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Current Trends Impacting Nursing Jobs

With the pandemic and an increase in the aging population retiring every year, nurses’ demand is rising. As a result, Registered Nurses, Nursing anesthetists, Nursing midwives, and Nurse practitioners who help with primary and technical healthcare services are in greater need than ever due to the shortage of nurses worldwide.

The rapid increase in connectivity across the world leads to the opportunity for licensed nurses with additional skills like multilingual capabilities, holistic health services, and many others., which is enormous in the coming years. According to the World Economic Forum, there is a massive demand for nurses globally, currently standing at 6 million. They call for creating 6 million nurses’ jobs by 2030, majorly in low and middle-income countries. Further, it states that the total number of nurse graduates needs to be amplified by 8% per year to address the shortage. Considering the high demand for nurses across the world, the employment opportunities seem to widen as the retiring population of the nursing field increase every year.

The rise in Telehealth technology seems to offer patient care through virtual networks. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 22.4% from 2021 to 2018. The worldwide adoption of telemedicine facilitates more straightforward access to patient care, new telehealth, and chatbot technologies. This expected increase in telemedicine demands nurses trained to educate the patients and provide patient care through virtual networks. Owing to this, the demand for nurses specialized with such traits will be high as compared ever to previous years.

6 of the Top Soft Skills Needed for Nursing Jobs

It is essential to have technical skills and soft skills for a nurse to regularly interact with patients, their family members, and other healthcare workers. Whereas technical skills help with the treatment and medication, soft skills help with proper communication and maintaining professional etiquette. No matter the profession, soft skills are essential for workplace success, and nurses must apply them regularly during their work. Though most people have them, these skills can be practiced and mastered over time through repeated application.

We have highlighted the six most essential soft skills that are imperative for people with a nursing career. Incorporating at least three of the following skills in your resume will ensure grabbing your employer’s attention.

• Proficiency in patient monitoring and health screening

  Since there are many patients in the hospitals and other settings with severe illness which require regular monitoring by a nurse to keep the check on their health, monitoring patients facilitates early detection of the signs that seem to worsen and allows them to provide the proper care at the right time. Not just this, the patient monitoring also provides physiologic input data used to control directly connected life support devices. With the rapid increase in technologies, the trend of remote patient monitoring systems seems to increase as it reduces the number of hospitalizations, readmissions, and lengths of stay in hospitals.
  
  Along with this, the nurses should conduct health screening of patients through tests, physical examination, and other procedures to identify individuals at sufficient risk of a specific disorder. Thus, you gain proficiency by pursuing a certification in Biometric Health Screening.

• Expertise in First Aid and CPR

  Nurses are usually the first responders when an emergency takes place. The nature of the work of nurses makes it necessary for them to be conversant with the basic requirements of the nursing field, which are first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). First aid’s expertise helps the nurses preserve a person’s life, prevent further harm, and promote recovery. Along with this, they need to be aware of a life-saving technique called cardiopulmonary resuscitation during cardiac arrest. With their efficiency in providing rescue breaths, the nurses hold the ability to save lives in emergencies. To develop both abilities, you can undergo training in specific areas through online courses such as CPR training and First Aid training and work under expert health care personnel.

• Ability to organize medical records

  Serving multiple patients with different health conditions and working under various doctors requires nurses to have excellent organizational skills. For example, a nurse must ensure that all the treatments are done according to the doctor’s schedule and prescribed to the corresponding patient without any error. Having good organizational skills helps the nurses in doing it through proper record keeping and focussed multitasking. To maintain the correct record with utmost security, the nurse can gain proficiency in any software such as OpenMRS, One Touch EMR, and Solismed. These electronic medical record software will allow easy storage of data of patients.

• Compassion and empathy for patients

  Having compassion and empathy for the patients while working is one of the most important virtues a nurse should possess. It is vital to understand the patient's problems and provide them with proper aid and care, especially for the sick, injured, or disabled patients in one way or the other. It will also help in communicating with the family members of the patient during intense and stressful situations.

• Establishment of good communication with patients

  Understanding a patient's concerns and communicating a patient's needs to the health professionals mandates a nurse to have good communication skills. A nurse with excellent communication skills can evaluate a patient's health conditions and share the information correctly with other healthcare workers promoting individualized care. This will help them in taking the appropriate course of action and explaining the instructions to the patients. Learning to communicate at the level of the listener by refraining from using complex terms is crucial for nurses. Also, you should be comfortable voicing your opinion even if you disagree with other healthcare workers, especially when it’s about patient care.

• Updated knowledge of medical equipment

  As a nurse, you are responsible for conducting every related task of patients and conveying the pertaining information to professional doctors for the proper treatment. This requires you to have updated equipment such as intravenous lines, central lines, heart pumps, chest tubes, pulse oximeter monitors, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation equipment, blood pressure cuff, and many others. In addition to the knowledge of how to use these tools, you should be able to interpret their effectiveness and determine whether it’s delivering the correct result or not. Nurses can gain knowledge by referring to multiple manuals available on the internet for Medical Equipment Maintenance Manual.

Educational Requirements for Nursing Jobs

While most employees prefer having an associate degree for getting a nursing job, a nursing diploma that offers more practical experience is good enough to get an early career. But, most employers prefer hiring a nurse candidate with at least a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. Having a master’s in nursing will allow one to practice the nursing profession’s indirect aspects like mental health, critical care, etc. In addition, a doctorate in nursing will present an individual as an expert in the field and qualify for top administrative nursing positions. People with other degrees interested in pursuing a nursing career can also undertake a two-year second-degree program to become a nurse.

Ensure that certification is essential in nursing as it works as an official declaration of your education, skills, and knowledge in nursing. There are many certifications available for nurses with their specific specializations as it will work as evidence of their expertise in the related task. Additionally, any employer would appreciate credentials like Emergency Nurse Certification, Infection Prevention, Control Certificate, and Wound Care Certification. These are basic certifications applicable for any individual as it primarily consists of patient care skills.

After obtaining a nursing degree, the candidate must pass the state regulatory licensing board test for getting a job. Additionally, one can opt for getting certified in specific areas through the certification programs offered by organizations like American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).