Prepare For A Nursing Interview

Content shared from Indeed

By taking some steps to plan for your interview, you may feel more confident and prepared. Here are several tips you can use to get ready for your next nursing interview:

Prepare an elevator pitch

Writing down and practicing a short bio about your background, qualifications and personal strengths can help you reply to conversation starters like, “Tell me about yourself.” It’s also a good networking tool to have prepared for future opportunities. An elevator pitch can help you emphasize your top talents and show potential employers right away why you’re an ideal fit for the role.

Do company research

Researching the hospital or organization you’re interviewing with may help you answer interview questions like “Why do you want to work here?” It can also help you to connect your skills and qualifications with the organization’s values and mission. Visit their website and look for recent related news stories and press releases.

Prepare for salary conversation

It can be helpful to gain context about average salaries for the position so you’re prepared to discuss pay if it comes up. Preparing for your interview by planning answers to several common questions asked during nursing interviews can alleviate interview-related stress and build your confidence. Although nerves are certainly normal and expected, you can feel more prepared by practicing your answers and revisiting why you want to pursue a career in this field.

Practice Interviews

It can also be beneficial to you have someone assist you with mock interviews. If they have experience in the field, it may be especially helpful. Even if they don’t, it may still relieve your nerves to practice articulating your skills.

Interview: “Why Do You Want To Be A Nurse?”

Content Shared from Indeed

During interviews for nursing school or entry-level positions, employers may ask you, “Why do you want to be a nurse?” Preparing to answer this question may help you identify your reasons for pursuing a career in this field and feel more confident in responding to the interviewer. Knowing the answer to this question may also help to advance you through the steps of training.

In this article, Indeed writers discuss some ways to answer this question and provide additional tips for the nursing interview process.

How to answer “Why do you want to be a nurse?”

When considering this question, there are several steps you can take to plan your answer before your interview. While it’s helpful to write down what you want to say, avoid memorizing it so your answer sounds genuine and there’s no reason to remember a script. Here are several tips for answering this interview question:

1. Be genuine

Avoid embellishing your answer or crafting a response that you think might sound good to interviewers. Instead, simply take some time to reflect on your core values and the reasons why you felt motivated to pursue a career in nursing. If you’re unsure, think of answers to the following questions:

• What is it about nursing that makes you feel excited, happy or fulfilled?

• How does nursing relate to your skills, values or motivations?

• What made you interested in nursing as a career?

• What do you hope to achieve as a nurse?

Related: Enrolled Nurse vs. Registered Nurse: Key Differences

2. Provide a personal anecdote

Sharing a personal story about why you want to be a nurse offers employers a unique view into your values with context. Sharing anecdotes also differentiates you from other candidates as no one else shares your same background.

For example, you may be pursuing a career in nursing because a close friend or family member experienced a health problem. Perhaps the nurses that provided them with care during their hospital stay inspired you to pursue a career in nursing. No matter your reasons for pursuing the nursing field, this question allows you to identify and articulate motivating factors in your own life. A personal story is always memorable.

Related: Comparing Clinical Nurse Specialists vs. Nurse Practitioners

3. Draw on your own experiences

There are many ways you can use your background and interests to answer this question. For example, perhaps you have had a lifelong interest in helping specific populations, such as seniors or children. If you have experience working with these people, share those details in your answer. Perhaps you or a loved one experienced a problem in healthcare and you want to be part of the solution. Working your experience into the answer can communicate additional value to the interviewer.

Related: 8 Challenges as a Nurse and Tips for Overcoming Them

Example answers

Here are some example answers to the question, “Why do you want to be a nurse?” You can use these as inspiration while preparing your response:

Example 1

Here’s an example that relates the answer to a personal value:

“Several years ago a beloved family member of mine was seriously ill and his nurses were incremental in his treatment and recovery. While visiting him in the hospital, the nurses’ ability to intercede for their patients inspired me by understanding their needs, making them feel comfortable and promptly administering care when needed. I would feel honored to do the same for other families who need a strong, intelligent caretaker.”

Related: 24 Nurse Tools To Have With You on the Job

Example 2

Here’s an example that relates the answer back to professional experience:

“Throughout high school, I volunteered at a local hospital and had the opportunity to witness the difference nurses made in the lives of their patients. As I grew older, it became obvious that nursing was the perfect fit between my passion for biology and a desire to work with people.”

