5 Things to Consider Before Becoming an Oncology Nurse
by Alana Luna, Contributor
There are over 1.7 million new cases of cancer diagnosed in the United States each year. Some 600,000 people will succumb to the disease. When you choose to go into oncology nursing, you’re dedicating your career to helping patients cope with one of the most difficult and deadliest illnesses out there. If you’re thinking of becoming an oncology nurse, here are a few things to consider before you make a commitment.
1. There’s a major emotional toll
When you’re caring for patients with a daunting illness such as cancer, you’re bound to take on some of the emotional burden. It’s normal to connect with the people you’re tasked with healing, but that often leads to stress and an increasingly common issue called compassion fatigue.
The symptoms of compassion fatigue include:
- Avoiding work or certain patients
- Newly found lack of empathy
- Calling in sick
- Beginning to hate work
- Muscle tension and headaches
- Digestive issues
- Cardiac problems, including chest pain and racing pulse
- Insomnia or a desire to sleep all day
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Reliance on alcohol or drugs
- Depression
- Anger
- Poor concentration, focus and/or judgment
Part of becoming an oncology nurse is learning to recognize when you need help and making self-care a priority.
2. It’s good to ask for help
Who will you go to when work becomes too much? Compared to people in other professions, registered nurses are twice as likely to suffer from depression. Employees who are stressed and depressed are more likely to be absent, apply for short-term disability, become unproductive and suffer from lapses in judgment. Having someone to talk to can help and so will maximizing your break time.
Organizations such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offer treatment programs around the country, and your employer likely has their own set of resources available too.
3. You’ll build lasting relationships
As an oncology nurse, you get to help patients find the light in their darkest moments. Whether you’re listening to them as they vent, holding them as they cry or explaining a new medication in terms they can understand, you’re forming a bond. Moment by moment, gesture by gesture, there’s a relationship built from the ground up. As treatment continues and patients return for chemotherapy, scans or additional surgery, you get to know patients as people.
It’s not all sad moments and prepping for procedures, either. You’ll celebrate birthdays, holidays and treatment victories. You’ll dance and tell jokes to pediatric patients, giggle over funny gifts and talk about celebrity news or gossip. You’re the entire package, and that’s a really big deal.
4. You’ll play an important role in assessment and education
Nurses are always an integral part of a patient’s medical team, but your value will be even higher in oncology. Because cancer treatment is often a long, drawn-out process, regular reassessments and patient education are crucial. You’ll become an expert in gauging a patient’s physical and emotional health and spotting issues as soon as they arise. You’ll have access to imaging and lab results as well; being aware of those findings will help inform your plan and let you know what to look for on a day-to-day basis.
As the person in closest contact with a patient’s family, you’ll be the go-to medical professional when questions crop up. Having an opportunity to help caregivers and loved ones understand the primary diagnosis, connect with key resources and come to terms with the long-term prognosis is invaluable.
5. Oncology nursing offers some schedule flexibility
Oncology nurses work in many different settings. You could take a job in a hospital and work a common floor schedule such as three 12-hour shifts per week or four 10-hour days. You could also work in a doctor’s office or oncology center on a more regulated 9-5 schedule, which may be appealing if you have a spouse who works days or want to be home in the evening with your kids.
Another option: travel nursing. Rather than a permanent staff position, find a travel nursing job and see the country while you change lives.
Oncology nursing can be incredibly rewarding, but finding success means understanding when to pull back for your own protection as well as how to give patients the support, understanding and education they need and deserve.