What does a staff nurse do?
The main role of a staff nurse is to provide care to patients, promote health, monitor wellbeing and evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments given. Staff nurses play an essential role in illness prevention as in their position they educate patients and their families. The role requires versatility and the ability to work with other healthcare professionals by creating a link with these multidisciplinary teams. Staff nurses need to regularly attend training to ensure they stay up to date with new procedures and healthcare developments.
Staff nurse skills and qualifications
Staff nurses need to have a large set of skills. The following are some examples of the skills necessary to be successful in the role:
- Holding a nursing degree
- Having some post-qualification experience in nursing
- Being adaptable and able to work as part of a team
- Having empathy and caring for patients and their families
- Having basic computer knowledge
- Knowing how to create care plans and being able to administrate them
- Having clinical nursing skills
- Having emergency nursing skills
Staff nurse experience requirements
Staff nurses can work in a variety of different environments and deal with a wide range of illness, treatment and patient types. As such, capitalising on experience makes staff nurses successful. To gain this experience, staff nurses should look to diversify their role by caring for a wide range of patients. Accumulating experience in patient care, cardiology, emergency services and many more will bring more weight to a candidate’s CV. Having this experience is also necessary for the staff nurse to stay on top of current practices and to continuously grow.
Staff nurse education and training requirements
A staff nurse is a qualified nurse. To qualify, they can do a university degree in adult nursing. The degree will need to be approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Those who already have a degree in a health-related subject, psychology, life sciences or social work can join in the second year. The alternative to the university degree is to do an apprenticeship in nursing. This can be done by individuals already working in a healthcare setting. The apprenticeship will take approximately four years and will mix academic study and on-the-job training.
Staff nurse salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a staff nurse in the United Kingdom is £30,686 per year. This salary will vary depending on the nurse’s experience and the recruiting employer.
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Staff nurse job description FAQs
How can I spot a good staff nurse when recruiting for this position?
Although this is a generalist role, recruiting a staff nurse can be a challenging task. Candidates for the role should be eager to continuously grow and learn new skills. Staying relevant is key for nursing staff. Staff nurses should also be proactive and have good attention to detail to be able to spot any challenges before they arise.
What are the typical settings that staff nurses work in?
Staff nurses can be found in a variety of settings from operating theatres to nursing homes or clinics. The diversity of setting they can work in brings a lot of opportunities to the role. Staff nurses can be found both in the NHS or in the private sector.
What career path can be offered to staff nurses?
Being a staff nurse offers a lot of options for career development. They can become a mentor to nurses or work towards being a charge nurse. The role requires versatility and therefore brings a lot of transferable skills. As such, staff nurses can continue to develop their skills and specialise in the area of their choice.
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