With the new year in full swing, you may decide that now is the right time for a career change. If you’re a caring individual and want to do your bit to help those in need, a career in nursing may make sense. However, the sector is very broad and comes with a wide variety of specialties. If you’re after a nursing role but aren’t sure what position to dive into, here are the most popular nursing specialties for 2022.
Neonatal Nurse
As a neonatal nurse, your main duty will be to provide care to newborn babies, particularly for those who have health complications or are born prematurely. Neonatal nurses can also assist with the birthing process and educate parents about how to care for their baby. Other responsibilities of a neonatal nurse include performing diagnostic tests, devising care plans, and administering medication. To thrive in neonatal nursing, you’ll need to have empathy and understanding for the parents, an interest in newborn babies, and a thorough understanding of the psychological and physiological needs of newborns.
Family Nurse Practitioner
A family nurse practitioner (FNP) is an advanced practice registered nurse. FNPs have specialized graduate educations and provide primary health care support and assistance to people from all walks of life and age groups. With a prominent focus on health education and health promotion, FNPs play a vital role in the health care sector. As an FNP, you can expect to provide services for families and individuals throughout their lifespan. If an FNP role sounds right for you, Baylor University has a variety of FNP programs online you can study to qualify for the role.
Pediatric Nurse
A pediatric nurse concentrates on pediatrics and the medical care of children. Patient ages can range between infancy and teenage years. If you love working with children, this role may be best suited to you. Pediatric nurses typically work with other health professionals to deliver excellent medical care to children. Day-to-day duties of a pediatric nurse include administering childhood immunizations and vaccines, observing the condition and wellbeing of patients, as well as communicating with parents. Pediatric nurses are also responsible for delivering reports to doctors, and recording observations like temperature, and pulse.
Certified Midwife Nurse
The primary role of a certified nurse midwife is to assist women through childbirth. Other areas that certified midwife nurses specialize in include pregnancy, prenatal care, and postpartum recovery. This position requires excellent patient care to female patients. Daily duties of a certified midwife nurse include conducting physical examinations, diagnosing and treating medical conditions, and writing prescriptions for certain conditions. As well as the physical health side of things, certified midwife nurses may advise and counsel moms-to-be.
Hospice Nurse
Hospice nurses care for individuals who have been diagnosed with six months or less to live. These patients have chosen hospice care at the end of life. A hospice nurse can either work in a hospice or treat the patient at their own home. Duties of a hospice nurse include ordering medical supplies, performing patient assessments, and devising care plans for other caregivers to adhere to. Understandably, this role requires you to have empathy and compassion for the patient, and you need to be there to provide excellent support and care.
Registered Nurse
A registered nurse (RN) is a medical professional that provides hands-on care in an array of medical settings. These can include hospitals, doctors’ offices, and schools. RNs monitor and administer medication, take patient blood pressures, temperatures, and pulses, and write records and organize workloads. Registered nurses observe patients, prepare them for examinations and treatment, and monitor them for side effects and reactions to medication. To flourish as a registered nurse, you need to have excellent communication skills and listen to patient needs.
Emergency Room Registered Nurse
Emergency room registered nurses (ERNs) are registered nurses that specialize in caring for patients in emergency room settings. This role is not for the faint-hearted, meaning you must be great at working well under pressure and being in tense environments. Emergency room registered nurses must also have fantastic attention to detail, communicate effectively, and know how to prioritize tasks and patient needs. Typical duties of an emergency room registered nurse include examining and taking patients’ vital signs, observing their health and condition, and performing procedures.
Operating Room Nurse
An operating room nurse works in a specialized sector that concentrates on performing high-quality care to patients before, throughout, and after surgery. Operating room nurses are also known as surgical or perioperative nerves. Day-to-day responsibilities of this role include coordinating the use of equipment, instrumentation, and supplies during surgery, and maintaining patient safety protocol. To work and thrive as an operating room nurse, you must be able to work well as part of a team and be highly organized.
Mental Health Nurse
Mental health nurses are responsible for building effective relationships with individuals that use mental health services. Mental health nurses work in a wide selection of settings and provide support for people who have received a mental illness diagnosis. As a mental health nurse, it’s your responsibility to encourage healthy behaviors and recognize and treat symptoms early. Each patient you treat will come from a different background and have specialist needs, so you will need to adapt accordingly to provide the right level of care and support.
Anesthetist Nurse
As an anesthetist nurse, your core duty is to provide anesthesia to patients. This treatment will stop individuals from feeling pain throughout surgery. Anesthesia is also administered to keep patients asleep during surgery. If this role interests you, you must have excellent attention to detail. This is because you will need to constantly examine each biological function of the patient’s body. There is no room for error in this position, as a minor mistake can be the difference between life and death.
Each of the nursing roles above come with different entry requirements, skills, and salary. Therefore, you’ll need to research the nursing positions you’re interested in to find out more and decide whether it’s the right fit for your career goals.
