Changing Careers--What Makes Onc Nursing Special?

[LLP129]

I am 43 and changing careers from teaching to nursing. I believe nursing is my calling. At this point, I am finishing up some requirements before I start my clinicals. The other day, I was reading a thread on AllNurses about "Why Nurses Are Leaving the Field" Some reasons were--Can't use the bathroom, not respected, horrible supervisors, long hours, and an imbalance of patient/nurse ratios. I was thinking this field sounds so much like teaching. After reading that thread, I started wondering if I was making the right decision. I have two children 7 and 11. I am sacrificing so much going to school full-time. At times, I feel guilty because we are a two-family income and right now we're down to one.

Anyway, my passion is children. I am also a 6-year ovarian cancer survivor. So, I am familiar with cancer from the patient's prospective. I would love to work as a pediatric oncology nurse.

I want to hear from the nurses in this field that love what they do. What makes your job wonderful as well as not so wonderful? Could those nurses, that seem to be so unhappy, have been general hospital nurses? I need to hear from those of you who are where I am going.

[nursepearl]

hi there,

I am a bedside nurse in a large university hospital and I work on an oncology. We mostly work with leukemia and lymphomas here but see a little of everything. I love oncology nursing because you really get to know your patients and there family and there is a special bond that happens with them. They also seem to really appricate you and what you do...as they really get to see what nursing is all about.

On the down side, we see many patients die. This can be very difficult for many nurses and this can be a reason for some to leave.

I love what I do andam going to try peds onc in the near future.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

Ps. please excuse any spelling errors at I nearing the end of my night shift and my brain is almost shutting down!:zzzzz