Related: Learn About Nurse Practitioner Programs

Example 3

Here’s an example that discusses internal motivations and goals:

“I have always gained motivation from helping others achieve their goals. Nursing offers a unique opportunity to help people work towards achieving a healthy state of being, one of the most important aspects of life. The rewarding nature of the job, combined with the potential to enjoy stable work opportunities have motivated me to pursue a career in nursing that I hope to continue growing in for the entirety of my professional life.”

Related: Beyond the Bedside: How To Become a Fully Remote Nurse

More common nursing interview questions

Along with the above question, there are several other answers you might consider preparing before your interview.

Some of the other open-ended, commonly asked nursing job interview questions include:

1. What aspect of nursing do you find to be the most rewarding?

2. How have your education and training prepared you for a nursing role?

3. What did you like most/least about previous nursing roles or internships?

4. How well do you work in a team setting?

5. How do you plan to stay organized during your shifts?

6. What value do you feel you can offer your patients?

7. How would you handle a patient who is unhappy with their care?

8. How do you deal with stress on the job?

9. Have you experienced conflict with colleagues on the job? How did you resolve your differences to work together?

10. How do you handle interactions with physicians?

Start in a Nursing Career

Do you like to help others? Inspired by the possibility of saving and improving lives? For many people entering the nursing field, there’s a feeling that they didn’t choose nursing—it chose them. But even if you are sure that you want to become a nurse, you’ll need to plan ahead for your education, training, and on-the-job experience.

Nursing Career

Fortunately, there are several ways to get started as a nurse. By choosing a path that fits your current lifestyle, you can begin working toward your new career, and even start working while you complete your education. Here are three options worth considering.

• Volunteer
• Start working as an orderly attendant or nurse aid
• Pursue a LPN or vocational nurse degree
• Earn your BSN and start working as a registered nurse

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for RNs is projected to grow at least 9 percent over the next decade. The average annual wage for registered nurse (RN) in the United States in 2023 is $ 80,010.

Sounds like a career path that fits you? Check out Sumner College’s BSN or PN programs.

RN Versus BSN: The Differences

RN vs. BSN

Changes in nursing involve a major shift in higher education standards, requiring more nurses to hold a 4-year bachelor of science in nursing (BSN). The new requirements stem from research by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that showed significantly improved patient outcomes when there was an increase in BSNs.

BSN, ADN, RN: The Difference in The Letters

Of course, all nurses are rigorously trained to provide patient care. Let’s review the different levels of training for each position by taking a closer look at the letters that come after a nurse’s name. BSN means bachelor of science in nursing, ADN means associate degree in nursing, and RN means registered nurse.

• BSN is a diploma from a 4-year program: A person with a BSN has graduated from a four-year nursing program at a college, university, or nursing school.
• ADN is a diploma from a 2-year program: A person with an ADN has graduated from a two-year nursing school.
• RN is a certification: A person with the RN designation has passed a national licensing exam—after graduating from a nursing program with a BSN or an ADN. The licensing exam is called NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination), and it’s a nationwide test required to license nurses.

So, if you’re an RN with a two-year ADN, are there reasons to go back to school and earn your four-year BSN degree? Well, that depends on you and your goals. But thousands of students and nurses are getting their BSN—and many of them are doing it in direct response to the IOM recommendation for more nurses to be BSN-prepared. If the IOM says that more BSNs are better for patient health, then nurses everywhere are going to respond.

Here are 5 reasons why you might want to pursue a BSN degree:

1. Open the doors for a teaching position;
2. Upward mobility and career development;
3. Salary;
4. Stand out in the applicant pool;
5. Be the difference and make a difference in patient care.

Sumner College’s new BSN degree program can be completed in less than 3 years. No prerequisites courses are required and we accept transfer credits. Learn more today by visiting www.sumnercollege.com

Types Of Nursing Positions

Information shared from Indeed.com

20 types of nursing positions

Though all nurses seek to provide proper care and treatment for their patients, their day-to-day duties can vary depending on their specialty. Here are 20 nursing positions you can find in hospitals, clinics and private practices. For the most up-to-date salary information from Indeed, visit indeed.com/salaries.

1. Certified nursing assistant (CNA)

National average salary: $42,945 per year

Primary duties: Certified nursing assistants help patients get dressed, eat meals, take their medications and move around. CNAs often monitor their patients’ vitals, exercise them and communicate their status to other medical staff. This position requires a high school diploma, post-secondary certificate and CNA certification.

