Nursing is one of the most popular jobs in healthcare. They not only treat patients but also offer their advice to patients and their relatives or friends. Professional practitioners treat patients and also offer advice to patients. Certified nurses work with the patients to provide a supportive and comfortable environment for them.
Nurses need to communicate with the doctors and other healthcare professionals about the treatment plan and the patient needs for giving a detailed analytical opinion. Nurses are enthusiastic members of the present-day workforce. To become a nurse, a person needs to have qualifications and training. But they also need to have extensive nursing skills to do what they are doing. Year on year, women are actively taking up nursing jobs.
There are in-demand nursing poshttps://jobspikrstagi.wpengine.com/blog/womens-labor-force-participation/itions for candidates of all education levels. The best candidate usually is well-trained and responsible to offer the best nursing care under supervision for the initial few years. As the analytics suggests, nurses generally have a cool-temperament and are compassionate.
As per JobsPikr data 2022, there are over 7 Lakh job openings for Nurses in the United States alone, and about 60% get employed in hospitals, while others work in outpatient facilities, doctor’s offices, and nursing care facilities.
Types of Healthcare Jobs for Nurses
We know nurses as a single entity. But you will be surprised to know that there are different types of nurses. Before hiring a nurse, a healthcare organization needs to decide the right specialty for them.
Let’s take a look at the different nurse jobs that are in high demand.
- Registered Nurse: These nurses help doctors in patient care and treatment in different medical institutions. A registered nurse is also responsible for treatment planning or managing an illness.
- ICU Registered Nurse: These are registered nurses working in the ICU department. They are also called critical care nurses. Often, they work with patients within a certain age bracket. The position is a crucial one and a nurse you hire should have proper education and training in this area.
- Licensed Practical Nurse: The nurses working as assistants under registered nurses are called licensed practical nurses. Usually, they perform nominal tasks, such as giving injections or checking the vitals.
- Medical-Surgical Nurse: They are the foundation of healthcare and offer care to adult patients. Medical-surgical nurses are qualified to deal with different types of ailments.
- Emergency Room Nurse: An emergency room nurse treats patients with an injury or trauma in the ER of a hospital or clinic. They have to be adept at treating various conditions and should be able to handle stress.
- Delivery and Labor Nurse: When someone is having a baby, they will need a delivery and labor nurse. They are responsible for taking care of the mother and the baby after their birth.
- Home Health Nurse: Some patients might need care at home and this is when they need home health nurses. Often these nurses offer care to patients who are suffering from mobility issues.
- Pediatric Nurse: It is evident from the name that these nurses work in the pediatric department. They treat children and perform all types of nursing duties. To be in this position, nurses should love kids and be patient.
- School Nurse: You can easily understand from the name that these nurses work in school. They take care of students in school when they hurt themselves or fall sick. School nurses promote the wellness and health of the students and staff members.
Top Skills in Demand: Nursing Industry
While hiring nurses, organizations need to pay attention to the skill set they harbor. The main route to being a nurse is to get a nursing degree. But just a degree isn’t enough. They also need to have the required skills in our fast-pacing digital ecosystem.
The ideal candidate is a well-trained and responsible professional who can give the best nursing care with little or no supervision. They should be able to follow safety and health guidelines consistently and faithfully.
Let’s get to the basic skills a nurse should have-
- Knowledge About Basic Caring Techniques
In a hospital, it is a nurse who provides the first line of care. It is important that they know how to help when a patient is brought in. A nurse should be able to assess a patient, give basic injections, check the vitals, and help with the treatment. Since they will be communicating with the doctor to provide the best patient care, they should know the basic medical terms.
- Patient Safety Protocols
At times, some intensive care patients have to be treated in a protected and sterile environment. When such a patient comes, the nurse should have knowledge about the safety protocols that are needed to be maintained as it is directly associated with the patient’s treatment.
- Patient Transportation
Most of the time, a patient when admitted to the hospital is moved from one ward to the other. A nurse should be able to do that effectively without disrupting patients’ healthcare. They should be able to help outpatients to use wheelchairs or crutches. Also, they should be trained to move in the hospital without disturbing the patient’s position when required.
- Knowledge About Relevant Technology
A healthcare organization cannot provide effective healthcare without the right technology and equipment. These help in streamlining the process and improving healthcare. When you are hiring a nurse, you have to make sure that they know their way around these technologies and equipment. This will enable your healthcare organization to offer better patient care.
- Educating the Patient’s Family
When a doctor is not available or busy with some other patients, family or patients themselves turn to the nurses about the course of action. So, nurses might have to teach patients and their families about after-care or treatments. The nurse should use their education to explain the diseases, trauma, or illness and the treatment process. They should be able to explain the prescription to the patient so that they know which medicine to take at what intervals.
- Interpersonal Skills
Even though it is a soft skill, a candidate should have this. They should be able to interact with the patient and their family in a productive and positive way. It ensures the nurse you are hiring can work in coordination with others and as a part of the team. Focus on interpersonal skills, such as responsibility, dependability, cooperation, leadership, flexibility, and patience.
- Stamina and Mental Strength
Sure, you might wonder why a nurse needs physical stamina or mental strength when all they have to do is take care of the patient. But it’s more important than you know. They have to deal with all kinds of situations. So, they need to have mental strength. The working hours of nurses can be quite hectic. Not only do they have to work long hours, but also have to keep up with a busy schedule. They need to have proper time management skills to be successful.
- Empathy
It is about understanding what the other person is feeling by putting themselves in their shoes. An empathic nurse can respond better to what someone else is feeling. They have to work with people with different health issues, and being empathetic enables them to provide effective care.
- Effective Communication
Nurses have to communicate with the doctors, as well as the patients and their facilities. So, make sure that the candidate that you are hiring can communicate effectively. They should be able to convey what the doctor has to say about the treatment plan and about the patient’s issues to the doctor.
- Adaptability
The environment in healthcare keeps changing. A nurse should be able to adapt to the changes. Often, they have to take care of several patients simultaneously and they should be able to adapt to the requirements of every patient. Nurses will be working long hours with unpredictable routines. While hiring a nurse, make sure that they are flexible and can adapt to new skills.
- Cultural Competency
The nurse’s ability to offer patient care with diverse beliefs, values, and behavior, including customized healthcare services to cater to the patient’s cultural, social, and linguistic needs. A candidate you are hiring should be able to provide patient care without being judgmental. It has to be culturally appropriate. Not many job interviewers ask about it, but you should. A candidate should be able to give an example of how they were able to offer culturally competent patient care.
What is the Importance of Acquiring Nursing Skills?
As a healthcare organization, it is important you pay attention to both hard and soft nursing skills. Hospitals and clinics tend to disregard soft skills, but it can influence how patients rate their experience at the healthcare organization. Take an honest assessment of the hard and soft skills to determine if those nursing skills help push your healthcare facility on the path to success.
When nursing applicants come in, it is easy to check and organize them as per their experience. As an employer, you might have a stack of resumes on your desk of candidates having the same experience. In that case, you should choose one who has the top skills to become a nurse. Your target should be to hire the one having the best nursing skills.
