The demand for healthcare workers has increased after the global coronavirus pandemic. With the COVID-19 variants such as monkeypox on the way, healthcare professionals are now needed more than ever. Healthcare workers serve in multiple areas, especially those most affected by chronic and life-threatening diseases. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare occupational positions will grow from 2020 to 2030 by a whopping 16 percent, adding 2.6 million additional jobs in the healthcare sector. It indicates a much faster growth than all the other sectors in the US. The rapid increase is due to the aging population, especially the Registered Nurses now retiring. 

Such an increase in demand indicates high earning prospects for those planning to join the healthcare sector. Based on BLS, the median wage for technical healthcare practitioners, like physicians, surgeons, dentists, and registered nurses, was $77,600 as of May 2021, compared to the average national wage of $45,760, according to BLS. In 2022, an increase in hourly wage from $33 to $37.31 will further increase their annual income. 

Job and Education Outlook for Registered Nurses

A registered nurse is a licensed nurse who holds a nursing degree, has completed ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing), and has completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program. You can quickly sign up for affordable online BSN programs after completing your associate diploma from an accredited institute. 

Learning online means less cost and acquiring technical knowledge remotely. After becoming a Registered Nurse, you will be able to serve your community by designing, coordinating, and managing effective healthcare plans. In addition, you can address global healthcare concerns by engaging with international healthcare organizations. Nursing research is another milestone field that brings innovation in healthcare technology, medicine, prevention, and cure. 

According to Payscale, an RN director can earn up to $92,000 annually, a clinical nurse manager gets up to $87,000, and a nurse educator takes home $77,000 yearly. RNs with a BSN earn around $86,520 annually, while nursing diploma holders make up to $65,000 yearly. 

Marketable Skills of BSN Holders

Upon completing a BSN degree, you equip yourself with all the technical and practical skills required to perform your roles. In addition, you will learn all the hard and soft skills that can be different from other professions. For example, healthcare workers must empathize with and understand a patient’s and their family’s situation, unlike a businessperson whose primary skill is the power of persuasion. 

Similarly, some marketable skills will help you successfully land a rewarding role.

Patient-Specific Care

As a patient care provider, you must equip yourself to handle sensitive and complex patient care using clinical reasoning and practice-based evidence. You must be able to use research studies to compile a patient care plan and coordinate with the staff to implement it.

Before preparing patient reports, you must gather all patient data, medical history and previous records, mental health status, and lifestyle habits. You will be dealing with patients from diverse backgrounds throughout your career. Therefore, you must be knowledgeable about ethnically diverse cultural and social practices for accurate interpretation of health assessment. Compare your findings with the previous health data of similar attributes to conclude a diagnosis and healthcare plan.

You must also be able to simultaneously provide comprehensive, safe, and compassionate nursing care to entire families and communities. It will require juggling between patients, but effective time management will help.

In addition, you have to be aware of the healthcare laws where you operate. It is especially crucial, given that the State can seize your license if you work outside these laws. Keeping up with ethical, legal, and regulatory parameters will hold you in high regard within your community.

Patient Safety Sponsor

You must demonstrate the knowledge of your district’s Board of Nursing Rules and local and federal government’s accredited organization safety protocols and standards. 

While working in any healthcare organization, you must constantly promote safety measures and uproot quality care standards for all patients. It will help reduce patient and community risk, leading to trust and more influx of patients in your territory. It will only work by using evidence-based research and applying theoretical knowledge to the institute or organization. 

You might also need to train other healthcare staff in the organization regarding new safety procedures and protocols. It is essential because of the reporting requirements of the NPA. Besides, it is also a part of some healthcare organizations’ policies. Therefore, staying up-to-date with them and making them a part of day-to-day operations will be necessary.

Networking Skills

You will be working among several other healthcare workers and third parties throughout your career. During which, you will be coordinating with multiple parties. These may include families, communities, interdisciplinary healthcare teams, healthcare educationists, etc. Collaborating with them will help you build a better network while upgrading your experience and skillset. You will be able to deliver efficient and high-quality care, provide better healthcare access to denied communities and use multiple referral sources. 

To be able to use your network to the fullest, you must be able to communicate and collaborate in time. You might have to put together a team of healthcare workers to work on a small project, for example, setting up an emergency camp. In such a case, your network of healthcare units will come in handy. Simultaneously, you will be able to provide training to other healthcare staff and interdisciplinary healthcare teams to maintain the optimal healthcare status.

Demonstrate Leadership Capabilities

In many instances, you might be able to demonstrate leadership qualities. It may include managing the nursing staff, training other healthcare workers, mentoring new and fresh graduates, and introducing them to the profession. 

As a nurse administrator, nurse manager, and nursing director, portraying a leadership role is crucial. In such positions, you will be responsible for coordinating with all the other departments, managing teams, preparing training programs, and implementing them. Therefore, hone your leadership skills before climbing to the top administrative levels. 

Conclusion

The demand for healthcare workers in the US calls for exponential growth in the healthcare sector and increasing salary packages. Therefore, it is a much better sector to kick start your career since the median annual pay of healthcare workers is higher than in other professions. Not to mention, it is an enriching and self-fulfilling career.

However, you must learn a particular skill set to perform your role well. These include patient-specific care, safety measures, networking, and leadership qualities. Therefore, you must hone these skills to succeed in your healthcare career. You can only hone these skills by earning the relevant degree and gaining experience.