Still pretty confused!!!

[ashleyh_84]

Hello all,

I am still pretty confused on the whole nursing thing!! I have been here like all night reading about different nursing jobs and i really have decided what i want to do now, and that is hematology/oncology. I have decided to do this because my boyfriend has hodgekins lymphoma for the third time and he is only 22! And i have been to the hospital with him to get chemo numerous times. All the nurses are so friendly and they seem to really care and that is what i want do. Well i havent even started college/nursing school or whatever. I dont even know where to get started. Do i go to college or just nursing school? From what i have been reading i understand that no matter what kind of nurse you want to be all the classes are the same. Am i correct? But what i would like to know isnt there like a big difference in emergancy room nurses and like well say oncology nurses so how could you learn everything you need to know about one or the other if your taking the same classes? I hope im not sounding to ignorant but lol ive been told you wont know unless you ask!! Ok and another thing is i was wondering is when i go to nursing school or college (lol whichever ) and i graduate can i go straight to be a oncology nurse, or do i have to work as a differnt kind of nurse first. I live in ohio so i dont know if that makes a differnce or what. And one more thing is are there differnt kind of oncology nurses, like for instance i would want to be the one to give chemotherapy. Maybe you could tell me if there is more then one type what the differnt ones are and what they do. Sorry if I confused anyone but i really would like to learn more about this.LOL Hopefully i didnt make anyone fall asleep!! Thanks in advance to anyone who responds

[renerian, BSN, RN]

You do need to go to nursing school. You can choose a hospital program, a technical college or a university. The programs vary from place to place. You can request certain floors to work on which is what I did. I did two clinical rotations on hem/onc with rotating to burn unit and I loved it. I was offered a job and accepted before I was even finished with school. Worked a hem/onc/bmt unit for over 6 years. Good choice.

Sorry your boyfriend is going through all this.

renerian

[gem]

Kudo's to you for being such good support to your boyfriend. Oncology nursing is a rich and rewarding career. I've been a nurse for 20yrs. and came from a diploma program. If I had it to do again I would have chosen a BSN program, it'll open more opportunities for you down the road. After graduating, it's helpful to at least have one year of working on a med-surg unit of some kind. There are many avenues in oncology itself-you can work in Medical Oncology(chemo), Radiation Oncology(x-ray therapy), Bone marrow transplant etc. After you experience in oncology then you can take a test to become Oncology Certified.

Good luck on your endeavors.....:)