Chemotherapy nurses administer chemotherapy drugs to the cancer patients. They are often called oncology nurses. The nurses are usually registered as licenses practitioners and they might also possess an oncology nursing certificate. In some cases, experienced nurses administer chemotherapy in the absence of a doctor. While the patient is taking chemotherapy, a nurse proves very helpful in educating the patients and making them aware of how the drug might affect them. In fact they act as a link between the patients and their doctors as they tend to spend more time than the doctors.

Most chemotherapy nurses work in general hospitals but you can also find them in medical offices, home health and ambulatory care centers. The nurses help and care for all the patients irrespective of their age. Some of them choose to specialize and work exclusively with children. The nurses need to be well prepared and mentally strong to cope with patient’s death after chemotherapy in spite of the treatment.

As chemotherapy involves the use of drug to prevent the spread of cancer, a nurse who is administering chemotherapy needs to give the drug either orally or intravenously. The nurse should be well versed in giving the shots. This is because if a drug does not enter the veins but is spilled outside, it can cause different side effects during the treatment. They should also handle the drugs with utmost care and avoid chemotherapy spills. For instance, if they are administering drugs for FEC-T chemotherapy or any other drug, they should be aware of the various precautions that need to taken during the administration. If the patients can take the treatment at home by way of PICC line, then it the work of these nurses to guide the patients how to do so.

Oncology nurses should be well-versed in preventing cancer as well as promoting the health of the patients. They should be very thorough with the screening procedures and detecting and diagnosing cancer at an early stage. They also need to educate the patients about the possible side effects, the food habits and the entire medication procedure to the patient before the patient begins chemotherapy. The nurses should be able to explain to the patient as to why and what pattern of treatment should followed, the intricacies and modalities of the treatment and also educate them in managing the symptoms, and also educating them about self-care in the long run after the treatment is over. They should be ready to face the emergencies faced during cancer treatment and also the psychological aspects of their profession.

Nurses who are interested to pursue a career in this field need to attain a certification in oncology to begin with. This would help them to get noticed by the recruiters and distinguish them from other nurses and also ensure that they possess the required skills related to oncology. In order to be eligible for this certification, they need to have a registered nurse license with one year of experience as a nurse. During the process of gaining experience as a nurse for one year, 1000 hours should be devoted to training as an oncology nurse and 10 hours for their education in oncology.

Chemotherapy nurses or oncology nurses who have a lot of experience in the field draw the highest salary. Some oncology nurses however have lowest salaries as well. A survey indicates that oncology nurses with more than 20 years of experience in their relevant field earn almost the same as nurses with one to four years of experience in the field of oncology.

Like other nurses, the work of chemotherapy nurses is equally challenging. They need to dedicate their life completely towards the welfare of patients, and also administer the drugs with utmost care. Some cancer patients tend to take drastic steps to end their life. Utmost care needs to be taken by the hospital authorities to make sure that patients get proper treatment by professionals who are experienced in their respected fields. These nurses form a part of the team to give moral support to patients and answer their questions so that they complete their treatment successfully.