Read more: Learn About Being a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

2. School nurse

National average salary: $54,763 per year

Primary duties: School nurses provide care to students throughout the school year. When a student falls ill at school, school nurses come to their aid. School nurses typically have an associate or bachelor’s degree along with an RN certificate. Though the pay scale for this job differs from most other nursing positions, school nurses also receive school-year time off, including summer and holiday vacations.

Read more: Learn About Being a School Nurse

3. Licensed practical nurse (LPN)

National average salary: $55,092 per year

Primary duties: Supervised by an RN, LPNs perform a variety of tasks for their patients, including the administration of medication and injections. LPNs require a practical nursing diploma. These nurses can work in hospitals, family practices, nursing homes and long-term care environments.

Read more: Learn About Being a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

4. Home health nurse

National average salary: $72,296 per year

Primary duties: Home health nurses care for patients in their homes. They may care for patients who are terminally ill, geriatric or those with mobility issues. Home health nurse roles often require a nursing diploma or an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Read more: Learn About Being a Home Health Nurse

5. Registered nurse manager

National average salary: $81,898 per year

Primary duties: Registered nurse managers supervise and manage members of the nursing staff. Their various duties include overseeing patient care, creating work schedules and scheduling meetings. Common requirements for the role include a bachelor’s degree in nursing, two years of experience as a nurse manager and an RN license.

6. Registered nurse (RN)

National average salary: $89,651 per year

Primary duties: Registered nurses create treatment plans for patients with a variety of illnesses, conditions or injuries, and they work across several specialties. RN positions require candidates to have an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing. Common work environments for RNs include hospitals, private medical practices and nursing homes.

Read more: Learn About Being a Registered Nurse (RN)

7. Charge nurse

National average salary: $89,969 per year

Primary duties: Charge nurses have duties similar to an RN, but they also handle some administrative tasks, such as scheduling and managing. Because of their duties, they may not see as many patients face-to-face. Charge Nurses typically have a Bachelor or Master of Science in nursing degree.

Read more: Learn About Being a Charge Nurse

8. Pediatric nurse

National average salary: $92,356 per year

Primary duties: Pediatric nurses provide care to children in various medical or health care settings. They often treat minor injuries and administer vaccinations. Pediatric nursing positions require a minimum of an associate degree.

9. Operating room (OR) nurse

National average salary: $99,478 per year

Primary duties: Operating room nurses work in hospitals and care for patients before, during and after surgery. OR nurses provide streamlined communication between the surgical team and the patient’s family. They can also be called perioperative or scrub nurses. OR nurses require an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing and an RN license.

10. Dialysis nurse

National average salary: $100,208 per year

Primary duties: Dialysis nurses handle the care of patients experiencing kidney failure. They also provide their patients with advice on living healthy lifestyles and support for those awaiting new kidneys. Dialysis nurses typically require a Bachelor of Science in nursing and an RN license.

11. Radiology nurse

National average salary: $109,623 per year

Primary duties: Radiology nurses care for patients undergoing diagnostic imaging procedures and radiation therapy. They do so by preparing them for various scans, MRIs and other tests administered by physicians and performed by radiological technologists. Radiology nurses typically have a Bachelor of Science in nursing and a CRN certification.

12. Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse

National average salary: $110,010 per year

Primary duties: NICU nurses care for premature or sick newborn children. Working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, NICU nurses monitor newborns and their various conditions. NICU nurses also provide a source of contact for parents whose NICU babies are in their care. NICU nurses work as registered nurses with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and candidates require certification in neonatal resuscitation or neonatal intensive care nursing.

13. Oncology nurse

National average salary: $111,198 per year

Primary duties: Oncology nurses care for a variety of cancer patients at all stages. Along with administering medication, oncology nurses observe patients and their ongoing progress. Oncology nurses work to display a great deal of empathy to their patients and families as they undergo cancer diagnosis and treatment. Requirements for this position may vary but often require at least an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing and experience in nursing.

14. Travel nurse

National average salary: $111,669 per year

Primary duties: Travel nurses are nurses that move from city to city to provide care for patients in understaffed hospitals or medical facilities. Travel nurses can be specialized or perform general duties. These roles require the candidate to have an RN license and an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing.

15. Emergency room nurse

National average salary: $120,102 per year

Primary duties: Emergency room nurses care for a variety of patients that enter their hospital’s emergency room. While some deal with non-life-threatening injuries and illness care, others handle traumatic and life-threatening conditions. Emergency room nurses require an RN license and an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Read more: Learn About Being an ER Nurse

16. Labor and delivery nurse

National average salary: $121,786 per year

Primary Duties: Labor and delivery nurses help with the birth of a new baby. They support expectant mothers both during and after labor. These nurses specialize in the operations, aftercare and support of labor and delivery practices.

