Treating cancer is very much a team effort these days. And, working closely with other members of the team, oncology nurses are becoming more and more closely involved with the care of people with cancer.
Although your primary physician or oncologist is responsible for the diagnosis and planning of effective treatment, there is now more of a professional collaboration between oncology physicians and nurses than there used to be. The oncology nurse will make decisions about your care within her or his scope of practice. The physician encourages and values the nurses' recommendations and contributions.
• In the hospital, it is the nurses who will be with you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So your doctor will
often ask the nursing team for updates on your condition. Nurses may make "walking rounds" with the doctor
to find out how you are doing and to make plans for the upcoming day. It is the oncology nurse at the hospital
who monitors your vital signs, assesses lab work and physical findings, evaluates your needs and calls the
physician when necessary.
• On an out-patient basis, the nurse will work with you at a more independent level. Your doctor still maps out
the treatment plan, but the oncology nurse will help you and your family as the plan is carried out. Nurses may
help the doctor plan and decide the most effective way to deliver chemotherapy drugs. And the nurse's opinion
will be especially valuable in, for example, choosing the antinausea medications most likely to be effective for
