What is it like to be an Oncology nurse?

LightMyFire · Apr 16, 2015

Be prepared to give lots of blood products. Also know your chemo. It is my understanding that to become certified there is testing involved. All bodily fluids are to be treated as toxic, not just biohazard. Know precautions at your facility.

PNW~NP · Apr 16, 2015

I've been an Oncology RN for 12 years and I have worked both inpatient and outpatient. Is there anything specific you want to know? You will likely have to get chemotherapy/ biotherapy certified and most facilities require or recommend you have your OCN certification. I love oncology, (obviously after 12 years), but it can be very emotionally draining. Your patients are immune compromised and most have central lines. Outpatient is a lot different than inpatient. I thought I knew a lot about chemo after working inpatient, but outpatient is way more intense as far as having 100+ different types of treatments/ regimens to know along with a lot of side effect management. When I worked Inpatient my patients were not always getting chemo so there was a lot more similarities to a med/surg unit, and yes, lots of blood products, isolation precautions, etc. Like I said, oncology nursing can be emotionally challenging at times but it

is also very rewarding. Hope this helps!

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EmBSNStudent · Apr 16, 2015

RN2bNP Do you have to go to graduate school to become an oncology nurse or could I enter the oncology field straight from my BSN program (once I pass the NCLEX of course0? What would you say your day to day is like on an inpatient oncology floor?

PNW~NP · Apr 16, 2015

Oncology nursing only requires an RN license and generally some oncology certifications. You can go straight into oncology nursing as a new grad. If you get the opportunity to choose a clinical rotation (not sure if your school does or not) you should try the oncology unit. I always new I wanted to work oncology so I asked one of my clinical instructors if she would consider putting me there for my final clinical rotation. Also, you could always shadow an oncology RN. Oncology isn't for everyone, but if you're compassionate and willing to work hard to learn the ins and outs of Onc, you will be a good fit ðŸ˜Š

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PNW~NP · Apr 16, 2015

I haven't worked inpatient for many years and it will depend on the hospital you work for. We had an IV therapy team who transported chemo from the pharmacy to the floor and they double checked it with the floor RN. A lot of inpatient chemo patients will get chemo that infuses over 24-48 hours for example, so you may be the one hanging it or the nurse monitoring it. Also, some patients will get rescue drugs ( chemo protectant drugs) at specific intervals. You are monitoring blood counts more frequently and infusing blood, antibiotics, antiemetics etc. You assess your patients and do your regular nursing care just like med/surg. You do patient teaching for new chemo patients and symptom management for post care. It would be hard to describe a typical day- is there such a thing as a typical day in nursing? Lol

Good luck to you with whatever you choose ðŸ˜Š

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blue bag nurse · Apr 17, 2015

Amazing. Wonderful. Fun. Challenging. Scary. Terrifying. Sad. Rewarding.

I was an Oncology nurse for 10ish years, now a school nurse, and I miss it constantly. I'll get back to it one day, when my kids are finished with high school. For now, I cherish the summers off. But I highly encourage you to give it a try if you even think you might like it. They were my best nursing days yet this far.

bonnielilgirl · Apr 17, 2015

Like CuticleCare said...Amazing. Wonderful. Fun. Challenging. Scary. Terrifying. Sad. Rewarding.

I started off as a new grad with absolutely no idea what I was in for. I love it, love my patients and the environment. I got oncology certified recently too. The whole process really taught me a lot-kind of more than I thought it would.

I work inpatient, which can be super challenging at times-Although I guess it can be like a regular med surg assignment, some of these patients can be sicker than average. It depends on the type of unit-we specialize in hem malignancies and bone marrow transplants.

Whatever you decide...good luck!

EmBSNStudent · Apr 17, 2015

What does oncology certification involve? Is it required or is it just beneficial?

bonnielilgirl · Apr 17, 2015

Oncology certification-or OCN is basically a test you take on all oncology related areas. Things like side effect management, oncology emergencies, different types of cancer, treatments like chemo, radiation, surgery...stuff like that. It's definitely not required at the beginning, in fact I think you need to work in the oncology area for awhile before you are eligible to take it. Not all facilities require it either for their nurses. They are more likely to require the chemotherapy certification (which you can take after 6 months of experience)

so basically after my long winded explanation...nothing you need to worry about right now :) go ahead and just continue being your excellent self

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2015

What does oncology certification involve? Is it required or is it just beneficial?

Whether or not it's required is employer specific but you cannot take the exam until you have at least a year of working experience as an oncology nurse.

Try to do your senior preceptorship on an Oncology floor.

nicolemy0215 · Jul 16, 2015

I work in outpatient Onc, as a previous post mentioned, outpatient can be difficult due to the array of regimens/side effect management, you basically have to learn an entirely new "drug dictionary". Onc in general is a very emotionally taxing area but I can assure you, it is one of the most rewarding areas you could be in. I learn something new about life every day.