17. Cardiovascular nurse

National average salary: $122,835 per year

Primary duties: Cardiovascular nurses, also known as cardiac nurses, treat patients with various heart diseases or conditions, or patients who have recently undergone heart surgery or procedures. Cardiovascular nurses are required to have an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing and an RN-BC (board-certified) certification.

18. Nurse practitioner (NP)

National average salary: $123,338 per year

Primary duties: Nurse practitioners work under the direction of doctors and have the ability to perform tasks beyond typical nursing care. Like physicians, NPs can diagnose conditions and prescribe treatments. NPs require a master’s degree or doctorate degree to work in this position.

Read more: Learn About Being a Nurse Practitioner

19. Intensive care unit (ICU) registered nurse

National average salary: $130,672 per year

Primary duties: Intensive care unit nurses handle the care of patients with life-threatening injuries. Similar to emergency room nurses, ICU nurses think quickly to help with emergency situations as they arise. ICU nurses require an RN license and an associate degree.

20. Psychiatric nurse

National average salary: $150,164 per year

Primary duties: Psychiatric mental health nurses diagnose and treat patients that suffer from mental illnesses. Psychiatric mental health nurses require a bachelor’s degree in nursing and an RN license. These nurses work to help patients manage their medications and understand their mental health conditions.

Tips For Working While In Nursing School

5 Tips for Working While in Nursing School

Information and article shared from Indeed.com

Here are five tips for being a successful nursing student while working a full-time or part-time job:

1. Review the time commitments in your life

Choosing to work and attend school requires you to make a careful review and assessment of your commitments in life. Determining what is essential in your day, prioritizing your daily and weekly tasks, and taking stock of the people and relationships that are most important to you in life will drive you towards the right decision for you.

2. Consider a part-time school or work commitment

When choosing to attend school and work simultaneously, it’s important to consider the demands of your personal life and your career goals. Think about the best way to allocate your time. For example, after evaluating your aspirations and personal circumstances, you may find that attending school full time is the most beneficial option for you. Going to school full-time ensures the quickest and most direct route to earning your nursing degree. By working part-time simultaneously, you can still earn some income. This can help pay for day-to-day necessities and school-related expenses.

Conversely, you may find that attending school part-time is a better choice for your lifestyle. Working full-time while attending nursing school part-time provides financial flexibility. Earning a steady income may allow for a transition into earning your nursing degree. Choosing this option is a sound choice for adult learners or those with significant personal or family obligations. While attending nursing school part-time will prolong your degree program, it offers people the opportunity to achieve their academic and career goals.

3. Reach out to your support system

Becoming a nurse is a significant undertaking. Whether you plan on attending school full-time or part-time, it is important to identify your support system before you need them. Defining who is in your support system means evaluating who your friends, family, and acquaintances are and clearly understanding how they can help you most effectively when needed. Here are eight interpersonal relationships that regularly make up an individual’s support system:

• Relatives

• Friends

• Teachers

• Peers

• Colleagues

• Mental Health professionals

• Academic advisors

• Religious leaders

4. Design a schedule and routine

Students who work and go to school full time must design, implement and maintain a disciplined schedule and daily routine. Create a comprehensive scheduling resource on paper, a computer or mobile phone that defines and outlines your responsibilities daily, weekly and monthly. Leverage tools like calendars, alarms, emails or text message reminders to stay on task and motivated. Assess how your schedules and routines are working periodically to make changes and adjustments where necessary.

5. Remember to take care of your well-being

When committed to a variety of important responsibilities, it’s essential that you make time and meaningful effort to include self-care, relaxation and personal hobbies in your schedule. Explore various outlets and activities for stress relief, such as meditation, yoga, exercise, sports leagues, social clubs and mental health support groups. Make time for family, friends and social gatherings as well as being alone. Taking care of your overall mental, emotional and physical well-being ultimately increases your academic ability and work performance. Taking the time to recharge boosts your positivity and may allow you to refocus your energy and improve your productivity.

