A registered nurse who guides patients through cancer diagnosis and treatment, coordinating care and removing barriers. BLS does not publish separate figures for registered nurses; it counts them within registered nurse (SOC 29-1141), whose median pay is $97,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 29-1141
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Oncology Nurse Navigator in four numbers
- Median pay
- $97,550a year, or $46.90/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $69KTop 10% $137K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +5.6%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+5.6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +5.6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 180,8003,465,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20253.5M
- Projected 20353.7M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 3.5M Projected 2035 3.7M - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school0.8%
- Certificate22.5%
- Associate's19.4%
- Bachelor's55.9%
- Master's1.4%
Highest education held by registered nurses Segment Value High school 0.8% Certificate 22.5% Associate's 19.4% Bachelor's 55.9% Master's 1.4%
Also advertised as: Nurse Navigator, Cancer Nurse Navigator, Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator, Patient Navigator RN, Cancer Care Coordinator.
Pay
How much do Registered Nurses make?
Every oncology nurse navigator in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$97,550
Middle half earn $80,330 to $112,350
- 10th
- $68,940
- 25th
- $80,330
- 75th
- $112,350
- 90th
- $137,470
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $68,940 |
| 25th | $80,330 |
| Median | $97,550 |
| 75th | $112,350 |
| 90th | $137,470 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $97,550
- Median hourly wage
- $46.90/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $101,420
- People employed
- 3,379,720
Versus all US occupations
At $97,550, Registered Nurses earn 91% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $46,570 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 5% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $137,470 or more while the bottom 10% earn $68,940, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 70% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $140,270, and still leads at $126,689 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Registered Nurses the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $140,270 | $126,689 | 338,940 |
| 2Hawaii | $136,320 | $123,983 | 12,940 |
| 3Oregon | $129,010 | $124,815 | 39,730 |
| 4Washington | $124,200 | $116,061 | 69,260 |
| 5Alaska | $109,480 | $106,957 | 7,510 |
| 6New York | $109,440 | $101,408 | 205,810 |
| 7New Jersey | $106,500 | $97,882 | 92,680 |
| 8Massachusetts | $104,550 | $98,859 | 88,200 |
| 9Nevada | $103,670 | $103,692 | 27,070 |
| 10Connecticut | $102,740 | $99,160 | 40,110 |
Job outlook
Is Oncology Nurse Navigator a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +5.6% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | +5.6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Registered Nurses to change 5.6% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 194,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 180,800 openings are projected each year, 5.2% of the 3,465,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Oncology Nurse Navigator
Oncology nurse navigators are registered nurses, usually with oncology nursing experience in infusion, inpatient, or radiation settings, and a bachelor's degree is commonly preferred. Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) certification from the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) is often required.
ONCC also offers the Oncology Nurse Navigator certification (ONN-CG) through the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+), which requires navigation experience and an exam. Many navigators move into the role after several years of oncology nursing at the same cancer center.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as registered nurses.
- Bachelor's Degree55.9%
- Post-Secondary Certificate22.5%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree19.4%
- Master's Degree1.4%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)0.8%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.9% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 22.5% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 19.4% |
| Master's Degree | 1.4% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 0.8% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does an Oncology Nurse Navigator do?
Oncology nurse navigators help patients move through cancer care, which often involves many specialists, tests, and treatments. Starting soon after a suspicious finding or diagnosis, they explain what to expect, schedule appointments with surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists, and make sure test results and records reach the right people.
They assess needs such as transportation, finances, fear, and family support, and connect patients with social workers, financial counselors, dietitians, and support groups. They teach patients about treatment and side effects, follow up between visits, and track how quickly patients move from diagnosis to treatment. Many specialize in one cancer type, such as breast, lung, or thoracic cancers.
Day-to-day tasks
- Contact patients soon after a cancer diagnosis or abnormal finding
- Schedule and coordinate appointments across specialties
- Educate patients on diagnosis, treatment, and side effects
- Assess barriers such as transportation and finances
- Connect patients with social work, nutrition, and support services
- Present patient needs at tumor board meetings
- Follow up with patients between treatments
- Track navigation metrics such as time to treatment
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Oncology nurse navigators work in hospital cancer centers, community oncology practices, and breast centers. The work is mostly office and clinic based, with phone calls, meetings, and tumor board conferences, during weekday hours. Long relationships with patients facing serious illness can be emotionally demanding.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Active Learning3.5
- Learning Strategies3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | 3.5 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness4.1
- Coordination4.0
- Service Orientation4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.5
- Instructing3.3
- Time Management3.1
- Operations Monitoring3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.1 |
| Coordination | 4.0 |
| Service Orientation | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.5 |
| Instructing | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Time accounting software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Oncology Nurse Navigator?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code SEC) built on O*NET's Registered Nurse profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Oncology Nurse Navigator |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 6 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Social5.7
- Conventional4.8
- Investigative4.6
- Realistic3.5
- Enterprising3.3
- Artistic1.3
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Oncology Nurse Navigator
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with registered nurses highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Oncology Nurse Navigator$97,550
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Oncology Nurse Navigator | $97,550 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Oncology Nurse Navigator appears on
Questions
Oncology Nurse Navigator: frequently asked questions
How much do Registered Nurses make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for registered nurses. It counts them within registered nurse, whose median pay is $97,550 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $80,330 and $112,350, and the top 10% earn $137,470 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Oncology Nurse Navigator?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Registered Nurses, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 55.9% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Oncology Nurse Navigator a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.6% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 180,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Oncology Nurse Navigator do?
Oncology nurse navigators help patients move through cancer care, which often involves many specialists, tests, and treatments. A typical task: contact patients soon after a cancer diagnosis or abnormal finding. Employers most often ask for Business intelligence and data analysis software, Data base user interface and query software, Document management software.
Which states pay Registered Nurses the most?
The highest state medians for Registered Nurses are California ($140,270), Hawaii ($136,320), Oregon ($129,010) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Oncology Nurse Navigator?
O*NET scores Registered Nurses highest on the Social, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.