Oncology Nursing - How to start

[rokidokidoc1]

Hello. My name is Rochelle and I am interested on how to get started as an Oncology Nurse.

I graduated from an international Medical School in 2000. My father was diagnosed with Stage III Colorectal CA and complicated by Pituitary Adenoma so we had to fly to the US for medical treatments. This is the reason why i never started any residency programs for my medical career advancement. I took Nursing to better care for my dad and have been certified since 2005. He passed away last year and am now looking into joining the Nursing Workforce for the very first time.

To give you an idea on why I am very much interested in Oncology Nursing :
1) On or around my graduation in 2000, i have applied and was accepted at 2 Oncology Residency Programs but sadly had to pass.
2) Pre-Med college was Medical technology which dealt with a lot of Hematology, Blood Banking, Histopathology, and Chemistry internships in laboratories.

I hope somebody will be kind enough to offer information on how to start and suggest courses of action. Do i need to take courses? Do i just keep on hoping for a job at some Oncology Department or Clinic?

Please help. Thanks a whole lot.

Rochelle

[dvorah_97]

Many oncology nurses start out as general Med/Surg nurses and then apply to work on an oncology unit. They then take courses in chemotherapy and biotherapy and may choose to pursue Oncology Certified Nurse credentials. Oncology Nursing Society is a good place to get acquainted.

Good luck!
D'Vorah, RN, OCN

[medicaltransportflorida]

Hello Rochelle ,
i am very pleased with your question and you are interested in this field that a good decision you answer is below

Oncology nursing is the branch of this work, which focuses on care for cancer. health workers who choose to specialize in this area can work with patients of all ages. pediatric oncology nurse is a further specialization in this area.
Career in oncology nursing:
Most oncology nurses working in hospitals, including specialty hospitals. Others work in medical offices, outpatient treatment centers or residential care it offers. As cancer can happen to anyone, oncology nurses who work with children and adults of all ages.
oncology nurses who work in a team with other cancer patients and support staff. Their daily activities include the following tasks:
• Caring for patients with a diagnosis of cancer
• providing training and support to families of patients
• Administration of chemotherapy
• Managing side effects of chemotherapy
• Assess current needs and educational deficiencies
oncology nurses are advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) to master. With their knowledge and skills to work these nurses in many roles, including helping them directly, coordinator, consultant, educator, researcher and administrator. provide oncology nurses, monitoring and evaluating nursing care to cancer patients and their families and communities.
Some oncology nurses specialize in working with children with cancer. They can become certified as a pediatric oncology nurses. Other oncology nurses may choose to have certain types of cancer, specific targeted therapies such as bone marrow transplant, or palliative care for terminally ill cancer patients.

[MarieAnderson]

Registered nurses often choose to specialize in specific areas of medicine. One such area is oncology - the branch of medicine that works with cancer patients. Nurses who are trained in oncology can participate in a variety of procedures.

Responsibilities of oncology nurses include administering chemotherapy, caring for patients who've been treated with radiation, and working in other areas of cancer treatment. As you can imagine, oncology nursing requires the ability to provide comfort emotionally as well as physically. You'll often be working with people who have life-limiting illness and are dealing with the emotional issues that surround their illness. You'll also need to be able to deal with issues around death and grieving.