Working While In Nursing School

Pros and Cons of Working While in Nursing School

Information and article shared from Indeed.com Editorial Team

Nursing school provides an avenue for aspiring nurses to grow and learn. Working while also attending school affords students options relating to their personal lives and financial needs. If you have a passion for science and medicine and you enjoy helping people, you may consider becoming a nurse. In this article, we describe the benefits and potential challenges of working while in nursing school and offer five tips for being a successful student while also employed.

pros of working while in nursing school

Many students in nursing school choose to work in paying jobs while simultaneously attending classes. There are a number of benefits and challenges to working while going to school and each student needs to weigh each to determine what is best for them. Here are six positive effects of working while attending nursing school:

Improved time management skills

Balancing between professional and academic obligations provides learners with an enriching opportunity to enhance their time management skills. By creating a daily schedule, prioritizing duties by necessity and applying creative problem-solving skills, people who work while attending school can improve their skills. Cultivating healthy time management strategies can help advance your success in school and in your career.

Related: 6 Tips for Writing Nursing School Resumes (With Resume Example)

Ability to pay for your daily expenses

Working while attending nursing school can help to offset the standard expenditures of being a student. Your salary or wages can go toward the cost of tuition, have and classroom materials like textbooks or software programs. With an income, you will be able to pay for any daily expenses more easily. This can ease financial stress, and it may even allow for more a person to direct their focus on completing classwork and acquiring the hands-on skills necessary to become a nurse.

Can help avoid burnout

Having a job while going to school can also give you the opportunity to focus your energy and mental efforts on tasks that are unrelated to your studies. By diverting your attention, you can potentially avoid burnout. Burnout is the temporary mental, emotional and sometimes physical fatigue that can occur from immersion in arduous situations or scenarios. This temporary fatigue is common and can be preempted through small lifestyle changes.

Having a full-time or part-time job naturally creates variation in a person’s routine. In this way, working can potentially help keep your mind from getting fixated and stuck on schoolwork, research or other academic responsibilities. This allows for a positive attitude towards your coursework and increased performance.

Related: 20 Types of Nursing Positions

Increased accessibility to continuing education

Students sometimes take out substantial loans to fund their nursing school education. These loans must be paid back over time and can represent a large monthly payment owed. Working during nursing school can help lessen the loan amount that a student may need for school.

It may also allow people to avoid interest on their loans but making payments toward their principal balance while attending school. This is a great option for people who wish to pay their loan off sooner. Additionally, by lessening the future burden of loan payments, you may be better situated to further pursue your education. If you choose to earn a master’s degree or Ph.D.

Potential access to industry professionals

Having a part-time job in the healthcare industry is likely to help you make connections with nurses, doctors and physicians assistants. These colleagues can become important contacts within your professional network. Expanding this network can lead to career opportunities, mentorship roles and references.

These relationships can also help you determine what specialties interest you most. By allowing you to ask questions about other people’s career trajectories and histories, nursing students can solicit advice on how to recognize their primary interests and potential areas of specialization. This is a crucial step for realizing your career aspirations and goals.

More distinguished resume after graduation

An impressive nursing resume highlights your educational background, accomplishments, talents and skills. It should also include nursing license and certification details and membership in any professional organizations, associations, or societies. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, positions for registered nurses are projected to increase by 7% through the year 2029. This is nearly double the average growth predictions for other careers. However, entry-level positions for home health aides, personal care helpers, nursing assistants and orderlies are predicted to increase by 25%. This percentage is nearly seven times the average national growth rate for other jobs.

Working full or part-time in a health-related field while earning your nursing degree can help you build your resume, increase your viability as a candidate and show potential employers evidence of your dedication to hard work. It also showcases your ability to multitask, your commitment to time management and your willingness to accept challenges, which are all attractive qualities to possess.

Cons of working while in nursing school

Here are three things to consider before deciding to work while also attending nursing school:

Work may interfere with the nursing residency program

Most nursing school programs require the completion of a specific amount of fieldwork or hands-on training hours in order to earn your degree. Because this fieldwork is used to get students prepared for the rigors and responsibilities of professional nursing, working could interfere with the hour requirements of nursing school. The additional mental and physical efforts of a job could also impact your ability to successfully execute the residency program requirements.

Personal time may be impacted

Nursing students have a significant amount of hours accounted for in their day between classes and residency programs. Many students find the amount of support, organization, and planning needed to achieve strong academic performance is quite high. Finding time for one’s self, be it to spend time with family or friends or simply focus on personal interests, is important for a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Including a full or even part-time job on top of nursing school commitments may leave you with very little time for personal matters to be attended to when needed. Be sure to be mindful of this reality when prioritizing commitments.

