Are you a nursing student? It's such an exciting time as you learn how to provide essential healthcare to other humans. There is likely a reason you've chosen this field of study, a motivator, something that drives you. Some people want to help others, while others have a personal experience of illness or disease in their family that drives them to study nursing. Whatever the reason, it's definitely a noble calling. But at some point during your study, you may want to decide to specialize in a particular field of nursing, such as neonatal or oncology nursing. This helpful article will share how you can choose your field. Continue reading to learn more.
Become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Are you wondering how to become a neonatal nurse practitioner? Neonatal intensive care (otherwise known as NICU) nurses play a prominent role in caring for newborn babies and their families and loved ones. They care for both healthy newborns and those with health complications, mothers and children with birthing trauma, or other neonatal challenges.
Most neonatal nurses end up working in specialized intensive care units specially designed to treat newborns. They provide care and support for the first month of a newborn's life or more for premature babies. The level of care a neonatal nurse provides will depend on the baby's needs, and it will also vary depending on the hospital and local settings.
The first step is to acquire an undergraduate degree in nursing, which takes three to four years. From there, you become a registered nurse (RN). After that, you'll need to gain some firsthand clinical experience. After this, you can undertake a specialized NICU certification to become a neonatal nurse.
Become an Oncology Nurse
Now, we'll cover how to become an oncology nurse. This is a nurse who provides specialized nursing care to cancer patients - those undergoing cancer treatment such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as those receiving palliative care for a terminal cancer diagnosis.
To become an oncology nurse, the minimum degree required is an Associate's Degree in Nursing or ADN. However, for a competitive edge in the job market, a Bachelor's Degree in the Science of Nursing (BSN) is best.
After either of these qualifications, you'll need to obtain your registration as an RN and then gain at least 1,000 hours of clinical contact experience in a primary healthcare setting - with some of this time being spent in an oncology setting. After this, you can then specialize to become an oncology nurse.
Become a Geriatric Nurse
What is geriatric nursing? Geriatric nursing is a field of nursing that specializes in providing care to geriatric patients - older people who have unique healthcare needs. As we age, we often require more intensive healthcare and may end up in hospital more frequently due to falls, illness, and routine procedures.
There is no specialized qualification for geriatric nursing, so the above mentioned pathways will enable you to work in this field. However, you can become board-certified, which can help you progress your career. To do this, you need an RN license and a minimum of two years experience and then undertake at least 2,000 hours of clinical gerontology nursing within three years, and 30 hours of professional development as well.
Become a Surgical Nurse
A surgical nurse assists surgeons with surgical procedures, including routine and emergency surgery, such as coronary bypasses or brain surgery. A surgical nurse can support patients through all stages of surgery, from preoperative, during operations, and postoperative as well. They can also work in specialized intensive and critical care units.
To become a surgical nurse, you must put in time and effort. To give you an idea of the level of training involved, even before obtaining a medical surgical nursing certification, you need 26 weeks of operating room experience. You'll need to work well under pressure, as well as efficiently and quickly.
The first thing is to follow the aforementioned steps to becoming an RN. After two years of working, and with 2,000 hours of clinical experience, you can obtain the credential. You'll need to keep working in this role to remain certified.
A Nursing Career Conclusion
This helpful article has helped you to understand nursing specializations and how you can choose your field as a nurse. By now, you should have a clear picture of the requirements of the different roles and be well on your way to making a decision.
