Surgical Oncology question

[neverbethesame]

I am starting clinical on a surgical oncology unit (step-down) and want to prepare.

-Should I look read over all of my surgical/post-surgical lectures as well as oncology lectures?

-Will patients be receiving traditional chemo during their stay?

-Do mostly oncology RNs work this type of unit?

-What is your biggest piece of advice for me?

That is all I can think of right now.

Thanks in advance!!

[Maliffy]

I know this may be too late to really benefit you neverbethesame, and I hope your clinicals went well. I would be itnerested to hear what your experience was like. I work in outpatient oncology, with both medical and surgical oncologists, in a VERY LARGE county and teaching hospital, so my experience may not be typical. I see patient's pre and post-op, but interact frequently with the nurses on the floor. Take me with a grain or two of salt...

In answer to your questions, our surgical oncology floor is much more post-op that truly oncology driven. Most of the patients on that floor have recently had some pretty major surgeries (Whipple anyone?). Because it negatively impacts wound healing, and increases infection risk few if any patients on our surg-onc unit are receiving chemotherapy concurrently with surgery. The chemo is usually before, after or both. Most of the nurses on our surg-onc floor lean more toward med surg, post op, ortho, and occasionally ccu types of experience. You need to know a bit about oncology, but it is mainly in the frame what surgery they had, and how their post-op period is expected to progress as a result.

Best of luck!