What makes oncology nursing special? Walking the road together

To identify the factors that influence oncology nurses' decisions to enter nursing and specialize in oncology and to describe the role dimensions of oncology nursing practice.

Multi-institutional, descriptive, qualitative.

Six sites in different regions of the United States; rural and urban cancer and noncancer centers.

38 oncology nurses (mean age = 35 years; average time in nursing = 10 years and in oncology = 7 years; 47% bachelor's degree in nursing, 29% diploma, 13% associate degree in nursing, and 11% master's prepared).

Phenomenological; content analysis of interviews.

Life events, career decision-making, personal and professional rewards, role dimensions of practice, caring behaviors.

Nurses said that their decisions to specialize in oncology were based on family experiences with cancer, the challenges of administering sophisticated cancer therapies, and influential role models. They reported that professional rewards are derived from valuing each patients as a 'whole person' and providing family-centered care. Nurses find that personal rewards and career survivorship are embedded in several ongoing discoveries: work offers a unique laboratory for learning about life in general, distancing maneuvers are necessary for self-preservation, and the fuzzy boundary between work and personal life must be constantly renegotiated.

Oncology nurses find the best in the worst of situations, live fully the cancer experience by embracing their patients' heartaches and triumphs, share a collective sense of pride in their specialty, and report a high level of job satisfaction.

Caring for the dying person with cancer is the most difficult aspect of oncology nursing practice and being with--being present in the moment, no matter what the outcome--is the most rewarding and ubiquitous caring behavior of oncology nurses.