KayHay

Hello all!! I am almost 2 years into my career as an oncology infusion nurse working in an outpatient infusion center. When I started, we made the same amount of money as other clinic nurses ($28/hr). We are located in Wisconsin. While the hospital nurses make around $38/hr without shift differential. Their has been a big argument that we should be making closer to what the hospital nurses make since we infuse many hazardous medications, and our floor is mainly like a med-surg floor. We run around, have to skip breaks frequently, it is basically like working in a hospital but with clinic hours. Their argument for not paying more is that we have clinic hours, BUT their are plenty of other areas that have clinic hours (for example, interventional radiation nurses that work in the hospital (ours have the same hours we do), make hospital pay). Out argument has mainly ben that we are doing hospital work. We have a small hospital attached to us, and when our patients are inpatient, it is a struggle for them to find a nurse in the hospital setting that is certified to administer chemotherapy. We have to get multiple certifications for our position and to maintain our positions (all of which are requirements that clinic nurses in other department do not have). When speaking with our management, they stated they are trying but do not have much pull to do anything, and that is may come down to a well-written nurse to advocate for the rest of us. So I am reaching out for suggestions, opinions, and general knowledge of what nurses at other facilities are making in outpatient chemotherapy infusion centers. Thank you in advance.

Hi all! I am a new grad and accepted a position in a cancer center working with outpatient oncology patients as a chemo infusion nurse. I’m so excited but also nervous because this is an entirely new area of healthcare I have no experience with. Any tips, advice or information on what a usual day is like would be wonderful! Thank you!!