Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Home :: Career Center
:: Healthcare Career Profiles :: Nursing Career Profiles
Telemetry Nurse - Career Profile |
Career OverviewA telemetry nurse or cardiac care nurse not only plays an extremely important role in the health maintenance of patients but also specializes in heart medications and connecting a patient to a heart monitor.
They use these cardiac monitors to supervise the patient’s heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen level in the blood, electrocardiogram data and blood pressure.
Patients with multiple types of heart complications such as congestive heart failure, heart surgery and heart attacks benefit from the care of telemetry nurses as they not only interpret the monitor readings but also provide case management and implement health care programs.
Most telemetry nurses work in hospitals, clinics and ambulatory care centers. Telemetry nurses are essential in communicating issues both positive and negative to the care team that is assigned to the patient.
A telemetry nurse should possess superior communication skills as they will not only work with the patient but in many cases the patient’s family or caregivers. Maintaining a professional but calm and sensitive nature is important when working in this exciting and stressful environment.
The telemetry field of nursing is extremely rewarding as the nurses see the results of their hard work. Patients also rely heavily on the nurse for both emotional support as well as information on the various machines and readings that are used and obtained for readings and medical charting.
|
Career RequirementsTo become a telemetry nurse or cardiac care nurse, in most states you must have an active registered nurse (RN) license. Along with this license, a telemetry nurse is required to hold either a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or and Associate’s Degree in Nursing.
Most hospitals in the United States also require a special advanced cardiac life support certificate or ACLS, comprised of two parts, which are: (1) telemetry and (2) geared toward functioning in critical care along with a basic cardiac life support certificate or BCLS.
For telemetry nurses that want to specialize in pediatrics, there are courses available such as electrocardiogram interpretation, life support and resuscitation. There are also respiratory and cardiac courses available to further the telemetry nurses education so they are able to meet patient’s needs and treatments.
|
Advertisement
|
Job OutlookWith people living longer, our aging population has increased making the demand for registered nurses (RNs) and specialty nurses such as telemetry nurses a very sought after and growing healthcare career choice.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that there will be a great demand for nurses in the next decade and expects this to continue to increase. Hospitals across the country are looking for certified and experienced telemetry nurses to work with heart patients and their families.
Along with hospital care, telemetry nurses are essential in preparing education, enhancing recovery and rehabilitation programs for patients and caregivers. This position is challenging not only intellectually but is hands on, working with the patients and new technology as it emerges. Along with compassion, speed and skill are extremely important to be a successful telemetry nurse.
|
Career TrackAn experienced telemetry nurse has many options and career tracts available in the telemetry and cardiac care-nursing field. Some of these fields are:
- Telemetry nurse manager
- Traveling cardiac telemetry nurse
- Cardiac care nurse
- Cardiac vascular radiology
- Surgical nursing
- Critical care nursing
|
CompensationWith the highly skilled and experienced services that telemetry nurses provide in hospitals, clinics and medical facilities, their rate of pay reflects their contributions.
Depending on not only the nurse’s experience but also education, their salaries vary. Twenty-four dollars per hour is the average salary a telemetry nurse will start at with either a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or an Associates Degree in Nursing.
A licensed telemetry nurse’s salary averages around $50,000.00 after more than three years experience and they earn comparatively higher salaries and bonuses with advanced degrees as they manage or specialize in this field.
As with registered nurses (RNs), telemetry nurses that work full-time receive not only full benefit programs and often shift premiums when working in a hospital. Many employers also offer bonuses and profit sharing plans.
|
|