People who are in a moderate state of medical care and necessity often rely on the expertise of a telemetry nurse as part of their road to wellness. What exactly is this kind of nurse, though? What is it that they do on a daily basis that is so important to these types of patients? Let’s get straight to some answers as to what exactly a telemetry nurse today really is.
Basic Job Outline
Telemetry nursing is all about caring for those that are, as mentioned above, in a sort of moderately severe medical status. These patients can be anyone, from the elderly, to those recovering from a work or car accident. This type of nurse will monitor specific vital signs and perform other functions to facilitate the best, recuperative care possible at this critical point.
Because of the fact that these nurses can be called on to treat virtually anyone in a moderately severe state of health, they are therefore found working in all types of healthcare environs. Hospitals, hospices, elderly and aging centers, and even within private homes in a few cases. These professionals can be found working in a number of places, but telemetry nursing is most often found at work in the hospital environment.
Progressive Care
It is important to note that telemetry nursing falls within a specific realm of medical expertise. This is called “Progressive Care.” As defined by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, Progressive Care provides care to patients that “are moderately stable with less complexity, require moderate resources and require intermittent nursing vigilance or are stable with a high potential for becoming unstable and require an increased intensity of care.” This official definition also notes that “characteristics of progressive care patients include: a decreased risk of a life-threatening event, a decreased need for invasive monitoring, increased stability, and an increased ability to participate in their care.”
Specific Job Duties
Administering this sort of Progressive Care via telemetry nursing is all about some specific, daily job duties. There are truly many here to discuss, but for summarization purposes, we can break these many job duties into three, key areas of focus. These three are as follows.
- Administer Medications – The nurse will administer proper dosages of medicines, record, and monitor the patient subsequently.
- Operate Vital Monitoring Equipment – Heart rates, blood pressure, blood sugar, mental capacity, and many other factors must all be monitored by this nurse. This is done through a whole range of specialized equipment and test batteries.
- Communicate With Patients – An active relationship is maintained with the patient so as to create a unified relationship in the fight for healing. Breakdowns in communications with patients can result in minor discomforts or major health emergencies alike.
Educational Path
To become this type of progressive care nurse, one must follow a fairly specific educational path. This first involves getting the right college degree for the job. The three principal approaches here are the general nursing diploma, Associate of Science in Nursing, or the Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
From here, a certification provided by passing the NCLEX-RN is required. NCLEX is short for National Council Licensure Examination. Once this certification has been obtained and the aforementioned degree earned, the candidate is adequately prepared to apply for the job.
Related Resource: What is a Cardiac Care Nurse?
Telemetry nursing is all about nursing those back to health that are in a crucial and often volatile point in their current state of recovery. This undoubtedly makes these professionals as important as any other in the medical industry. These are the basics of today’s life-saving telemetry nurse and what they do on a regular basis.
