Question

Given the findings of your investigation of registered nuse, list the characteristics of this registered nurse's ideal job candidate. What would be the ideal job candidate’s education and experience? What would be his or her spe- cial skills, dispositions, and achievements? How are you similar to this ideal job candidate? How do you differ?

Answer 1

When a nursing employer has a stack of resumes on their desk and are reviewing candidates that have the same general experience and technical skills, the interview can help you stand out from your competition. Of the many skills needed to be a nurse today, there are a few that top the list.

Leaders in the nursing field say the following top skills may or may not be listed on the job description, but as nursing employers are conducting their interviews, they are on the lookout for them.

1. Cultural competency

The American Hospital Association defines cultural competency as “the ability of systems to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors, including the tailoring of health care delivery to meet patients' social, cultural, and linguistic needs.”

2. Flexibility

Nursing, and the entire health care field, is changing rapidly, so an ability to tolerate change and an openness to learning new things are key desirable traits.

3. Positivity

Nurses who are able to maintain a positive attitude and uplift the people around them who may be feeling down will stand out from their competition during job interviews.

4. Emotional intelligence

Defined as the ability to be aware of your own emotions when dealing with others, and to interact with others in an empathetic manner, emotional intelligence is a soft skill that’s highly valued in health care today.

5. Passion

When considering the skills needed to be a nurse, know that the best nurses are passionate about their work and have an intense enthusiasm and desire to care for their patients.

Nurses work as part of a team of professional and medical staff that includes doctors, social workers and therapists.

Typical duties of the job include:

• assessing and planning nursing care requirements
• providing pre- and post-operation care
• monitoring and administering medication and intravenous infusions
• taking patient samples, pulses, temperatures and blood pressures
• writing records
• supervising junior staff
• organising workloads
• providing emotional support to patients and relatives
• tutoring student nurses

24-hour shift work can be a requirement of the job.

Typical employers of nurses

• Hospitals
• NHS trusts
• Residential homes
• Prisons
• Agencies
• Health centres
• Schools
• Companies
• GP practices

Qualifications and training required

The main route into qualifying as a nurse is to take a nursing degree in one of the four nursing specialisms: adult nursing, children's nursing, learning disability nursing or mental health nursing. Some degree courses cover two of these fields, and are known as 'dual field' degrees. Most nursing degree courses are three years long, with the exception of dual field degrees and nursing degrees in Scotland. Nursing degree courses provide a mix of formal teaching and practical experience.

You apply for full-time undergraduate nursing degrees through UCAS. Application criteria vary but you are likely to need at least 2 (more often 3) A levels or equivalent qualifications, plus a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade C (equivalent to grade 4) including English, maths and a science (usually biology).

Graduates in a relevant subject such as life, health, biological or social sciences can qualify via a shortened two-year postgraduate course. The recognition process for your first degree is known as APEL (accreditation of prior experiential learning). You can find out more about accelerated nursing courses for graduates from UCAS and the NHS health careers website. You will need to check directly with institutions to find out if your degree course is acceptable for entry.

Nursing degree apprenticeships are now offered by a small number of NHS organisations. They are similar to nursing degrees in that they involve a mix of academic study and placements, but they are employer-led rather than being led by universities. Nursing degree apprentices are released by their employers to undertake academic study at degree level on a part-time basis, and also train through a series of practice placements. Level 3 qualifications (that is, A level or equivalent) are usually required, as the apprenticeship is at degree level. You can look for nursing degree apprenticeships on the NHS jobs website or the government's apprenticeship search. Applicants who have completed a nursing associate apprenticeship will be able to finish a nursing degree apprenticeship in a shorter period of time than other candidates, as the nursing associate apprenticeship will count towards it.