Oncology Nursing: Biting off too much too soon?

[gardeningluver]

Help - I will graduate in Dec 07. Considering a position on a busy Oncology floor. Great bunch to work with. I preceptored in this dept. Lots to know, huge learning curve, but I seemed to handle it all well. Am I biting off too much too soon? Any advice you have would be appreciated?

[mtwife]

Hi! I started off as a new grad (9 years ago!) on an oncology/med surg floor. THE best decision I could have made, in my opinion. We also had a great crew, the oncologists were great, and I learned so much. I couldn't take the hospital's chemo certification test for 1 year, so I was able to get the basics down (they did their best to not give me any chemo patients. If I had one, the charge nurse would hang it and then educate me on the drug and we would both monitor). These days, it seems a lot less chemo is given on the unit (unless acute leuks/sarcomas/lymphomas w/ heavy tumor burden). You'll see lots of complications from disease/oncologic emergencies, etc. Adds a new dimension to basic med surg nursing. And the patients are THE BEST! Onc experience can also open doors to other opportunities: I now work in outpatient infusion and give chemo all day, and my inpatient experience is what landed the job! Love it! It can be emotional and you will see a lot of death, but with a good crew (nurses/aides/etc) and a compassionate heart, you will love it. You will learn so much.