The means and resources for caring for cancer victims has expanded dramatically in the last 40 years. Similarly, the role of oncology nursing has broadened in every aspect of cancer treatment. There has been a continued shift in how oncology nursing has been viewed in response to a lot of factors. The positive reason for the shift is that cancer survival rates have improved so dramatically since the development and phenomenal success of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In addition, cancer awareness and cancer survival has created an expanded need for oncology care that the nursing profession can fill.

The result is that oncology nursing has expanded the roles it plays in the caring for families of cancer victims and for the personal needs of patients as well. This is good news for nurses who wish to expand their roles while staying in the field of oncology. There are now specializations of the career that include chemotherapy, cancer prevention counseling, surgical oncology, genetic counseling, bone marrow transplantation, GYN oncology, and breast cancer treatment.

In addition to patient care, the oncology nurse often takes on the responsibility of coordinating a diverse number of services for cancer patients and their families. Very often, that means taking on the multiple roles of oncology nurse, educator, counselor, and coordinator, all with the focus of providing comprehensive cancer management services to individuals, families, and the community in which the nurse lives and serves.

Perhaps a role that the oncology nurse provides that has the greatest impact is pain management. This is a tremendous value to cancer victims, cancer survivors, and their families. The oncology nurse is in a perfect relationship with the patient and the family to help with the use of pain management medication because the training and the ability to diagnose and make adjustments to how pain is being managed can be coordinated by one trained individual. This is a valuable service to those struggling with the challenge that cancer brings to their lives. As such, oncology nursing is a rewarding and fulfilling career.

http://www.nursesource.org/oncology.html

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/704623

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