Work schedules may not align well with class schedules

Workers regularly have one set schedule for the year. Other times, people may have work schedules that change from week to week. Meanwhile, school class schedules typically change from semester to semester and your individual class schedule will vary based upon course availability and requirements. For example, if you must take a certain course necessary for graduation that’s only offered once during the week, you’ll have to do so. This can create challenges in balancing work schedules with school schedules.

Scheduling conflicts can impact your relationships at work and may influence your perception of yourself as a worker. They may also affect which courses you’re able to register for if an unsolvable conflict of timing arises. Delaying the taking of courses in favor of working can prolong the time it takes for you to complete your nursing program.

Nursing And Midwifery Workforce

Nursing And Midwifery

Article shared from the World Health Organization

Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. It includes the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Nurses play a critical role in health care and are often the unsung heroes in health care facilities and emergency response. They are often the first to detect health emergencies and work on the front lines of disease prevention and the delivery of primary health care, including promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

In many countries, nurses make up half of all health care professionals and have a vital role in how health actions are organized and applied, both at the front-line and managerial levels.  They are often the first and sometimes only health professional a patient will see and the quality of their initial assessment and subsequent care is vital to strong health outcomes.

67% of the health and social workforce around the world are women

Despite the critical role they play in health care, there is a shortage of nurses worldwide that is expected to rise as the population grows. Initiatives to expand health care services, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are succeeding in providing access to previously underserved communities, which furthers the need for trained nurses. Every country needs a competent, motivated, well-distributed and supported health workforce as part of the global drive for universal health coverage, and nurses are central to these efforts.

Nurses and midwives account for nearly 50% of the global health workforce. However, they also represent 50% of the global shortage of health workers, which is estimated at 4 million. Since in most countries nurses and midwives form the bulk of the clinical health workforce, developing and strengthening human resources for health means recognizing that nursing and midwifery services play a vital role in improving health service delivery. Nursing also represents a significant share of the female workforce; globally, 70% of health and social workers are women. Achieving the goal of health care for all will require huge efforts to reduce the shortage of health workers around the world.

WHO recognizes the vital role that nurses play in primary health care delivery worldwide – including research, disease prevention, treating the injured, palliative care and more – which is represented through several World Health Assembly resolutions. These documents demonstrate the importance WHO Member States attach to nursing and midwifery services as a means of achieving better health for all communities.

Nursing and Midwifery at WHO is led by the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), Mrs Elizabeth Iro. Mrs Iro was appointed by WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus in 2017. She is from the Cook Islands, where she worked as Secretary of Health (2012-2017).

Through the Department of Human Resources for Health (HRH), WHO works on many fronts to promote the role of nurses in health care delivery and expand the global health work force. The Department aims to facilitate the integration of nursing and midwifery services into other WHO programmes and provide evidence-based information on the global health workforce to assist countries and partners in collaborate efforts. WHO also supports technical efforts for capacity building at both the policy level and through in-country programmes, and works to forge networks and effective partnerships to help meet the global need for health care workers.

Fast-growing Travel Nurse Specialties

This article is sourced from TravelNursing.com.

With a nursing shortage compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has driven thousands of nurses from the bedside, many travel nurse specialties are quickly growing, with strong demand and never enough nurses.

Travel nurses, who work short-term assignments, are filling vacancies across the country in a number of nursing specialties.

More than one in four registered nursing positions were vacant in November 2021 and unfilled, according to The Hospital + Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. Many vacancies began before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has had a profound effect on the nursing profession.

About 18 percent of the healthcare workforce quit during the pandemic and another 31 percent have considered leaving, reported the data and intelligence company Morning Consult.  

This has created opportunities for travel nurses as hospitals try to keep their units open and fully staffed. Demand for healthcare is also expected to continue building as the country’s population ages and needs more services for chronic conditions and age-related maladies.

8 in-demand travel nursing specialties

 1. Operating Room Nursing

“OR volume is increasing, due to COVID-related pent up demand and the growing number of ambulatory surgery centers which increases volume and the need for more surgical nurses,” said Linda Groah, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, CEO/executive director of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). “OR nurses are retiring. And due to COVID, nurses are taking time off and others are seeking opportunities outside the perioperative setting.”

