Hematology Nurse Job description: Salary, Education and Career Guide for Becoming a Hematology Nurse

Hematology is the branch of medicine that deals with the study of blood, the organs that create the blood and disease related to the blood. Becoming a hematology nurse requires specialized training.

Job Description

If you are thinking of a career in nursing and reviewing the various specialties, you may reasonably ask, "What does a hematology nurse do?" Hematology nurses primarily assist patients with blood disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell anemia.
 
Hematology nurses usually deal with the daily care of patients with blood disorders. They educate patients about their disease and potential treatments. Hematology nurses may have close contact with the families of their patients in order to help them cope with the news that a loved one has a blood disease. The hematology nurse helps family members understand the treatments and procedures, answers their questions and offers reassurance.

Salary Guide

The salary for a hematology nurse depends on a variety of factors such as geographical location and the resources of the employing institution. An average salary for a hematology nurse ranges from $25,000 to $75,000 annually. The average hematology nurse makes about $66,000 a year.

Education and Training

If you are thinking about becoming a hematology nurse, you should begin with a basic nursing education:
  • a four-year program to receive a bachelor’s degree
  • a three-year program to receive a diploma in nursing
  • a two-year program to receive an associate’s degree.
 
Additional training and experience in the field are required to specialize in hematology nursing.
 
A hematology nurse may advance to become a nurse practitioner, a position that offers a more competitive salary and gives the nurse more responsibility for her patients, including the formulation of a diagnosis and treatment plan. To become a hematology nurse practitioner, additional education is required, including the following:
  • an advanced practice license (awarded by the state in which you practice)
  • a certificate from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  • a master’s or doctoral degree.
 
A hematology nurse practitioner often spends several years as a hematology nurse to gain experience before becoming a nurse practitioner.

Prior Work Experience

If you decide to choose a career as a hematology nurse, some prior nursing experience in the field can help you decide whether this is the field you want to enter. If you are currently in school, your guidance counselor or adviser may arrange for you to job-shadow a hematology nurse. If you are not in school, consider volunteering in a hospital to gain more experience in a medical environment.
 
These areas are also applicable:
  • work in a lab to learn more about blood work and blood disorders
  • hold a job in which you deal with many people on a daily basis
  • work with sick people in any capacity.
 

Career Advancement

Hematology is rarely a stand-alone specialty. Many job openings in hematology seek candidates with experience and training in both hematology and oncology. Oncology is the medical field for cancer specialists. Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood, so the patient's care involves both hematology and oncology.
 
A nurse specializing in hematology can advance her career by working in cancer research.
 
In the nursing field, responsibilities and salaries generally greatly increase over time.

Related Associations and Groups

Contact the following for additional information:
  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
  • American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  • National Council of State Boards of Nursing
  • National League for Nursing
 
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