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Oncological Nurses

Education and Training Requirements

High School

If you want to become an oncological nurse, you will first need to become a registered nurse. To prepare for this career, you should take high school mathematics and science courses, including biology, chemistry, and physics. Health courses will also be helpful. English and speech courses should not be neglected because you must be able to communicate well with patients.

Postsecondary Training

You must be a registered nurse before you can become an oncological nurse. There are three basic kinds of training programs that you may choose from to become a registered nurse: associate's degree, diploma, and bachelor's degree. Which of the three training programs to choose depends on your career goals. A bachelor's degree in nursing is required for most supervisory or administrative positions, for jobs in public health agencies, and for admission to graduate nursing programs. In fact, a survey by Salary.com found that more nurses have a B.A. than an A.A., so standards in the industry seem to be rising. A master's degree is usually necessary to prepare for a nursing specialty or to teach. For some specialties, such as nursing research, a Ph.D. is essential.

Entry-level requirements to become an oncological nurse depend on individual hiring qualifications of the institution or practice and the availability of nurses in that specialty and geographical region.

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