Nurses who choose oncology as their specialty find the field rewarding because they get to work consistently with familiar patients developing ongoing relations with them and their families. The position can be stressful and demanding in both a professional and emotional context, but the benefits outweigh the downsides.
For these professionals to be able to administer the harsh treatments like chemo and biotherapies in their oncology job, they must obtain specific certifications. That includes a “chemo-bio.” The administration of these treatments is exceptionally complex, requiring great attention to detail.
Employers further look to experienced RNs who earn a specialized oncology certificate from “Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation Employers,” sought for both outpatient and inpatient settings.
Salaries for nurses in this specialty will depend on many variables, including experience and state residency but can range as great as $78,000 annually. Let us look at some of the advantages nurses find most rewarding about the specialty.
What Do Oncology Nurses Find Most Advantageous About Their Positions?
Oncology nurses find working with the same patients one of the most rewarding aspects of their industry placement. The idea of developing a relationship with these individuals and their families is an incredible experience. Still, it can be emotional due to the nature of the disease.
Oncology nurses need to be exceptionally detail-oriented to administer the complex treatments involved with the care plans, including chemo and biotherapies, plus hold special certification for these therapies.
While the position can be pressure-filled and particularly demanding, the nurses find specific benefits in the field. Find out why nursing students are encouraged to choose oncology as their field of choice at https://dailynurse.com/why-specialize-oncology-advice-nursing-students/.
Making a brutal disease less of a challenge
One of the better things about being in the medical field is when you have a procedure like chemotherapy that needs to be administered to a patient. They come in for their first session exceptionally nervous and worked up.
There is nothing generally that you can say to calm someone’s nerves or let them know that everything will be okay. They have to experience it for themselves to make that determination.
Fortunately, after a procedure including the first chemo treatment, many come from the experience indicating that it was not nearly what they had imagined it would be. It was actually not that bad. That sense of relief is worth so much.
Relationships that you would not trade
Working with the same patients consistently is rewarding not only as a professional but for the patient. The individuals feel more comfortable coming into the setting and seeing a familiar face more so than if they were to see someone new each time, especially when coming in for these specific reasons.
A relationship develops to the point you get to know when something works for them and what does not or when they are experiencing an emotion or a pain and what’s a normal reaction.
Gaining a perspective
When you are involved in a field that dictates life, it puts things into perspective rather quickly. As a professional working with patients, you feel as though what you do matters; there is a meaning and a purpose for each person you interact with.
It might feel that way for the patient. In reality, the patient provides the meaning and gives the purpose for why medical personnel do what they do. It is very humbling at the end of the day. You indeed understand the most critical things in life. Click here for guidance on what new nurses should know.
The ones who return
The most exciting thing ever is when patients visit when they come in for a follow-up or check-up. The awesome thing is that they are doing great after a significant period. Most often, these wonderful people bring sweets with them as a treat. It should be the other way around after all the patients teach during their course of care.
Developing such bonds with people in the medical setting is beyond words fantastic. Sadly, losses are experienced, and it is the hardest thing to deal with, especially when you have established that relationship.
But getting to know these individuals and the time spent with them hopefully makes a difference.
The 9-5 shift
Within the last ten years, give-or-take, bio and chemotherapies have started moving to outpatient clinics allowing the nurses to break away from the extended shifts to more office-type work hours.
That makes the positions more appealing to students looking at the nursing field with oncology as their preferred specialty.
Final Thought
Working as an oncology nurse is exceptionally stressful with high demands, but the position is most rewarding for the professionals. The opportunity to become a familiar face for those who need to come frequently for treatment for a scary illness helps to establish a bond.
That is equally meaningful for the patient and the nurse who gains insight into what life is truly about from these brave individuals.