“Additionally, COVID, certainly, impacted all nursing specialties, but it is important to realize nursing students have little or no exposure to the OR in their education,” Groah continued. “The result is a shortage of nurses choosing the OR for their career. That is changing, however. AORN has recently partnered with Chamberlain University to incorporate ‘Introduction to Perioperative Nursing’ into its curriculum on four campuses with plans to expand throughout the system.”

AORN predicts the need for perioperative nurses will grow as surgical volumes increase and the nursing shortage worsens. Perioperative nurses work in the operating room and with patients before and after surgery, caring for patients of all ages.

“Perioperative nursing is a very rewarding specialty,” Groah said, noting that surgical patients are in a very vulnerable state and must depend on the team to provide safe care and to protect the patient from harm.

Find perioperative travel nursing jobs across the U.S.

 2. Med-surg Nursing

More nurses practice as medical-surgical specialists than any other specialty, according to the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses. More than 600,000 strong, med-surg nurses care for a variety of patients suffering from a variety of conditions or recovering from surgery.

The Academy reported that med-surg nurses “have a broad knowledge base and are experts in their practice. Medical-surgical nurses have advanced organizational, prioritization, assessment and communication skills and are leaders in coordinating care among the inter-professional healthcare team.”

Find medical-surgical travel nursing jobs that fit your lifestyle.

Keep reading article by visiting 8 Fast-Growing Travel Nurse Specialties

 

How to Study in Nursing School: 8 Tips from an Expert Nurse Educator

Blog shared from Nurse Jannah’s Osmosis webinar on successful study habits every nursing student should adopt. 

As you’re about to enter into an awesome and powerful field, you’re probably wondering about how to study in nursing school so you won’t get overwhelmed. Adopting smart study habits early on in your education will set you up to be a successful learner, test-taker, and practicing RN. Why not get them right from an expert nurse educator?

Why getting into nursing is a big deal

Did you know that, according to AACN Fact Sheets, nursing is the largest healthcare profession in the United States, with 3x as many RNs as physicians? This really speaks volumes about the big role nurses play in healthcare, but also about the challenging road to becoming one.

Nurses work in so many different settings and are in charge of a lot of things. They collaborate as a team, but they operate independently of medicine or other fields.

No wonder there’s tons of information to master in nursing school!

All of this can be overwhelming and confusing to any student: maybe it’s too much to learn in a short time, or maybe you’re not sure where to start. Maybe you feel like things aren’t sticking to your memory, or you don’t know what to use to learn, with so many resources available.

As our expert nurse educator shares in our Osmosis webinar: “This happens to a lot of us”. Here are 8 key tips that Nurse Jannah recommends on how to best study for nursing school.  

→ Watch the full webinar.

1. Get a head start on your course material

Try to stay ahead of the game before you even have a lecture. Read the chapters or watch videos and get familiar with the content—whatever the preparation looks like, it’s important to do it ahead of time.

The reason is that it’s really hard to catch up with the study in nursing school, as there’s a lot of ground to cover, and it goes by fast.

Some of the material you’ll learn is easier to understand than others, and that’s OK. Putting in the work ahead of a lecture is the most important part, as you teach your brain to set the right foundation for gaining knowledge. And even if you don’t understand everything, you build on that and let the lecture or next piece of learning help fill in the gaps.

2. Try making concept maps

Instead of going with the classic way of taking notes—highlighting text and rewriting pages of notes—concept maps are one fun and easy way to study for nursing school.

A concept map is a visual representation of knowledge on a subject that helps you to organize your thoughts on it. Besides being much easier, it’s also an efficient way to understand the information (rather than memorizing it).

Start with the topic you want to learn about and, first, build on it with what you learned. After that, use your notes, videos or other resources to fill in the map and get the whole picture of that topic.

3. Meet your learning objectives

This is something that probably many often ignored as students, which you definitely shouldn’t. When you stumble upon your learning objectives (LOs), paying attention to them is one smart way to study in nursing school.

Although it seems just like a list, LOs act much like your guide to studying, because they outline exactly what you should be able to do or competently discuss after successfully learning about them. This is a really good guide to follow especially when you have a lot of content and don’t know what you’re supposed to focus on.

You can find more practical and visual examples of these tips in our webinar.

4. Make a schedule (and stick to it)

Another tip Nurse Jannah has for you is making a schedule that really sets you up for success. This means one that is realistic and adjusted to your life, your time, your responsibilities.

There’s no standard timeframe for the best learning, so the key here is to focus on quality rather than quantity. If your daily schedule allows you to study for nursing school two hours in the morning or three hours in the evening, both are fine as long as it’s according to your real attention span.

