How Much Can an Oncology Pediatric Nurse Earn?

Hospitals and clinics seek oncology pediatric nurses.

Nurses interested in working with children and their families in an ever-changing area of medicine may want to consider pediatric oncology. Pediatric oncology nurses provide and administer care cancer treatment for children, which may be difficult for those who have trouble dealin with suffering and death. Deep relationships often develop, however, which makes this career rewarding.

Expected Salary

Oncology nurses can increase their salaries with additional training.

Certified oncology registered nurses (RNs) can expect to start their career earning $62,000. Seeking additional training to become a certified oncology nurse practitioner increases the expected median annual income to $79,000. Training, experience and location influence salary levels for this nursing specialty. Some pediatric oncology nurses can earn as much as $140,000 per year.

Education and Qualifications

Oncology certification may provide a higher income.

To work as an oncology nurse, basic nursing training is required. Both two-year and four-year nursing degrees are acceptable to begin, although a four-year Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) will be the most advantageous for job competition and advancement. Nurses looking to specialize in cancer treatment will need to become Oncology Certified Nurses (OCN) through coursework or clinical practice and eventually passing an exam.

Oncology nurse practitioners have received their Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), which requires two years of graduate coursework. By passing another exam offered by state nursing boards, nurses can become advanced practice nurses, or APN.

Nurse practitioners with at least 500 hours of clinical practice in oncology are eligible to become an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner (AOCNP) through the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. At this advanced level, salaries are much higher, as much as nearly $10,000 more.

Job Duties

Pediatric oncology nurses provide medical treatment to children with cancer.

Pediatric oncology nurses are generally the eyes and ears for the patient's treatment team and give valuable updates about the patient's progress. Oncology nurses prepare and administer chemotherapy, provide treatment explanations to family members and assess the physical and psychological needs of the patient. Patient ages range from infants to adolescents.

Oncology nurses, mainly those with practitioner licenses, can specialize in research or education if direct patient care is not their goal.

Specialities

Pediatric oncology nurses can further specialize their career path.

Even though the career path to become a pediatric oncology nurses requires specialization, these nurses can further specialize because of the diversity of the field. Nurses may seek to target treatments, surgical oncology or bone marrow transplant. Symptom management may be useful training, as could palliative care.

Career Outlook

Job prospects are good for pediatric oncology nurses.

Nurses are in high demand across the country, and pediatric oncology nurses have good job prospects. This demand is likely to continue to be high for many years. Pediatric oncology nurses may need to relocate to larger cities in order to be near hospitals and clinics with oncology units, but these facilities exist coast to coast.

References

• Allnursingschools.com: Become an oncology nurse
• Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation: Get Certified
• Nurses for a Healtier Tomorrow: Oncology Nurse

Resources

• Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses: Home