Career Nurses: How to Advance Your Healthcare Career

Nursing is a challenging yet rewarding career for thousands of individuals across the country. Many seek to advance their careers to a higher level in healthcare, whether that be in the field of nurse management or elsewhere. If you’re a career-minded nursing professional and seek a higher calling, use the following tips to help you advance your nursing career:

Advance your Education

Like any profession, education is often the key to success. For the nursing field, if you started out with an Associate degree, go back to school for your Bachelor’s degree. If you already have a Bachelor’s degree, look into getting a health care law degree online. Your current employer might offer tuition incentives for those seeking a higher education.

Once you’ve obtained an advanced degree, you’ll be able to move into a management or administrative level position

Seek Different Certifications

Medical and healthcare employers are always looking for nurses who have obtained various specialized certifications. Some popular certifications include dialysis treatment, MDS (coding and billing), phlebotomy and more. There are over 26 different certifications that are available for nurses who are looking to advance their careers.

Nurses who have recently graduated from school normally choose a specialty and seek an entry level position within a hospital, nursing home or medical clinic.

Look for a Mentor

Mentors can be great for helping aspiring nurses advance their careers. The best mentors will have years of experience as a manager or director, and can meet with you on a regular basis to discuss issues within the workplace and offer hands on training in management areas, if necessary.

Many employers offer mentorship programs that can lead directly to a promotion if the nurse successfully completes the program.

Grow your Network

Like any other career field, nurses must always focus on growing their network of healthcare professionals. Connect with other nurses online, stay in touch with classmates from college, and mingle with people at work. Personal networking can lead to numerous potential opportunities in specialty areas and in management.

The road to becoming a nurse is not an easy one. Those who successfully complete their college education and on-the-job training have a rewarding career to look forward to. Those who put in the extra time and effort into professional development will give themselves the opportunity to enjoy higher salaries and a fruitful career in nursing or healthcare management.

About the Author

Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her 3-year-old husky Snowball.

You can also diversify your nursing career with a variety of healthcare certifications for nurses.

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Molecular scientists are making great strides in the medical industry. Just within the 20th century, researchers made several medical breakthroughs. We are still in the early years of the 21st century, but scientists have already made several important discoveries in molecular science here as well. Scientists are building applications that can detect chronic medical conditions, and their work has led to many new innovations in the health care industry. The improvements in pharmaceutical technology are benefiting millions of people already.

Molecular Tags and MRI Signals
A new class of molecular tags has recently been discovered. The tags can enhance MRI signals, and can create a detectable signal that lasts longer than an hour. Scientists hyperpolarized important molecules which then appeared brighter and had a stronger signal. This technology can be used on small molecules and amino acids. Researchers are still perfecting the technology and are planning to use the new concept as a general imaging tag.

Computer Models and Human Lung Tissue
Researchers are developing computer models that can observe human lung tissue and are trying to develop a drug that can fight tuberculosis. The computer models will be able to show researchers how a medication can move to the infection site. The new technology will also show scientists how drugs interact with different types of harmful pathogens. When the computer models are fully operational, scientists will have a better understanding of tuberculosis drug therapies.

Quantum Engineering and Teleportation Technology
Quantum engineering is being used in molecular science and scientists are improving the futuristic ideas of teleportation technology. Currently, researchers are working on quantum simulators and are aiming to make highly sensitive sensors. This way they can build a framework that can design and test quantum simulators. The technology will improve medical imaging at the cellular level.

Creating Nanoparticles and Improving Vaccines
For nearly a century, vaccines have curbed many serious illnesses. Scientists are always improving vaccines and a team of medical researchers are developing nanoparticle vaccines. The vaccines have surface molecules and can influence the immune system’s response to tumors. In the future, vaccines may be able to kill tumors with T-cells. When nanotechnology and molecular engineering are combined, the information can give scientists a better understanding of the lymphatic system. The new information will help scientists treat chronic medical conditions.

Bioanalytics and Living Cells
Currently, bioanalytic researchers are working on identifying the molecules that are present in all living cells. They are striving to break down the lipids, proteins, and the metabolites that regulate all bodily functions. The new information has already played an important role in ASEA supplements. The new technology characterizes and quantifies important molecules. What is ASEA? Products like these work with the body on a molecular level to improve cell production throughout all systems.

Foodborne Illnesses and Medical Technology
Foodborne illnesses are a serious concern and a widespread illness like these can devastate a population. Scientists have developed technology that can detect E. coli strains. The technology is less expensive than the current testing methods. A portion of meat is placed in a small box and the device makes several copies of the genes in the meat. When the researchers press a button, the results are available within one hour.

