Oncology Nurse, Oncology Nursing Schools, Training, Education, Jobs, and Careers

What is an Oncology Nurse?
An oncology nurse is a registered nurse who specializes in the care of patients who are undergoing or are currently recovering from cancer treatments. These nurses, just like other specialized nurses, work under a doctor's supervision, specifically those who manage a patient's strategy for cancer treatment.

A nurse in the oncology field has various duties, some which are specifically related to her specialty field. They include the following:

• Perform cancer screenings

• Assist doctors with treatment

• Provide counseling and emotional support to patients and families

• Provide radiation and chemotherapy treatments monitoring patients throughout their treatment

• Record effects of treatment

• Obtain medical histories

• Discuss treatment options with patients

• Administer IV therapy

• Provide educational information to their patients as well as to the public

• Help to keep patients as comfortable as they can by administering medications and performing other methods for pain relief

• Monitor vital signs

• Assist patients with daily living activities such as bathing and eating

How to Become Oncology Nurse:
Formal education and training is necessary for those who are interested in entering this profession. A student must first attend a certified nursing school and receive her Bachelor of Science degree or BSN. She must then take the NCLEX-RN exam, which is required for all nurses so that they may finally receive the privilege of practicing their profession.

The Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, or ONCC, has a number of certification options, which include the following:

Basic:
• OCN - Oncology Certified Nurse or
• CPON - Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurse

The nurse of oncology may also opt for an advanced certification, which offers three different certification levels:

Advanced:
• AOCN - Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse or there is the
• AOCNP - Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner, and finally the
• AOCNS - Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Specialist

The Adult Nurse Practitioner or NP with a major in Oncology prepares the advanced practice nurses in the practice of general oncology patient care.

Students must be familiar with the latest approaches to the prevention of cancer as well as early detection. Focus is centered on the patient's quality of life with cancer as well as promoting support to the patients' families.

Classroom instruction is given along with clinical experiences that are led by expert preceptors who have a variety of experience and backgrounds in the following areas:

• Stem Cell Transplant
• Radiation Oncology
• Brain Tumors
• Palliative Care
• Patient Education
• Inpatient Oncology
• Genetic Counseling
• Outpatient Clinics
• Medical Oncology
• Rural Outreach Clinics

The nurses who are applying for certification take some of the following courses:

• Pathophysiology
• Clinical Reasoning
• Assessment and management of some of the most common health problems
• Pharmacology
• Health Promotion
• Didactic coursework, which will be enhanced by preceptored clinical experience. The Oncology Nurse who is going to obtain her certification must have a minimum of 712 clinical hours which will include residency.

Oncology Nurses usually work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospice centers and home health care.

Oncology Nurse Salary:
The nurse oncology makes very good income. The national average salary is $79,000 per year. Some of them make as much as $96,000 per year.

Oncology Nursing School:
To study oncology nursing, you need to attend the right school. We can’t think of recommending anything else except the advanced nursing website. They have information on specialized nurse training. We urge you to check them out. You simply need to follow this link to get started. Get their free information while you’re there.

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