Provide Compassionate Medical Care As An Oncology Nurse Practitioner
An oncology nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has completed a graduate nursing degree, as well as practical hours, to become certified as a nurse practitioner in the field of oncology. Nurse practitioners are able to work with more autonomy than traditional registered nurses, taking on many of the same duties as physicians. This can include ordering tests, writing prescriptions, seeing and treating patients, and so on. In the field of oncology, all of these activities are done under the supervision of a board certified oncology physician. This can be a rewarding career if you are eager to work closely with cancer patients, helping them improve their quality of life and work toward conquering their illness.
Oncology Nurse Practitioner Programs
Anyone interested in pursuing a career in advanced practice nursing will need to meet certain general requirements. The first of these is a master’s degree in nursing; some practitioners move on to complete a doctoral program as well. The first few terms of this master’s degree will include nursing classes that would be required for all Nurse Practitioner Specialties. It is during the second half of your program that you will begin to take classes in your field of specialty. If your chosen specialty is oncology, you will take classes dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of various cancers. You may even narrow your scope further to focus on specific forms of cancer.
Once you have finished the necessary classes, which are available online or in the classroom, you will be required to complete a specific number of practical hours. These are hours in which you are working in the field, in the area of your specialty. Once this is also complete, you will sit for your certification exam. Once you have passed the exam and have become certified as a nurse practitioner, you will be ready to seek out your next career move. With the practical experience you will have gained through your educational program, you should have little trouble finding a position in your field.
Oncology Nurse Practitioner Job Outlook
The job outlook for certified oncology nurse practitioners is outstanding. The demand for nurse practitioners, in general, is growing exponentially, and those specializing in the field of oncology can find employment in a number of different settings. Nurse practitioners can take on many of the responsibilities that had once belonged solely to physicians, at a fraction of the cost. For this reason, we are seeing openings for these nurses with advanced degrees in many different medical facilities.
As an ONP, you may find employment working with a physician in his or her private practice. Here, you would work directly with patients, providing diagnosis, treatment options, and follow up care. You would take an active role in providing counseling and emotional support to your patients and their families as well. Counseling and emotional support are very important to patients dealing with cancer, and they are extra services that physicians often do not have time to focus on. This makes the nurse practitioner a vital part of the treatment team.
In private and public health care settings, you may take on an even more specific specialty, working with AIDS patients, women with breast cancer, or patients fighting mesothelioma. There are many positions available in hospitals and medical centers for ONP’s who can provide treatment under the supervision of the presiding oncologist. This gives any clinic or hospital the ability to offer more personal and aggressive care to their patients. Other settings where oncology nurse practitioners are in high demand are in home health care agencies, hospice care facilities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and any other setting where you might find a cancer patient in need of care.
Oncology Nurse Practitioner Salary
Annual salaries for oncology nurse practitioners range from $65,280 for beginning ONP’s to $96,000 for someone with more experience and expertise. In fact, if you have a doctoral degree in nursing and have proven yourself in the field of oncology, you can ultimately top $110,000 per year. Of course, this also depends on whether you have chosen to work in private health care or for a public or not for profit organization. Public health agencies simply have fewer funding options, and therefore pay less; however, the salary is still competitive and there are many intrinsic rewards to working for a public or non-profit organization.
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners predicts that demand for nurse practitioners will continue to grow. As average life spans continue to grow, so does the need for nurse practitioners who specialize in treating cancer, as we have more years in our lives for the disease to show up. Sadly, although we have made great strides in research that helps us treat cancer, we have made very few strides in preventing the disease. Because nurse practitioners can help make cancer treatment more affordable, the demand for ONP’s is predicted to continue to grow over the next ten years.