In the last few years, molecular science has paved the way for several new medical technologies. Molecular science will continue to be an important part of the healthcare and technology industries. New technologies will benefit people everywhere. The new pharmaceutical technologies will make medications more affordable and the technology will increase the shelf-life of drugs. Targeted drug therapy will deliver the medication to its destination with minimal adverse side effects. These are just a few examples of how molecular science is adapting and changing our lives for the better.

Please also review our healthcare certifications for nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Worldwide Office: Best Volunteer Avenues for Nurses Who Want to Travel

Becoming a volunteer is one of the best ways for nurses to travel the world and use their medical skills where they are most needed. They get the chance to learn more about new countries and cultures at the same time they help to make the world a better place. There are loads of different volunteer opportunities out there for those interested in traveling to foreign lands, but not all of them are worth your time. Here is a look at some of the best volunteer avenues available for nurses who want to travel.

Nepal Medical Elective
For any nurse who wants to see the majesty of the Himalayas, the Nepal Medical Elective is a fantastic opportunity. Nurses are placed at either a hospital in Kathmandu, a hospital in Chitwan, or a medical school in Bhaktapur. They will get the chance to volunteer in many different areas, including oncology, radiology, burn unit, emergency, pediatrics, geriatrics and the ICU.

Global Vision International (GVI)
This program has projects in Thailand, South Africa, Nepal, Mexico, India, and Fiji. Volunteers of all backgrounds are accepted for this program, but anyone who has medical skills is particularly prized. Anyone getting a nursing degree would be very welcome and if you are getting an RN to BSN online in Florida or from another program, you can use your experience to help boost your resume as well. GVI’s programs are wide-ranging, but they always target low-income patients. The volunteers are able to customize their volunteer experiences of between two to 12 weeks.

African Impact
As most of us are aware, the healthcare systems in parts of Africa can be very poor. It is particularly poor or even non-existent in most rural areas. African Impact will allow nurses to practice their skills in beautiful, rural areas of Africa. This is a volunteer program that gives nurses a chance to provide medical care for people who need it the most.

Agape Volunteers
This is another volunteer opportunity for nurses who would like to make a difference in Africa. Nurses who go through Agape Volunteers will have the chance to go to Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, and Maasai-land. This program has lots of extracurricular activities that will take volunteers out to explore some of the outdoor opportunities available like hiking, rafting, and even wildlife viewing.

These are just four amazing programs that nurses can use to travel to exotic lands and help the needy. There are many other opportunities available for nurses, and the times are flexible to accommodate their schedules. Don’t just jump at the first program you look at. Do some research and ask the program representatives questions. The key is to find a volunteer experience that has the best combinations of features to make it a memorable one.

Please also review our healthcare certifications for nurses.

Better Bedside: How Nurses Can Improve Their Patient Engagement Skills

A good bedside manner, the way in which a healthcare professional interacts with their patients, can aid in diagnosis, helps with treatment, and encourages the patient to feel like a person instead of a case. The most important factor in developing a good bedside manner is establishing a rapport. Rapport helps to break out of the nurse/patient relationship and encourages a casual environment more reminiscent of one person chatting with another person. A degree in healthcare or health law is a way to learn and improve patient engagement skills.

Listen to the Patient

Everyone wants to be understood. Nurses need to give patients their undivided attention when they are talking with them. Encourage the patient to talk about the presenting problem and its history. When the patient has described their symptoms and history, nurses can then begin to evaluate the information the patient has provided, and to ask questions. This is especially important in differential diagnoses of conditions that have similar signs and symptoms.

Have Empathy, Not Just Sympathy

Sympathy is saying, “I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.” Empathy is understanding what it’s like to walk in their shoes. Nurses should provide the level of service that they would expect, were their role and the patient’s role reversed.

Genuinely Care About the Patient

Healthcare is a profession of sharing in the responsibility of the well-being of patients. Give the best treatment possible to the person who is present right now. Patients are more likely to follow the directions of nurses who really care about their health, rather than nurses they feel don’t really understand or care about them.

Be Tactfully Honest

Patients can become negative and discouraged when problems with their health cause them to seek medical care. Nurses should consider the emotional impact a prognosis will have on the patient, and use the rapport they have established to deliver the news.

Nurses with good patient engagement skills take the time to listen and to understand their patients. They show genuine care and empathy towards patients. They are aware of the emotional impact that their behavior can have on those patients and understand the legal and practical consequences of improper practitioner-patient interaction. Having healthcare master’s degrees can be invaluable in learning these skills. These are all important factors in establishing a good rapport.

Conclusion

The patient engagement skills listed above are not just good for nurses—they will benefit healthcare professionals in whatever capacity they serve. Healthcare providers need to learn and cultivate sound patient engagement skills to develop a good bedside manner. Doing so will provide a better experience for both the patient and the provider.

About the Author: Marlena Stoddard is a freelance writer who received her BA from University of Georgia.

If you are a healthcare professional and would like to earn healthcare certifications for nurses and other professionals, then please review the programs

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