Nurse Tech

I think this is a great opportunity for you to observe without the total responsibility of being a nurse right now. You can ask the patients and the nurses all of the questions that you wish, learn how to interact with people who may have a poor prognosis and use a bit of creatitivy at the same time. Best wishes!

I work in an oncology practice and trust me; it isn't all gloom and doom like some people make it out to be. Remember having cancer doesn't automatically mean that a person is going to die this instant and it helps to interact with them in a manner such as you'd interact with someone who didn't have cancer. Lend an ear and allow them to vent their feelings.

I would find out how the student nurse tech is set-up. Rightnow, I am working as a student nurse tech and I hate it. I am looking into another hospital, where I am going to work one on one with a Registered Nurse. Rightnow, they have me working as a CNA and I want to learn more. Nothing against CNAs, but I am beyond that now. I just completed my first year of nursing school and I think, I can do more than taking vital signs and washing patients.

I started as a tech on a med/surg onc floor, and I loved it! I didn't choose where I wanted to go, I just said that I wanted a tech position and they dropped me in where there was an opening. If that unit is anything at all like the one I started on, you will get to see not only oncology, but also a little bit of everything else! It really helped me with nursing school to have that experience to draw on - and it was always interesting when I would go to work and see something that we had just discussed in lecture the day before. I must have liked it...I'm still there - just an RN instead of a tech now. I can't tell you what is right for you. Could you shadow someone to see what you think about the unit? Good luck with whatever you decide!

Thanks for all of the replies! I really don't mind where they put me as a nurse tech. I just want some experience! I thought that after 3 semesters of clinicals I would have some confidence with patient care. I will have to say that I feel more comfortable with my books than on the floor. So I hope over the summer I will be able to see and do more so I have more confidence during my last semester.

Where I worked, nurse techs did nursing assistant duties and in addition, phlebotomy and EKG skills. I was already a phlebotomist before, so that was the easy part, and we were taught basic EKG interpetation...such as a-fib, pvc, v-tach and v-fib...the dangerous ones. Now, since taking an EKG class after becoming an LPN, I learned even more. We also did clerical skills, such as starting the chart, opening and closing visits for billing and basic things for insurance claims. It was sort of like a medical assistant of sorts.