“She is super smart, highly qualified, and handpicked by your physician.” Our patient care coordinator often says this when she's on the phone talking face-to-face with patients to set up their next office visit. At the November 2018 Center for Advancing Palliative Care Annual Seminar in Orlando, FL, speakers Lynn Hallarman and Mary McPherson presented a session on how the opioid crisis came to be and what our role as nurses is in changing culture and ultimately addressing it. ONS facilitators teach courses that provide incredible learning opportunities to oncology nurses looking to raise the level of care they provide to patients with cancer. Educating and supporting patients is a major part of the role of an oncology nurse, as is a commitment to ongoing training on cancer treatments and their side effects. An oncology nurse should be a registered nurse, duly licensed by his or her state. In order to be an oncology nurse, you will have to learn a set of cancer care skills, which are obtained through continuing education, clinical practice, or coursework. The oncology nurse may play a large role in coordinating the care of the cancer patient, including different treatments and tests. As an oncology nurse, you must be very detail-oriented because the medication administration for patients can be complicated.Being an oncology nurse is both challenging and rewarding, and people choose to go down this career path for many reasons. It’s where the heart is, and there’s no place like it. Oncology nurses at any practice level can actively participate in the shared decision making process; if you haven’t been involved in shared decision making before, here’s what you need to know to get started. It was a Saturday afternoon shift in May 1996 on 10 Green at Harper Hospital in Detroit, MI, on a hematology unit that cared for patients with either malignant hematology (i.e., leukemia and lymphoma) or benign hematology conditions (e.g., sickle cell disease). Role of the Oncology Nurse Navigator Throughout the Cancer Trajectory Navigation in oncology has demonstrated benefits for people at risk for or diagnosed with cancer, such as shorter time to diagnosis and treatment, increased patient and caregiver knowledge, better adherence to … While oncology nursing can be emotionally and professionally taxing, it also has its own unique benefits and rewards that make it an incredibly fulfilling career.By becoming an oncology nurse, you can make a real difference to those whose lives are affected by cancer: approximately 1 in 2 people born in the UK after 1960, according to recent statistics. After all, the often-unsung heroes of health care use their unique skills to positively impact patients and their families in more ways than most people can ever imagine. You may also work with patients of varying ages, from children to the elderly, either as outpatients or in palliative care settings.As with all kinds of nursing, oncology nurses must be empathetic and have excellent communication skills. Practical nursing experience is just as valuable as formal study when preparing for a career in oncology.If you’re interested in becoming an oncology nurse, you can download the If you want to become an oncology nurse – don’t delay. To demon­strate my com­mit­ment to prac­tice. Florence Nightingale, a forerunner of evidence-based practice, linked sanitation to morbidity and mortality rates. It’s a chance to help guide and support your patients through one of the most difficult times in their lives and be inspired by their determination, hope, and faith.Although the opioid crisis was formally labeled a public health emergency in late 2017, excess drug abuse beyond prescription directions has been a public health concern for much longer—since the 1980s, in fact. Over the past decade, 500,000 new RNs joined the ranks, an increase of 24%. Thanks to significant scientific and technologic advancements in the past 15 years, the majority of cancer care—an estimated 80% or higher—is being delivered in the outpatient setting.For patients, ambulatory oncology care offers comfort, flexibility, and a sense of normalcy during their difficult cancer journey while maintaining the highest-level treatment and care for optimal outcomes. New nurses have been well-trained in the classroom, but the game changes when real patients are involved. A recent study sought to define the roles of infusion nurses to create efficiencies within the clinical setting, potentially reduce RN staffing requirements, achieve cost savings, and develop a targeted nurse-to-patient ratio that also maintains quality care. New graduate nurses will need to complete an internship program which involves both a didactic component as well as working alongside a nurse-preceptor as part of the interdisciplinary team to learn the role.