Top 12 in Demand Nursing Careers

There are hundreds of careers in nursing one can choose from. Many, though not all, require formal education and experience beyond the basics.

 

As the focus on health continues to grow, the demand for medical workforce, especially nurses, booms as well. Nurses are greatly in demand worldwide. Different nursing specializations is needed to attend to patients with various requirements.

 

Here are the top 12 in demand nursing careers:   

1. Certified Nurse Anesthetist.  A highly specialized nurse, a certified nurse anaesthetist takes home one of the highest salaries but may experience a higher demand for safety and care for patients unable to communicate their needs. An advanced degree as well as certification as a nurse anesthetist is required. Knowing and understanding current practice expectations and limitations, as well as knowing how to respond to the unexpected is vital.

 

2. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. Given the high risk neonatal patients face, working with a fully qualified physician will include assessments, planning, ordering laboratory and other tests. Being aware of and able to use advanced technology for both care and documentation is an absolute essential.

 

3. ICU Head Nurse. Nursing services on ICU are among the most stressful and have the highest staff-patient ratio. Being the head nurse, you should have a firm understanding of staffing needs and options of placement for professionals and paraprofessionals. Knowledge about creativity in leadership and maintaining a good team spirit as well as carrying it out is important. An advanced degree and specialized certification is needed to be considered for this role.

 

4. ER Nurse Practitioner. The vital part of being an ER nurse practitioner includes keeping current of advances in technology in both goods and services, extensive knowledge in advocating for the appropriate care and knowing your own limitations. You will also work closely with social services in terms of providing support to families who have to deal with significant stress, loss and grief. An advanced degree as well as more than a few years of experience will help you deal with the unknown and unscripted life of an ER nurse.

 

5. Medical Surgical Nurse Practitioner. A nurse practitioner dealing with both surgical and medical patients will function much more independently than a clinical nurse in the same area. Diagnosis, treatment, prescribing care and medicines, and follow up along with proper documentation will be part of the role. Knowing one’s limits and gracefully referring those patients who are out of scope of practice from the nurse practitioner’s perspective is crucial. Dealing with disappointments and failure that is usually not part of the nurse’s role may be a challenge in this career.

 

6. Clinical Nurse Specialist. A clinical nurse specialist will make certain that clinic competency is achieved and maintained. This means clinic competency will be more important than staff relationships. Knowing what is inflexible and what can be bend to adjust to cultural or religious values will make you a true specialist. Both and advanced degree and certification in the specialty area plus experience gained over five years or more will make you a true professional.

 

7. OR Head Nurse. As one of the areas where absolute attention to an aseptic (germ free) environment is most crucial, you will face the task of supervising both professional and paraprofessionals, and also providing and maintaining an environment that provides the ultimate safety of your patients Theory and practice in this career is important, knowing what is expected and seeing it fulfilled.  

 

8. Certified Nurse Midwife. The role of a midwife does not stop with the delivery of birth, as many of them are involved in follow up care of the mother and the newborn infant. Midwives have a working relationship with a qualified OB/Gyn physician and have both the knowledge and the practical skills necessary to know which pregnancies are beyond their scope of practice.

 

9. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. As the awareness of the degree of mental health challenges both in diagnosing, and providing care increases, many mental health care facilities have realized the importance of adding nurse practitioners who can cover some of those needs. Among the “non-nursing” tasks are diagnosis of mental illnesses and prescribing medication, but as a nurse dedicated to client advocacy, you will be involved with not only the patient but significant others as well who will become part of the expected wellness. Use of counseling skills will also be part of what you are expected to provide, a task often delegated by psychiatrists to others.

 

10. Obstetrics Head Nurse. A head nurse on an obstetrical unit can expect to be ready to respond to a wide range of emotions from both patients and staff, and will need to provide creative care and understanding for the unexpected. Team leadership and team building is a vital part of the OB-head nurse.

 

11. Transplant Nurse Coordinator. A transplant coordinator will need to maintain current as well as have a firm base with experience and awareness of how vital coordination of both donors and recipients intentions is. More than an educated nurse, a transplant nurse coordinator need a realistic and compassionate heart.

 

12. Recovery Room Staff Nurse. Assessing all aspects of what is or may be happening with a postoperative patient and responding appropriately and in a timely manner is obviously at the very core of this profession. Experience and good judgment, often independently, may make or break you in recovery room. Judgment and assessment will be more important than tasks, and of course, documentation will be crucial.

 

 

Remember to choose not only the salary bracket for each nursing specialty but the satisfaction you will receive in all aspects. As one career may be earning high in a country, it may be receiving low in another. So choose wisely which you will specialized in.

 
 

 Published at: 09/19/2017

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