Another important thing here is to make sure you can stay committed to your schedule for studying just as you commit to other obligations in life, in a practical way. This will keep you accountable as well.

5. Teamwork makes the dream work

Speaking of accountability, another tip on how to study for nursing school the better way is finding a study partner: a friend, a tutor, or joining a study group to keep you connected.

The best thing about study groups is that you can listen to different perspectives while discussing a topic. Actively listening to how other people think and apply knowledge helps you hone your critical thinking skills. This is one important skill to have in nursing school, as you’re taking different tests and answering different types of questions.

6. Find your learning style

Everybody learns differently: some students are visual learners—and Osmosis makes that easy with 1800+ animated videos for you!—while others learn better by listening to lectures or doing activities.

Try to practice a bit of self-reflection to discover your learning style and find resources that represent it, as primary learning tools. The earlier you discover how you learn best, the easier it becomes to study and not waste your time the wrong way.

7 Practice, practice, practice

Of course, it is also about practicing NCLEX®-style questions during nursing school. Not only it challenges you to apply all the knowledge you gain, but also your ability to think at a high level and analyze data in different ways.

NCLEX®-style questions are unlike any other type of questions you’re used to seeing, which is why practicing them helps to reinforce your understanding of a concept and prepares you for the final exam: the licensure examination.

8. Don’t forget the basics

Understanding the basics is the biggest starting point in your studying. You need to have a solid understanding of foundational sciences first, such as anatomy and physiology, because all the knowledge you learn in nursing school is based on these and it’s also what makes learning more complex concepts along the way much easier.

And finally… you got this!

And don’t forget to watch the full webinar here: Study for Success: Habits Every Nursing Student Should Adopt.

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Content shared from Osmosis

Public Health Nursing 101

In an era of increasing challenges for public health, nurses have the potential to make a dramatic difference. The American Public Health Association defines public health nursing as, “the practice of promoting and protecting the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social, and public health sciences”.¹

 

As individuals, nurses directly influence the health and wellbeing of patients every day. Through frequent contact, nurses are best placed to encourage lifestyle changes in communities and offer education on healthy living – particularly to the most vulnerable in society.

Uniting to improve public health

By working together, nurses can make a great impact on public health as a whole. The American Nurses Association (ANA) builds on individual nurse contributions to public health, by supporting policy, advocacy, and education at the highest levels. These areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Immunizations;
• Infection prevention;
• Environmental health; and
• Opioid crisis response.

Preparing nurses for public health crises

Nurses must be prepared to respond directly to public health crises; from outbreaks of disease to natural disasters. ANA keeps nurses up-to-date on emerging public health issues, to help nurses to make the most informed treatment decisions.

ANA has supported nurses’ work with resources on:

• Ebola
• Fluoridation of public water drinking systems
• Quitting smoking
• Climate change

Public health nursing’s scope and standards of practice

ANA empowers nurses to perform to the full extent of their expertise, for the benefit of public health. By facilitating the review and revision of public health nursing’s scope and standards of practice, ANA ensures that nursing responsibilities evolve at the same pace as the demands of public health.

The Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations

ANA supports the work of the Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations (CPHNO), which strives to improve the health of communities through excellence in nursing education, practice, leadership, and research.² Its membership has changed since it was established in the early 1980s, and now includes:

• Association of Community Health Nurse Educators (ACHNE)
• Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN)
• American Public Health Association (APHA) – Public Health Nursing Section
• Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE)

The goals of the CPHNO are to create innovative models for public health nursing practice; identify and support the emerging roles of public health nurses; and to develop leadership skills for public health nurses at all levels.

Recent ANA actions for public health

• ANA Opposes Graham Cassidy Proposal

Take more action

Want to know more about public health nursing?  Contact any of the above Quad Council associations. If you’re interested in obtaining the Advanced Public Health Nursing-Board Certified (APHN-BC) credential, visit the ANCC Certification section to learn about the assessment method for ANCC board certification.

References

Article shared from the American Nurses Association

 

Types of Nursing

21^st Century nursing is the glue that holds a patient’s health care journey together. Across the entire patient experience, and wherever there is someone in need of care, nurses work tirelessly to identify and protect the needs of the individual.

Beyond the time-honored reputation for compassion and dedication lies a highly specialized profession, which is constantly evolving to address the needs of society. From ensuring the most accurate diagnoses to the ongoing education of the public about critical health issues; nurses are indispensable in safeguarding public health.