Oncology Nursing
Oncology nursing involves working with patients diagnosed with cancer, and most oncology nurses earn a certification in the specialty. If a person wants to become a nurse, they can either choose to be a general nurse or to further their education and specialize in a particular area of medicine. One option a person has for a specialty is oncology. This article will explain oncology nurse salaries as well as the oncology nurse job description.
What Is an Oncology Nurse?
If someone is curious as to what is an oncology nurse, he or she may be interested to know that this particular nurse works with cancer patients. Part of the oncology nurse job description includes running chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other treatments used for oncology. The oncology nurse is often the person who gives a patient information about medications and addresses any issues with the patient’s health concerns.
The oncology nursing job description also includes working with the oncologist, running certain diagnostics, staffing the office, and reading test results. Generally, the oncology nursing job description also includes answering questions from the patients. A clinical nurse may explain care plans and cancer treatment options to the patient.
A nursing position may require you to do direct patient care, working in an inpatient or outpatient cancer center. If you go into an even more specialized area, like hematology oncology or pediatric oncology, your nursing program will prepare you to become a certified nurse. Or you may work as a nurse educator or health nurse, teaching others.
Besides what does an oncology nurse do, a person should also understand the answer to what is it like to be an oncology nurse. Basically, if a person wants to go beyond what does an oncology nurse do, a person should understand the answer to what is it like to be an oncology nurse. Unfortunately, not everyone’s journey with cancer is positive. Therefore, part of the job description of an oncology nurse may include comforting a patient. Fortunately, sometimes, the job description of an oncology nurse includes sharing in the joy of a person who beat his or her cancer.
How Do You Become an Oncology Nurse?
If a person likes the sound of what does an oncology nurse do as well as what is the role of an oncology nurse, a person may wonder how to become an oncology nurse. Fortunately, the process of how to become an oncology nurse is rather self-explanatory. In fact, it’s much more simple to explain than what is the role of an oncology nurse.
The first step to how to become an oncology nurse is to earn a nursing license. A person may do this by either earning an associate’s degree in nursing or a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Generally, when a person thinks about how long does it take to become an oncology nurse, this process will take between two years to four years, depending on the degree level. Once a person completes this part of the process, the answer to how long does it take to become an oncology nurse is much shorter. A person then has to take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) RN test.
After, a person must practice as a nurse. Then, he or she will be able to complete a certification in oncology nursing. A nurse oncology certification is part of the process to become an oncology nurse is much quicker than earning a degree. Once a person completes the certification in oncology nursing, he or she will need to take the nurse oncology certification test to gain the certification.
What Are Oncology Nursing Salaries?
Oncology nursing salary range varies based on a person’s location as well as the employer, years of experience, and more. On the lower end, oncology nurse salaries are $26.92 per hour. On the other hand, oncology nurse salaries on the upper end of the pay scale are $66.59 per hour. An oncology nurse practitioner with a master’s degree (MSN) will make more than someone with just a bachelor’s. The level of education matters. However, the national average oncology nurse salaries is $42 per hour. The salary of an oncology nurse in the bottom 25th percentile will earn $35 per hour.
On the other hand, a travel nursing job pays much higher. Cost of living, for instance, is much higher in New York, New Jersey, or California than in Virginia, Washington or Oregon, so an oncology RN who is willing to travel can make more than their job title would usually expect. The same goes for someone willing to work in the ICU. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that the healthcare industry is only growing.
In terms of oncology nurse salaries annually, a person who is in the bottom 25th percentile of earners will make $73,500 per year. The median annual salary estimates of an oncology nurse is $83,340 per year. The top oncology nurse salary is $93,500.
This helps give a person an idea of what is the salary of an oncology nurse. A person should also take into consideration that the answer to what is the salary of an oncology nurse. Consider also that a registered nurse salary will grow over time. In addition, an oncology nursing salary will also increase with a leadership role. Your base salary can go much higher!
Now that you know If the oncology nursing salary sounds appealing, you may want to consider earning a certification in oncology nursing. The oncology nurse salary might be a reward, but a person also has to consider that the job is rewarding in itself. A person gets to be the person who may help a patient through a dark, uncertain time when he or she may not know what to expect.
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