How To Become A Pediatric Oncology Nurse: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pediatric oncology nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.,

Kim Raines

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a pediatric oncology nurse. For example, did you know that they make an average of $38.35 an hour? That's $79,761 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 195,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a pediatric oncology nurse?

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University

One of the suggestions for new graduates is the importance of self-care. We have long known of the demanding nature of the nursing practice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nursing role's critical importance and the unique contributions made by nursing professionals. As the healthcare environment is extremely complex and challenging, nurses must remember to advocate for themselves and prioritize self-care.

ScorePediatric Oncology NurseUS Average

Salary

6.2

Avg. Salary $79,761

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 9.20%

Black or African American 11.85%

Hispanic or Latino 9.11%

Unknown 4.27%

White 65.13%

Gender

female 87.69%

male 12.31%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pediatric oncology nurse

Explore pediatric oncology nurse education requirements

Most common pediatric oncology nurse degrees

Bachelor's

63.9 %

Associate

14.4 %

Master's

9.8 %

Start to develop specific pediatric oncology nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	33.60%
BLS	14.21%
Hematology Oncology	8.49%
Chemotherapy	6.81%
Hematology	6.56%

Complete relevant pediatric oncology nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pediatric oncology nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pediatric oncology nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pediatric oncology nurse resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed pediatric oncology nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed pediatric oncology nurse in most of states. 43 states require pediatric oncology nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse

Research pediatric oncology nurse duties and responsibilities

Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Provide care to pediatric hematology and oncology, including bone marrow transplant patients on an inpatient unit overnight.
Provide developmentally appropriate quality patient care for pediatric patients with hematology/ oncology conditions in a fast-pace inpatient hospital setting.
Set up, operate, and monitor specialized equipment such as cardiac monitors, defibrillators, and 12 lead EKG.

Prepare your pediatric oncology nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pediatric oncology nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pediatric oncology nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable pediatric oncology nurse resume templates

Build a professional pediatric oncology nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pediatric oncology nurse resume.