Chemotherapy Nurse
Hello, my name is Ben; I'm a staff nurse on the Chemotherapy unit. After I qualified as an RGN (Registered General Nurse) I worked on a surgical ward for two years. Quite a few of the patients on the ward had operations for cancer and went off to see oncologists. At that time I wasn't even very sure what an oncologist was, or what they did. But I did know that I was interested in looking after cancer patients. So I got a job on the cancer unit and really enjoyed it. People often say, isn't it really depressing looking after people with cancer all the time? It's true that, sometimes, it is very sad but it's not depressing. Nowadays over 40% of people who get cancer are cured. Even when we don't cure patients there is lot we can do for them - help with relieving symptoms, with understanding what is happening to them, and what might happen and …., well, just care for them really. That's a real challenge. It's what nursing is all about, it's why I became a nurse in the first place and so I'm doing what I want to do and, no, it's not depressing.I went on with my training and now I have a Diploma in Cancer Nursing and a Fitness for Practice qualification to practice in Chemotherapy. This means that I can give intravenous Chemotherapy. So when patients come for treatment I can sort it all out for them. Check how they have been; check that their blood counts are OK and that it's safe to go on with the treatment. I then put the needle into the vein for the Chemotherapy and supervise the drip and make sure that all the other drugs are given as well (anti sickness, and such like). When the Chemotherapy is finished I make sure that the patients are ready to go home: that they have their tablets to take away with them, that they know whom to call if they have a problem and know what to look out for, in terms of possible complications. All the time I'm chatting to them, answering their questions and getting to know them as people. By the time someone has completed 3 to 6 months of treatment you know each other pretty well. It's sad to say goodbye at the end of treatment, but it's good to know that most of them will probably be OK.