Oncology Nursing Education

Educational curricula have been developed and implemented to provide oncology nurses with an appropriate understanding of cancer biology, epidemiology, prevention, treatment, nursing practice issues, and trends in cancer care. Several cancer nursing texts 16-23 and journals, such as the Oncology Nursing Forum, Cancer Nursing, and Seminars in Oncology Nursing, deal with these topics in appropriate formats. Cancer nursing is part of the general undergraduate and graduate nursing educational curricula. In addition, doctoral programs and oncology nursing professorships have been established.

The usual educational level of the oncology nurse at the time of entry into practice is a bachelor's degree in nursing. Figure 70.1, which is based on the membership demographics of the ONS, shows the highest nursing degrees of ONS members. Membership in the ONS offers opportunities for the study and education necessary to qualify for the OCN and AOCN credentials by passing the certification examinations. Increasingly, master's level preparation is specified in many oncology job descriptions. For example, a master's degree is required for oncology clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners. Currently, 26% of the ONS members are pursuing graduate education, and 10% are doctoral students.