Nursing is a profession with facets such as holistic nursing and skilled nursing. Holistic nursing care, as previously discussed, transcends the requirements and supposed limitations of care provided. Through it, patients can receive care and treatment from considerably traditional forms of healthcare such as acupuncture, hypnosis, and even aromatherapy. Skilled care nursing leans more on the western, highly academic, research-based trends and practices in providing patient care and rehabilitation.
The focus of skilled nursing care can be considered strictly scientific as it relies on evidence and tests before procedures are implemented or withdrawn. Under strict regulation by the US Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, skilled nursing care practitioners and providers must meet regulation standards.
According to Precedence Research, the skilled nursing facilities market is projected to grow from $315.52 billion in 2021 to US$592.10 billion in 2030. This growth in the market will result in an increase in the need for human resources to fill roles, thus the demand for skilled nursing care providers. In addition, skilled nursing care is expected to provide care to an increasing geriatric population globally. Based on United Nations projections, the aging population is expected to increase to 1.5 billion by 2050. In the US, around 96 million people will reach 65 years and over by 2060.
With the potential growth of skilled nursing care, a few questions might arise: What exactly do skilled nursing care practitioners do in the field? How can you become a skilled nurse? Where can you work as a skilled nurse after pursuing this field? Let’s find out in the following sections.
Licensed nurses are the providers of skilled nursing care and are usually under the supervision of a doctor. As a skilled nursing care provider, you will administer and follow any prescribed therapies or medical interventions the patient needs under the supervision of a higher medical professional such as doctors or nurse supervisors. Additionally, hospitals, nursing homes, long-term acute care facilities, and others that provide care and treatment may require skilled nursing care practitioners.
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities employ skilled nursing care practitioners to maintain the quality of service, care, and treatment patients require during their stay. Other healthcare facilities that require skilled nursing care practitioners are senior homes because geriatric treatment and care may require case-sensitive procedures and treatments that a non-licensed staff may not be able to perform. For example, such treatment and care may include providing the appropriate maintenance medication or therapy that the senior home resident needs.
Skilled nursing care practitioners may also provide home rehabilitation care and treatment. For instance, some patients and their families may request that their loved ones be cared for at home. As a skilled nursing care practitioner, you may be tasked to report to the patient’s home and provide treatment, therapy, or care needed to heal or rehabilitate the patient fully. Other care services that you may provide are palliative care, wound dressing, tube feedings, catheter care, speech, and occupational therapy.
Becoming a skilled nursing care provider may entail different routes. If you are living in the US and eager to pursue the field of nursing, this may take a total of seven years, including internships. Some who want to pursue nursing can take the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and the Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) programs. Both programs are for approximately a year, requiring no prerequisites.
The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) may take 15 months to two years. You can take this route to be a full-fledged licensed nurse. Offered in many community colleges and requiring some prerequisite subjects, having an ADN can double the annual salary of common healthcare professionals.
To prepare you for experience-oriented leadership and management in the nursing field, you can take the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). A BSN is a four-year program that entails training and academic discussions on research, management, and clinical skills. You will only need two years to finish a BSN once you have acquired an ADN.
Furthering your studies in the field of nursing can lead you to get a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), and even a DNP or a Doctor in Nursing Philosophy. Enhancing your professional career and experience can also include elevating your profession in other ways, such as finding a mentor in the field and joining nursing organizations.
If you are an immigrant who wants to pursue a career in nursing in the US, you may need to go through a few hoops. First, you must secure a visa and a satisfactory English skill test score. The United States of America is a melting pot of cultures, with only one national language used predominantly in schools and offices. However, you can be assured that in a post-COVID world, the demand for nurses in the US is still increasing.
Most importantly, passing the licensure exam is critical in any licensed profession. Once you have decided to pursue a career in nursing, you also need to remember the necessity of getting that license. Studying and piling on that stock knowledge before the exam will help in processing the questions and determining the correct answer. Other tips for passing the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) include exploring other studying techniques, such as having an accountability buddy during the review.
Once you decide which route suits you, you must consider your employment options. Finding the most appropriate facility to practice nursing can get time-consuming and exhausting. Some schools may have recommendations on where you can practice clinical trials to improve your clinical skills. Also, some healthcare facilities could absorb you as an employee. However, if you feel you have outgrown that facility or need to start a new one in a different work environment, consider choosing a staffing firm to help you.
As restrictions ease and travel bans are lifted, you can expect immigration to the US to be easier and faster with the help of a staffing firm. Concerns that include bringing your loved ones to the US for work can be arranged with the help of the healthcare facility that hired you or even your partner staffing firm. The US is once again actively hiring nurses from abroad, as the healthcare industry is experiencing nursing shortages.
PRS Global was founded by healthcare professionals familiar with the difficulties and worries of being in the field. Our mission is patient-centered, and the nurses who work with us are among our most valuable resources.
We aim to change lives in America by ensuring that patients receive the proper care and attention from competent healthcare professionals. By establishing connections between skilled foreign nursing experts and American healthcare providers, we help healthcare facilities to manage solutions to the nurse staffing crisis that threatens our healthcare system.
No other staffing partner sees your potential in international nursing opportunities the way PRS Global does. Contact us today!