For nurses looking to find new jobs or add different types of experience to their CV, the job market is currently hotter than ever. The variety of available jobs means that career-oriented nurses have their choice of settings and job type. With that in mind, what are the most in-demand nursing specialties, settings and certifications to consider right now?
The Most In-Demand Nursing Specialties
Crisis Response. As one of the nation’s leading nurse recruitment networks, we’re seeing all-time high levels of demand for particular types of nurses. Leading the list are post-acute nurses, and especially those with ICU experience or certifications:
- Critical Care / Intensive Care Unit Jobs. Since the pandemic hit last year, ICU nurses have been in huge demand. If you have ICU experience, we have immediate openings across the United States. Nurses with ICU certifications will find more opportunities and potentially higher levels of pay, too.
- Medical / Surgical Jobs. Many of our openings for med/surg nurses are also crisis response positions. These are jobs for RNs, LPNs and LVNs with hospital experience and a strong focus on patient care.
General nursing. We need nurses to help meet the surge in Covid-19 cases that’s happening in many states. But more than just crisis jobs are available. Many facilities are in need of nurses to meet the day-to-day demands of patient care (especially in the home health setting).
- Home Health Nursing Jobs. Home health nurses have never been in more demand. Because more people than ever before are choosing to receive care at home — or must do so for lack of access to other facilities — demand for nurses to care for those patients has never been higher. No specific certifications are usually required for home health positions other than a state license (and reliable transportation).
- Behavioral and Mental Health Nursing jobs. These are typically jobs for RNs who are licensed and have an Associate’s degree, at minimum. More opportunities and higher pay are sometimes available for those with a ANCC Psychiatric–Mental Health Nursing board certification.
Looking to travel? If you’d like to help those in need, this is the perfect opportunity to work a travel nursing job in another town, city or state. From hospitals and health centers to nursing facilities, long-term acute care facilities, schools and educational centers, correctional facilities and many other organizations that provide essential patient care.
The Most In-Demand Nursing Certifications
Because their need is so urgent, many employers aren’t requiring certifications beyond Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) for many nursing jobs. All the same, nurses who do have certifications are more likely to land the job they really want. They can often command a higher rate of pay, too. (Right now, that’s especially true of ICU nurses.)
Certifications are also a great way to distinguish yourself as you work toward your dream job. Even nurses who prefer travel or per diem assignments can find more and better opportunities with these in-demand certifications:
- Acute/Critical Care Nursing (CCRN) (adult, pediatric and neonatal)
- Certified ICU RN (AACN)
- Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Certification (RN-BC)
- Certification in Long-Term Care (CLTC)
- Cardiac Medicine Certification (CMC)
- Management of Assaultive Behavior (MAB)
- Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse (AOCN)
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Certified Registered Nurse Infusion (CRNI)
- Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN)
Need certifications? At CareerStaff, we support our nurses’ career goals with reimbursement for continuing education (CE) courses. In addition, our team of friendly recruiters can discuss the specific path you should take to earn the certification you need to land your dream job. You can get the ball rolling by filling out a quick online application form here.
Why Work A Nursing Job With CareerStaff?
If you’re a nurse seeking the chance to help a hospital or other care facility in this time of need, here are a few good reasons to do so as part of the CareerStaff team:
- Immediate openings nationwide
- Higher rates of pay for crisis response professionals
- Full benefits including health and life insurance, 401(k) matching, weekly direct deposit and more
If you work in one of the in-demand nursing specialties listed above, we want to hear from you! You can fill out a quick online application form now, or search all search all nursing jobs here.
Last Updated on November 24, 2021