offered med oncology, no experience

perfexion, ASN, RN · Sep 17, 2014

My best friend took a travel assignment in St Thomas in the NICU. She had never done NICU before but she really wanted to travel to that particular area so she just took whatever assignment available. I think she had done exactly 2 years of med surg. They trained her and she's been doing NICU (as a staff nurse) for 5 years now. I think it depends on the facility and their willingness to train. If they have a high census and need someone instantly they may not be happy doing full training. However if they're always just short staffed and not really super busy they may just train you.

blue26 · Sep 17, 2014

So I am expecting a call from the nurse manager there to talk about this and I am betting that because it is travel, orientation is likely to be minimal. Ill ask but my hopes are not too high.

Btw your friend is very very very brave.

NedRN · Sep 17, 2014

It is not much of a stretch to oncology. You should be fine. They know you haven't done it. I'd do a little bit of reading about chemo for safety but you shouldn't be administering it without a significant orientation.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Sep 18, 2014

My best friend took a travel assignment in St Thomas in the NICU. She had never done NICU before but she really wanted to travel to that particular area so she just took whatever assignment available. I think she had done exactly 2 years of med surg. They trained her and she's been doing NICU (as a staff nurse) for 5 years now. I think it depends on the facility and their willingness to train. If they have a high census and need someone instantly they may not be happy doing full training. However if they're always just short staffed and not really super busy they may just train you.

What kind of travel nurse agency would place someone in a NICU without experience? Sounds ideal though if it was meant to be that way.

Bluebolt · Sep 18, 2014

If someone only has med surg experience and goes to the ICU/NICU the orientation time where you don't even take your own patients is usually 3 months. Some people don't take patients on their own for 4 months. Then usually for the remainder of your 1st year the seasoned nurses are always watching you and checking up on you to make sure you're okay. Essentially they are checking your work and making sure you're not mistakenly killing your patient. Until about the end of your second year of solid experience in an intensive care unit you will be stopping other nurses to help you or ask them questions. The general rule of thumb is if you're not asking for help or asking questions you're probably a dangerous new ICU nurse.

All positions I've ever seen posted for an intensive care unit require two to three years solid experience in the specialty. A lot of positions will require not only that but 2 to 5 years travel ICU on top of that. The reason this is required is listed in the paragraph above. I couldn't fathom a facility hiring in a traveler for the NICU with only med surg experience. It would be a rare occasion for a NICU to hire in someone with that experience as a full time staff that they know will be training long term.

Protect your license, don't be reckless with patients lives please.

As for you going to an oncology floor with a background in tele for 5 years, don't sweat it.

They should have some dedicated and certified chemo infusing nurses and the rest will just take care of the patients as normal. I've had many cancer patients before and even had a few infuse chemo under my care and I work in the ICU, never worked oncology. A chemo nurse spiked the chemo bag and then takes it down when it's done, exciting huh? Of course they are on tons of monitoring equipment anyway so I don't know if that was required. They float and pull nurses from all other floors to Oncology without a worry. Ortho, Renal, Post surgical if you can do one you can do any of them. They all might have some minor differences or preferences but nothing you can't pick up in a day or two. No worries.

helpful hint, chemo patients have acidic urine. I've heard it can sting your skin if you get it on you, double glove.

NedRN · Sep 18, 2014

What kind of travel nurse agency would place someone in a NICU without experience? Sounds ideal though if it was meant to be that way.

Travel companies supply whatever a hospital wants. You are mistaken if you think they exist to optimize patient care.

Note also this is St Thomas. We are talking about a level one effectively I think. High risk babies are shipped as fast as possible if somehow the mother wasn't shipped before delivery.

Two4theroad · Sep 18, 2014

My two cents, you should never be asked to hang chemo as a non-certified nurse (chemo certification is a long class). Two certified nurses are supposed to hang and check chemo agents. However, some PO chemo can be given by non-certified nurses. Be aware however, that patient's on or recently finished chemo have bodily fluids, including sweat, that can expose you to toxic substances. I never liked being floated to Oncology just because of the unfamiliarity with the patient population, and the fact that I've been a nurse long enough to know that if I am there taking patient's on a unit, I will always be asked to do things that I am not technically checked off on or even supposed to be doing. I am put into a position where I either suck it up and do it, or flat out refuse. In some places the manager, charge nurse, even supervisor, are not supportive of your position. Every facility is different, however, so the best advice any of us can get is to check our facility policy on things and print out a copy for the higher ups. Stick to your guns if you are asked to do something outside of your scope of practice and look up everything. Also, not every patient on that unit is going to need chemo, sometimes they are there for blood, hospice, respite, infections, surgery, etc. It is a med/surg unit, the one at my old hospital was one of two units that didn't even have telemetry, so it was a catch all. It just has that added specialty piece that I always unnerved me. But that was just me! I'm pretty flexible, but I always felt like if they wanted me to work around chemo and neutropenic patients that they should really prepare me and educate me for that. I learned how to educate myself pretty fast! Good luck!

wanderlust99 · Sep 19, 2014

Tell the manager you have no oncology experience and see what he/she says. I took a job on an oncology ICU unit and everything ended up fine. I was very nervous because I had zero oncology experience. I didn't hang any chemo meds, never needed to. It was basically sepsis type patients and post ops for bladder Ca. I did learn a lot. But whenever I go into a new area on assignment I am sure to express any concern during the interview.

If this is your first travel assignment I would be cautious and just make sure this is a good hospital with a good reputation amongst travelers. Be picky your first go around as a traveler.

luvK24 · Oct 2, 2014

I am a onc/med surg RN, my roommate is not. We have both been placed on onc units throughout our travels. Actually our entire experience has been oncology related. Anyways she always makes it very clear to the units that she does not know oncology and is not chemo certified but she has done very well on every unit she has been on. Basically as long as you know your limits and what you feel comfortable doing and making the staff aware as well as the managers I think you will be good! hope your experience goes well!!!

BiotoBSNtoFNP · Oct 2, 2014

There is a difference between caring for oncology patients who are hospitalized and giving inpatient chemo. If you are going to a med/onc floor and you have med surg tele experience, you will be fine. You should not be assigned the patients who are actively receiving chemo on your shift as you are not chemo certified. However, you can be assigned oncology patients who are not there for chemo but possibly for neutropenic fevers or uncontrolled pain. These patients are similar (not identical, but similar) to what you will find on a med/tele floor and you will catch on to the common trends (ie labs that might be completely concerning for a tele pt but are actually "good" for an onc pt) and protocols (signs of sepsis to watch for) for the oncos.

They may not even assign you to any oncology patients and may just give you all of the medical ones! I do not think you will have a problem navigating that floor as someone who has quality tele experience. Good luck with your decision, though.

greenerpastures · Oct 2, 2014

Ask how much oncology you'll be expected to do. Only our certified nurses do chemo. Most med oncology floors are medical floors where they stick anyone who has ever had cancer, as well as active cancer pt who have comorbidities. You'll definitely use ALL your nursing skills on these floors.