while going to school fulltime to obtain my BSN. When I get my RN licensure I plan to stay working with oncology patients and hopefully obtain my oncology certification. Is it an easy job? No but I do not know of a nursing position that is. I work with some of the best doctors, nurses, CNAs there are. We are very much a team oriented unit and really try to pull together so that our patients recieve the very best of care. Yes, the job is hard physically, mentally and emotionally. As one of our doctors likes to point out to new nurses "a higher standard of nursing is expected on this floor". Yet, by the same token we are not the stereotypical depressing unit many new nurses expect. We laugh loud, we care deeply, we fight for our patients tooth and nail. We know just how precious life is. Life is not just about time....it's also about quality and doing the things you want to do. Nursing on an oncology floor is not challenge everyone can take on.....but for the people I work with who have its not one we could imagine NOT taking on.

[globalRN]

oncology nursing is one of the most rewarding areas:

you build the most satisfying relationships with patients and their families

is it easy? of course, not.

i love my colleagues...probab;y because it takes a certain personality to love this job

it is very much a team approach/patient centered care.

i am going to go back to oncology after working in a different area for several years....

miss the patients and the staff/docs/

[gdpawel]

There is some innate goodness of people who go into oncology. At the time when most physicians and oncology nurses made the decision to work in oncology, there was no Chemotherapy Concession.

Most of them probably had a personal life experience which created the calling to do battle against the great crab. At the time when people make their most important decisions in life, they are in the most idealistic period of their lives.

I remember being told by a oncologist friend about the weekly "shrink" sessions they had while training at NCI. He remembered a fellow clinical associate during one of their sessions suddenly blurting out "doesn't anyone ever get better?"

In such an environment, from a purely human standpoint, you take refuge in the smallest of successes. The shrinkage of a tumor lasting four weeks. The temporary relief of pain. The patients are so happy when this happens. But even with success comes bittersweet heartache.

Just like a trauma victim will love forever the surgeon who fixed his compound fracture, a cancer patient feels genuine, heartfelt gratitude to the oncology staff during periods when the cancer crab retreats. But they know it is just the eye in the hurricane. The eye passes all to quickly, and then the patient is beaten to death by the back half of the storm, which is more deadly than the front.

So the oncology staff only very rarely gets to share in the celebration of remissions. They're already worried about the day to come, when the really bad news needs to be delivered to the patient and the remission is instantly forgotten. But even bittersweet victories are better than no victories at all.

I still wish the system would pay oncologists (and other specialists) more for talking to and listening to patients, and less (or not at all) for being in the retail pharmacy business.

[chris_lourdes]

I'm currently at Pre-Nursing student and I am choosing Pediatric Oncology Nursing because when I was 12 years old I was diagnosed with Burkett's lymphoma. As I look back on it, I can say that yes the chemotherepy was an awful and painful. I had nerves burnt out on the bottoms of my feet that made them super sensative, I got very bad sores in my mouth, and at times the nausea was absolutely unbearable. But you know why I disagree the most with people that call that barbaric? I disagree because it saved my life and it is giving me the opportunity to help improve the lives of others. The doctors told my parents that I was very close to dying and if it were not for that "barbaric and inhumane" treatment, I would not be here today. I strongly advise that you try Nursing, regardelss of what field. I have to say though it is very tough work and demanding. I am only 18 and I have a 6 week old little boy and a girlfriend that I try to juggle with my busy schedule. This is all very hard but also doable at the same time. I hope this helps you!