The chemotherapy nurse helps to administer chemotherapy to cancer patients.
Chemotherapy nurses are also referred to as oncology nurses. They are registered nurses who care for cancer patients, by working with the patient's medical team, delivering chemotherapy and helping them to manage treatment-related problems. Through the Oncology Nursing Society, a registered nurse may take a two-day Chemotherapy and Biofeedback Course to gain the knowledge needed to properly deliver chemotherapy to patients. At the culmination of this course, participants receive a provider card showing potential employers they've acquired the didactic skills to work with patients receiving chemotherapy.
National Average
According to the job and compensation data website Salary.com, chemotherapy nurses earn between $52,120 and $78,781 a year, as of June 2011. Depending on where you live, the average oncology nurse salary may vary from the national average.
East Coast States
Along the eastern seaboard, New York City, chemotherapy nurses are the closest to the higher end of the salary scale with average earnings at $75,865 a year. That's according to the Salary.com website which also states that nurses in Boston, Massachusetts, aren't too far behind with salaries averaging $71,391. In the District of Columbia, they receive $69,666 and in Raleigh, North Carolina, it's $62,380 a year.
Southern States
As determined by Salary.com in June 2011, Atlanta, Georgia, chemotherapy nurses earn $64,041 a year. In neighboring Nashville, Tennessee, that figure drops by over $3,500 to $60,526 a year. Chemotherapy nurses in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, earn slightly less at $58,928. Over in Mobile, Alabama, they bring in $57,522.
Midwest States
In the Midwest, chemotherapy nurses in Chicago, Illinois, earn an average salary of $67,812 a year, just a few hundred dollars more than those in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who make $67,365 annually. As further stated on the Salary.com website, chemotherapy nurses in Cheyenne, Wyoming, earn $58,097, while in Omaha, Nebraska, they receive $59,759 a year.
West Coast States
Out of all four U.S. regions, oncology nurses on the west coast seem to earn the most. In San Francisco, California, their salaries average $76,696 a year, says June 2011 Salary.com data. Oncology nurses in Seattle, Washington, earn a respectable $70,305. For their work in Los Angeles, California, oncology nurses receive a median salary of $70,177 a year. Rounding out the west coast workers are those in Portland, Oregon, who bring in an average annual salary of $65,575.
Tags: chemotherapy nurses, June 2011, cancer patients, chemotherapy nurses earn, Coast States, nurses earn
