Purpose/Objectives: To identify the specific administrative, clerical, patient care, patient education, and research responsibilities that licensed nursing personnel perform in the field of radiation oncology.
Design: Descriptive.
Sample: 281 licensed nursing personnel employed in the field of radiation oncology in North America.
Methods: Subjects completed a six-page, self-administered questionnaire comprised of fixed-choice and open-ended questions.
Main Research Variables: Demographics, employment settings, and administrative, clerical, patient care, patient education, and research responsibilities.
Findings: Nurses in radiation oncology tend to be older (41-60 years of age) and considerably well educated, with many years of experience in this field. Nurses are responsible for a wide variety of tasks. The study found a strong demonstration of the role of nurse educator among radiation oncology nurses.
Implications for Nursing: Radiation oncology nursing is a subspe-cialty in evolution. The data should provide support for further exploration of how patient education and support influence patient outcomes in radiation oncology.
Bruner, D.W. (1990). Report on the Radiation Oncology Nursing Subcommittee of the American College of Radiology Task Force on Standards Development. Oncology, 4(8), 80-81.
Bruner, D.W. (1993). Radiation oncology nurses: Staffing patterns and role development. Oncology Nursing Forum, 20, 651-655.
Bucholtz, J. (1987). Radiation therapy. In C.R. Ziegfeld (Ed.), Curriculum for oncology nursing (pp. 207-224). Philadelphia: Saunders.
Hilderley, L.J. (1980). The role of the nurse in radiation oncology. Seminars in Oncology, 7, 39-47.
Hilderley, L.J. (1991). Nurse-physician collaborative practice: The clinical nurse specialist in radiation oncology private practice. Oncology Nursing Forum, 18, 585-591.
Kelvin, J.F. & Moore-Higgs, G.J. (1999). Description of the role of nonphy-sician practitioners in radiation oncology. Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 45, 163-169.
Kelvin, J.F., Moore-Higgs, G.J., Maher, K.E., Dubey, A.K., Austin-Seymour, M.M., Daly, N.R., et al. (1999). Non-physician practitioners in radiation oncology: Advanced practice nurses and physician assistants. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 45, 255-263.
Miaskowski, C., & Buchsel, P.C. (1991). The national survey of salary, staffing, and professional practice patterns in radiation therapy-based oncology nursing. Pittsburgh, PA: Oncology Nursing Society.
Moore, G.J. (1996). Collaborative role of a nurse practitioner in a university radiation oncology department. Cancer Practice, 4, 285-287.
Rankin, S.H., & Stallings, K.D. (1996). Patient education: Issues, principles, practices. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven.
Sitton, E. (1992). Clinical practice. In K.H. Dow & L. Hilderley, (Eds.) Nursing care in radiation oncology (pp. 361-377). Philadelphia: Saunders.
Strohl, R. (1988). The nursing role in radiation oncology: Symptom management of acute and chronic reactions. Oncology Nursing Forum, 15, 429-434.