Oncology Office

[mappers]

I had an interview at an Oncology office this week and am unsure what to do if I get offered the job. The job consists of 8:30 - 5:00 hours, no weekends, no holidays, etc. It's giving chemo most of the day, neupogen shots, port flushes, etc. I talked to a couple of the nurses and they said it was really busy, staying on a schedule is important, etc. Sometimes they might have to stay late if the day is really crazy, but I'm not sure how often that happens.

I currently work on a med/surg Onc floor. I like my coworkers for the most part and the job is OK. Not great, but OK. I work days and rarely work weekends now because we have a Baylor program. However, rumor has it that is going away and they are just going to pay $10.00 more an hour instead. Our manager (who I love) has said that nurses should expect to work every third weekend and it's a bonus that we don't have to. So the no weekend thing most likely will be changing.

I really like Oncology. On the floor that I'm on, I often don't get to work with the cancer patients and end up with the med/surg, tele patients. That's OK, but hard to get into chemo, etc when you rarely do it.

Normally, I think I'd like working in the Oncology office. The problem is, I didn't get a warm fuzzy from the nurses I interviewed with. They talked alot about problems in the past with being overworked. They have new management now and I got the feeling that the nurses' opinions of the new management was still undecided.

The hospital I currently work for owns this practice and there is another one located within my hospital. That place would be an awesome place to work. I love the docs, NPs, etc who I work with and know a few of the nurses there as well, because we deal with them when the patients are inpatient. The one I interviewed for is at a different hospital and apparently has a "bad reputation" for it's work environment. I don't really know their docs at all.

So what would you do? Stay in the job you have that you don't love, but like, where schedule changes seem to be on the horizon? Or go to the practice where you'll really get experience and exposure to the specialty you want to work in, but where the work environment is in transition?

I might not get the offer, but if I do, and I end up turning it down, I think I should have that decision made. It would be a lateral move for me and since it's all within the same hospital system, I'd keep seniority, vacation, etc.

[fungez]

I worked in an oncology office for a few years. Actually, two offices. I can only speak from my own experience but I'll give you my perspective.

Clinic work is easier than hospital work. Yeah, you're going to be busy and every job has its stresses, but I still found clinic work easier. The patients are nicer because they're under less stress and oncology patients tend to be very nice, believe it or not. No weekends, no holidays, you can leave for an appointment in the middle of the day and no one has a coronary. Also, sometimes we would get really nice free lunches from drug reps. Believe it or not this was the best part of my week.

You will probably have to take a pay cut. I didn't, but i stood my ground and demanded the same as my hospital pay, which in 1997 was a whopping $15.50/hr. But typically clinic work pays less than hospital.

I'd advise you to take it. Yeah, working five days/week gets a little old but 8 hour shifts are really nice. And you won't know how much you hate working weekends until they make you. Working weekends is for the birds. Give it six months, if you hate it after that you can always go back to hospital work, but at least you'll then have that clinic experience.

[happy2learn]

That is a touch call.

I would look a little more into this "bad reputation" thing. Try to locate the source and determine if it's credible or not.

I think a poor work environment could ruin any joy you would get out of learning the things you desire to learn.

[Career2_BSN, BSN]

I don't have any advice for you but I wanted to say KUDOS to all of you oncology nurses!! I just don't know that I could work in that area - and it's needed SO badly!

My mom had breast cancer at 35 - she survived. My MIL had some abdominal cancer that started in a kidney and spread before it was diagnosed. She was given a year to live and barely lasted 2 months. She was 42. A close co-worker lost his 11 year old nephew to Leukemia after a 3 year battle. I worked with him that entire 3 years and it was an emotional 3 years from the sidelines. It had to be WAY worse for the family and the medical staff.

I just don't know that I could work with so many young patients who are potentially terminal. I would think you'd bond with them since you see them often. It must really hurt to lose them.

Do you save more than you lose? A lot more?

My new MIL is an RN with roughly 17 yrs experience. She said there's peace in helping patients to make their peace with their illness (she worked hospice for 7 years). She found rewards in the job regardless of the patient's outcome.

I'm still working on prereqs and I have a LOT of things left to experience so maybe I'll change my mind after a few years but right now oncology sounds like a painful place to work.

[fungez]

I don't have any advice for you but I wanted to say KUDOS to all of you oncology nurses!! I just don't know that I could work in that area - and it's needed SO badly!

My mom had breast cancer at 35 - she survived. My MIL had some abdominal cancer that started in a kidney and spread before it was diagnosed. She was given a year to live and barely lasted 2 months. She was 42. A close co-worker lost his 11 year old nephew to Leukemia after a 3 year battle. I worked with him that entire 3 years and it was an emotional 3 years from the sidelines. It had to be WAY worse for the family and the medical staff.

I just don't know that I could work with so many young patients who are potentially terminal. I would think you'd bond with them since you see them often. It must really hurt to lose them.

Do you save more than you lose? A lot more?

My new MIL is an RN with roughly 17 yrs experience. She said there's peace in helping patients to make their peace with their illness (she worked hospice for 7 years). She found rewards in the job regardless of the patient's outcome.

I'm still working on prereqs and I have a LOT of things left to experience so maybe I'll change my mind after a few years but right now oncology sounds like a painful place to work.

Thank you. It's a very rewarding place to work. The patients are wonderful. Dealing with them helps me put all my petty life annoyances in perspective.

But I could never do onc. peds. Oh, never.

[lkwashington]

Since you love working with oncology patients. You can work full time at the office and prn at your recent job. I understand about big and hard decisions especially concerning your job. I am going to have an interview next week to teach in a practical nursing program. I would love to teach because I am a charge and resource now. I love to precept. Most of all I love the clincal setting of nursing. I would be working part time teaching and prn at the hospital. There are no weekends or Friday at the teaching job. At the hospital I work holidays but I can choose which ones I want to work. I am required to work at least 24 hours of weekend in a 4 week schedule. I can switch it up by working 2 Sat, 2 Sun, 1 Sat and 1 Sun, and it dont have to be in the same week. Just think long and hard what you should do. You can do both if you feel you can handle it. Good luck to you.

[Career2_BSN, BSN]

Quote

The patients are wonderful. Dealing with them helps me put all my petty life annoyances in perspective.

Very good point - how can you quibble about the kids not picking up their rooms or hubby letting the trash overflow again when you have a patients fighting for their lives?

Very humbling, I would assume.

[mappers]

Since you love working with oncology patients. You can work full time at the office and prn at your recent job. I understand about big and hard decisions especially concerning your job.

Since the oncology office is owned by the hospital system I work for, I could only work PRN if I don't go into OT, since we're all paid from the same system. The current position at the office is posted for 4 days a week, but they told me they're thinking about making it 5 days and wanted to know if I had a problem with that.

Thanks for the kind words before about Oncology nursing. In the hospital, we tend to loose a lot. We see them at their worst. I find helping people at the end of life something that comes pretty naturally. I've been in a position to have to make end of life decisions for my mother and brother and I think it's important work. If I can help make them comfortable and find peace, then I've done something worthwhile.

[mappers]

Thanks for the other job responses. I'm doing more nosing around, with some of the people who work in the oncology office at our hospital. I got some positive feedback about one of the managers so that could be nice.