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Background: Several Norwegian local authorities have established positions for cancer nurses, but we have little knowledge of what functions they have and what expertise they provide. Aim: The purpose of this study was to get more knowledge about what functions cancer nurses have in their local communities and how they experience and assess their professional role. Methods: Information was collected through research interviews with eight cancer nurses. Findings: The cancer nurses expressed that they had both patient-oriented and system-oriented functions. Central, patient-oriented functions covered almost anything from assessing patient condition, treatment, alleviate pain and symptoms, patient care, and information and counselling to patients and their next of kin. One of the most important system-oriented functions was the coordination of various health services. Some experienced that documenting the way working hours had been used was a task that had to be done after working hours. Others had experienced a higher degree of freedom in developing their different roles as cancer nurse. In assessing their own competence, the cancer nurses highlighted their patient-oriented functions and professional knowledge. To supervise colleagues and work for higher professional quality were also found to be important. Conclusion: The cancer nurses expressed that positions of a prescribed percentage as a cancer nurse may create a space of freedom that opens up for professional judgement both with respect to patient- and system-oriented functions.

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