Oncology rotation

AZMOMO2 · Oct 29, 2008

I was a CNA on a meg/surg/onco floor a while back. I actually loved it and thought this is where I want to become a nurse. The meds, the patients, everything about it appealed to me. It is sad to see the people go through what they are and so NICE to see when the treatment works and they can go home.

However, 5 months after leaving to try and have a baby ,I became a patient on that same floor and I will NEVER forget the Nurses that I had while I was in treatment. I especially remember the one that took the time to actually give me a back rub with my PM care and who noticed my pain med wasn't working she wasn't even a nurse I had worked with she was a new grad nurse. And I remember the nasty one who was lazy at the desk and didn't pay attention to the fact my PCA pump IV had infiltrated and I had not received any pain med from the time I got onto the floor after surgery till the 3 pm shift change. ( the 7am nurse called me a baby when I actually started to cry not a new nurse) of course with that being said 6 years later I am here and finally going into nursing and the point is not everyone on those floors dies.

suzy253, RN · Oct 29, 2008

yes, I did have an oncology rotation when I was a student

sunray12 · Oct 30, 2008

I know just as many cancer survivors as I do people who did not make it so I don't automatically associate oncology with death.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2008

I am finishing my last semester and have been on an oncology floor this entire term. The best way I can describe it is that is is a "super charged" med-surg environment. The patient's are very high acuity and very sick. I had stat orders for a pt to receive K runs, Mg runs, RBCs, FFP, and albumin, written all at the same time. I was thinking OMG how am I going to do this? Somehow you rise to the challenge. I have grown more in the last 10 weeks on this floor than the entire 1.5 years in my nursing program. Oncology tests your nursing skills and assessments in so many ways and is psychosocially challenging as well. But I find it to be immensely rewarding. :)

I agree. It seemed like many of the pts I took care of in onc belonged in the ICU, but wre DNR/Hospice pts so they stayed on the floor. It was crazy how unstable some of them were in the end stages and yet still on the floor.

NoviceRN10 · Oct 31, 2008

Our program doesn't have an oncology rotation, per se, but I think the med-surge students (either medsurge II or III) do spend time on the oncology unit. I would love the opportunity to be on the oncology unit. It's not all gloom and doom, it's treatment, hope, and inspiration too :).