What Is an Oncology Nurse and How to Become One

An oncology nurse is a registered nurse (RN) with advanced training who specialises in working with patients living with cancer and those at risk of developing the disease. Providing a combination of medical care and emotional support, oncology nurses are critical to providing quality life-affirming care to those suffering from some of the most life-threatening conditions.

Learn more about oncology nurses, including what they do, earn, and how to become one yourself. You'll explore cost-effective, flexible courses that can help you gain the job-relevant skills you'll need to excel in the field.

What is an oncology nurse?

Oncology nurses are registered nurses who take care of cancer patients and those with the potential to develop cancer. Oncology nurses work with physicians and other medical professionals to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage cancer symptoms, as well as provide palliative care. 

In addition to administering medical care to cancer patients, you can anticipate also providing emotional support and companionship to them. In some cases, you may also educate patients on cancer terminology, symptoms, and how to live a healthy lifestyle whilst undergoing treatment.    

You can choose from a variety of specialisations within the field of oncology nursing. Some common options include:

• Paediatric oncology

• Radiation oncology

• Surgical oncology

• Immunotherapy

• Genetic counselling

• Haematology

• Chemotherapy infusions

• Gynaecological oncology

• Bone marrow transplantation

• Breast oncology  

What do oncology nurses do?  

Every oncology nurse will have unique duties based on where they work, their specialisation, and the types of patients with whom they work. At any given time, your responsibilities might include:  

• Monitoring a cancer patient's condition.

• Running various tests and evaluations.

• Managing symptoms in cancer patients.

• Administering medication to cancer patients.

• Helping to manage the side effects of treatments, such as chemotherapy.

• Administering chemotherapy and other treatments like infusions.

• Educating patients and their loved ones on a particular type of cancer, treatment options, management plans, and lifestyle adjustments during cancer treatment.

• Assessing a cancer patient's mental and emotional needs.

• Helping create a plan of action for a cancer patient's care.

• Advocating for cancer patients and their loved ones.

• Recording a patient's health history, monitoring their vital signs, and maintaining clinical documents.

• Caring for cancer patients after surgery.

• Coordinating with other healthcare providers.

Oncology nurse salary and job outlook

Like many other healthcare professionals, oncology nurses earn a higher-than-average salary and have a positive job outlook.

Registered nurses earn a median annual salary of ₹2,23,762 a year [1]. Furthermore, Indeed estimates the average base pay of an oncology nurse to be ₹2,95,429 as of November 2024 [2]. Whilst no official statistics on the job outlook for oncology nurses are available, increasing demand for the profession in the coming years is likely.

According to The Economic Times, registered nurse jobs are expected to grow by 17 to 18  percent by 2027 [3]. Additionally, the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Cancer Registry Programme (ICMR-NCRP) reports to The Hindu that the projected number of cancer cases will increase from 14,60,000 in 2022 to 15,70,000 by 2025, suggesting a likely increase in the need for oncology nurses [4]. 

Where do oncology nurses work?

Oncology nurses can work in various healthcare settings—essentially anywhere that treats cancer patients. Some common places oncology nurses work include hospitals, doctor's offices, outpatient care centres, hospices, cancer centres, clinics, and nursing homes.

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How to become an oncology nurse

Your path to becoming an oncology nurse begins with meeting age and education requirements and becoming an RN. Once you've achieved this, you can advance your career through training, education, experience, and various certifications. Here's what you can expect:

1. Earn your nursing degree or diploma.

Before you can register as a nurse, you must first complete the required education. You can get a nursing diploma course after completing the 10+2 board examinations. Or you can complete a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in nursing or a Master of Science (MSc) in nursing. Whilst each of these paths will prepare you for the profession, keep in mind that candidates must hold a BSc in nursing or a general nursing and midwifery (GNM) diploma for eligibility to enter oncology nursing programmes.

2. Take and pass the nursing council entrance exams.

State nursing councils and the Indian Nursing Council (INC) require you to pass certain exams at the state and national levels after completing a nursing course. Once you do this, your next step is to register in the state where you will practise. This is mandatory, and it allows you to join the state-level registry of nurses. Once you register,  you can work in both the public and private sectors. 

3. Gain work experience.

Once you become a registered nurse, you'll likely need to gain some clinical experience before becoming an oncology nurse. You’ll typically need two to three years of experience before specialising in a subfield like oncology.

To focus on oncology nursing, learners need to obtain a Post Basic Diploma in Oncology Nursing. This 12-month course focuses on the specialisation of oncology specifically. For oncology nurses who want to work at a managerial level, the MSc (Nursing) Medical Surgical-Oncology Nursing is a two-year course that provides oncology-based knowledge and how it works in management. 

Gaining experience working with cancer patients during this time is particularly beneficial. You should also explore other specialties within the field, such as paediatric oncology or surgical oncology, to see if you prefer working with a specific population or patient type.

4. Hone your skills.

Being an oncology nurse can be one of the most emotionally rewarding and challenging jobs in health care. To perform your job well, you'll need to pair medical expertise with emotional intelligence in order to best help patients suffering from some of the most critical health conditions.

Some of the people skills you should work on honing include:

• Communication: Communication is an essential aspect of most jobs that involve working with patients. That said, as an oncology nurse, you'll need to take it to the next level. You'll need to find ways to connect with patients emotionally and look for nonverbal signs to figure out what someone isn't telling you about their mental or physical state. 

• Empathy: Empathy and compassion allow you to put yourself in the shoes of your patients and their loved ones and make decisions based on what you'd want for your health.  

• Collaboration: As an oncology nurse, you're part of a team that includes your patients, their loved ones, physicians, therapists, surgeons, nursing assistants, and countless other healthcare workers. Working together to develop the best options for those patients can be the key to a positive outcome.

Looking to advance further?

Should you choose to advance your career as an oncology nurse even further, you might consider earning a master's degree in nursing. This can help you become an oncology nurse practitioner. Oncology nurse practitioners have more advanced responsibilities in a health care setting, such as the ability to prescribe medication and provide primary care.    

Next steps toward a career in oncology nursing

Oncology nurses must continuously learn to keep up with an ever-changing field. If you're interested in starting or advancing your career as an oncology nurse, you might consider taking a cost-effective, flexible Specialisation through Coursera.

In Johns Hopkins Cancer Biology Specialisation from Johns Hopkins University, you'll learn essential skills in cancer biology, cancer metastasis, and prostate cancer that will enable you to develop a deeper understanding of the impact of cancer on the human body.