Oncology Nurse – Career and Education Profile

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Oncology nurses work with patients who have developed cancer and as fighting this disease. They can also work in education and assessment of patients who are at risk.

Job Responsibilities

As an oncology nurse, your specific job duties will depend on two main factors: your education level and your employer. You can get started working in oncology as an LPN, though this training requires little specific education for this field, so you’ll generally do basic nursing tasks. If you become an RN or go on to get your master’s degree in the field, you’ll be tasked with more difficult and specialized duties, including education patients for home health care, helping to develop a treatment plan, assisting doctors during surgical procedures, and doing full screenings for patients. If you work at a hospice, you’ll concentrate mainly on pain management, while treatment facilities include other tasks such as tracking progress and administering medications.

Salary and Career Options

Oncology nursing is an in-demand field, as the number of cancer patients grows every year. Payscale.com reports that you can earn $52,299 to $74,205 as an oncology nurse, though the exact amount you’ll earn depends on factors such as your experience and location. Many nurses begin working in oncology after first gaining experience as a staff nurse, and in the field of oncology itself you have a number of career options if you want to specialize. Oncology nurses can specialize in one type of cancer, such as breast cancer or type of patient, such as children, for example.

Educational Requirements

While you can get started with oncology nursing if you’re certified as an LPN, many positions require an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree, and you can also get a master’s degree or even doctorate focusing on oncology. Along with learning general nursing skills, your classes will cover topics such as hospice care, pharmacology, cancer screening and risk assessment, and more. You can be certified in this field by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation.

LPN to RN College Programs

While several schools have online nursing degrees available, few offer LPN to RN programs. What's the good news? We have listed some accredited schools below that do offer the program in addition to schools with other bridge programs available. Find out more information and contact each school by using any of the links below.

Indiana State University—Indiana State University offers a robust online program designed for LPNs wanting to become registered nurses and earn their BSN degree. Since ISU's credits transfer to over 80 campus majors, this is an ideal program for people wanting to open opportunities for their career down the road.

The College Network—The College Network is a partnership with several universities and organizations like the National League for Nursing that focuses on online education and programs, with several courses for nurses or those interested in a nursing career. Specifically, TCN helps students prepare for their PN and RN licensures and move on to earn graduate degrees.

Other Nursing Degrees

Walden University—Walden University is typically a graduate school with several masters and doctoral programs available, but they do have BSN and RN to MSN bridge programs available. Walden is based out of Minneapolis and offers several options in transferring your previously earned credits to and from (or even within) the school.

Kaplan University—Kaplan University is one of the nation's largest and leading online educators and offers several bridge programs for registered nurses to earn their BSN or MSN degree. If you have previously earned credits, Kaplan makes it easy for you to transfer to any one of their undergraduate or graduate programs.

Herzing University—While Herzing University does not offer an undergraduate nursing degree, it is a great choice for working nurses wanting to pursue leadership positions in Nurse Education or Management. With over 10 campuses and 45 online programs available, Herzing has a massive network that makes it easy to transfer to or from the school.

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