Role of LPN/LVN in oncology

Hopefully my reply will be helpful...I'm an RN and work on an Oncology unit. The LPN's on our unit function in the same roles as an RN . They have a team of patients, perform assessments and charting, pass meds (cannot administer IV meds..except saline flushes). When we have a new admit,the RN performs the initial assessment. We usually do it together. The LPN can take off orders and place them in the computer. I can think off the top of my head some things our LPN's cannot do...no IV pushes, blood product infusions, and chemo. LPNs are an integral part of the team. I feel as an RN that we are EQUAL. We are both nurses there to care for our patients.

My hospital uses only RNs in the inpatient setting for oncology. I believe there are some LPNs in the outpatient/clinic setting, however.

I'm a LPN on a tele/oncology floor, and although I can't actually hang the chemo, I can monitor the patients who are getting it. However, we don't get the patients who are getting actual chemo very often, as there is an infusion center attached to the hospital; we usually get the ones whose counts show that they are neutropenic when they show up or the ones who are suffering from infections as they approach their nadir or the ones who are having chronic n/v from their treatments. We fix 'em up good enough to go get more, then see them again after their next round of chemo.

Are there many job opportunities for LVN/LPN's in Oncology or a cancer treatment center? So far, all of the job listings for nurses in Oncology have been for RN's.