Within the health care field, the demand is ever-present for jobs to meet the growing needs of people who require serious medical treatment and protection in the event something bad were to happen. Noting the oft-cited projection that the health care needs of seniors will expand rapidly in decades to come, positions surrounding the preservation of well-being of aging adults will be of much more interest for job seekers with a genuine desire to work with and serve the elderly.
In particular, nursing home jobs will be in high demand. Some people may not think they have a place on a nursing home staff, especially if they are not a nurse. However, being a nurse is only one of a number of vital nursing home jobs that must be taken care of in the course of a day’s work. The following are some considerations of the kinds of people that may populate a nursing home staff:
Though one does not have to be a nurse to serve on a nursing home staff, in a nursing home, obviously, nurses are going to be of paramount importance. As opposed to hospitals, where doctors and a chief of medicine are the major heads of affairs, nursing homes are directed by nurses and helmed specifically by an administrator and director of nursing.
Doctors of all specialties, dentists, and pharmacists may consult with the nursing staff, but in terms of nursing home jobs, these professions are not usually lumped into the same category, as they only come into the facility from time to time, or perhaps not at all, or communicate solely by phone and fax.
Concerning actual nurses, one may either be a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN). That said, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), though not nurses, work closely with them to address all everyday concerns of residents, such as aid in walking, dressing, showering and using the bathroom, and eating.
Other nursing home jobs are not for nurses, nursing assistants and orderlies, but nonetheless have a high degree of medical relevance. While not every long-term patient/resident may receive their services, therapists are a particularly valuable subset of any nursing home staff.
Certainly, for those who seek rehabilitation and a return ticket home, so to speak, after suffering an injury or other medical condition the expertise of physical, speech, occupational and other therapists will be essential for full recovery. We would be remiss, however, if we did not consider the role of social workers and psychologists in the care of older people.
Often, separation from one’s home or family and the inability to walk, see or do many things as one could do when he or she was younger can lead to frustration and deep depression. Accordingly, the aforementioned mental health professionals/counselors may intervene to try to get residents to apply certain coping strategies and rise above their hardships.
Still, some nursing home jobs necessitate no experience whatsoever in the medical realm. Commensurate with the range of services that nursing home care offers, workers must be on hand to man each of these responsibilities.
For instance, a dietary staff must be on hand to apportion snacks and meals tailored to residents’ needs, as well as a dietitian to spell out these dietary requirements. Members of the nursing home staff must also be designated to lead the recreation program assigned by the activities director; these individuals are most commonly known as activities assistants or activities aides.
Even the general upkeep of the building must fall on someone’s shoulders. Imaginably, that task is tackled by the maintenance and housekeeping departments.
