Pediatric oncology nursing

ittybittynurse · Sep 28, 2012

I used to work in Adult Oncology outpatient. I am now inpatient and with peds and cancer. So I just finished my training about 2 weeks ago. Because of my previous experience with chemotherapy I felt I was able to sink in smoothly only on that department (medications) everything is else is completely new to me. Outpatient vs. Inpatient. Most chemotherapy is given in an outpatient settings especially for adults. People come in for treatment and leave that same day within hours. Some treatments are given once a week, or three times a week. Or even once a month depending on their cancer. Outpatient patients are for the most part healthy enough to go home. Yes they are sick, they have side effects and you have to teach a lot. Give them information, teach family members and pts on just about every topic: cancer treatments, side effects, medications, what to do when they have a fever, when to call the doctor, when to go to E.R. and so forth. Its a fast paced environment. At times I felt overwhelmed, but its always rewarding at the end bc you get to teach a lot. pts call you and trust you, especially when you give them a lot of information.

Inpatient setting you get to see a full picture at the tip of your hands especially with children since the family is always involved. You get to know pts very close and personal bc you are treating their complications from the chemo. You give chemo also, but you're monitoring them closer bc of side effects that led them to stay in the hospital. Bc I started with adults, switching to peds was challenging on many levels. One of them, which I have to be honest about is how to talk to kids. How to get their attention. Its a different language. I take myself back into my past in my own seven year old shoes and I imagine how I would want a nurse to talk to me, what I would like to hear the nurse say to me and in what tone of voice. I feel like you have to be childlike and animated no matter what peds setting you're in. Bc I don't have kids, I imagine how I would treat my kids, or how I would like my child to be treated if they were sick. With children you have to zoom in closer and understand the picture. Its scary. but then again any setting in nursing is intimidating.....but once you got the hang of it and you learn more you gain confidence and you're able to bring more to the table.

Nursing in general is challenging, besides all those qualities that depicts a nurse: loving, caring, patient....I honestly believe a nurse needs to be TOUGH/Strong... You have to be able to put up with a lot. From family, to patients, and even death. You have to be able and willing to face any challenge. You're allowed to cry and share how you feel but you gotta be tough, you have to be able to move on. You can take you're experience bad or good learn from it.

Nursing school is challenging, and even then after you're done with school it gets more challenging. There's is a tremendous amount of scientific knowledge involved. If you're looking into programs make sure you go with a B.S.N because a lot of well known hospitals are hiring bachelor degree nurses only, that's how they keep their magnet status. Usually take 4-5 years to complete from beginning with pre-reqs to finishing the program. You can take 1-2 years to complete your pre-reqs, and full bachelor nursing program is 3 years

I was 16 when I decided I wanted to go to nursing school. I graduated from H.S. went straight into my pre reqs tooks me 2 years, and was admitted to a nursing program. Finished about 3 years ago. I'm a nurse. You're never too young or too old. Set your heart&mind on it stay strong and do it!

Nursing is rewarding, but some nurses are underpaid. And I could give you digits and numbers on how much we make, and you may think "wow, that's good money" or that's fair. But in reality, at least speaking from my experience nurses deserve more. we do so much in health care. we could never be over paid. And If we do we deserve it.

ShantheRN, BSN, RN · Sep 28, 2012

I started as a new grad in peds oncology. No extra schooling needed :) Once I started there was a lot of continuing education but it's all given at the hospital. For example, I had to get radiation certified in order to take care of MIBG patients. It's a rewarding job, but you have to remember that you're taking care of really sick kids. Some of them don't have much of a chance after diagnosis. Most of our patients are inpatient for chemo. We're getting good at beating cancer, mind you....you just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Good luck!

Kanani78 · Sep 29, 2012

I am a pediatric oncology nurse. You have a lot of good questions. Nursing school varies widely depending on where you go to school. There are associates degree programs at local community colleges and bachelors degree programs at Universities. Some say there is a pay difference depending on the degree but I have worked in several places and have never found that to be true. My suggestion would be to visit several schools and get information on their nursing programs and find out what works best for you based on cost and schedule. The pro's for the bachelors degree are you need a bachelors to get into any kind of nurse education, nurse management, and to continue onto your masters if you so desire someday. The advantages for the associates degree are you can usually finish nursing school faster, the cost of school is a lot cheaper, I feel the associates degree programs are more hands on, and you can bridge to your bachelors online easily and inexpensively. Any nursing program requires a lot of studying, however compared to a lot of other degrees it isnt that difficult. I was able to work 30 hours a week and go to school and got excellent grades. As far as the pay goes, it depends on where you live and work. Big teaching/magnet hospitals (Duke, Vanderbilt, etc.) and Non-profit hopitals (St Judes, etc) tend to pay less. The west coast pays significantly higher than the southern states. But all in all I make a pretty good living. Peds oncology can be emotionally tough and it demands a lot of patience but it is very rewarding. The kids may have cancer but they still love to play with games and toys and are happy. Most of my workdays are filled with laughter and smiles. I wont lie there have been a few days I come home and say I cant do this anymore. But I go back the next day because the other kids who are doing well still need a good nurse. Peds Oncology takes a lot of caring and compassion. I think since you ask a lot of good questions, you are doing research into it, and you are very interested, you would make an excellent pediatric oncology nurse! Im sorry this was a lot but I hope it helped.