Healthcare Staffing Key Terms

Learn some key terms to excel in the healthcare staffing industry

Healthcare staffing encompasses everything from hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities to outpatient care and home health aide care. Healthcare staffing is a vital part of the healthcare industry, and finding competent, certified individuals is important to maintaining quality of care.

Within healthcare staffing there are several key terms that are used often. These key terms can refer to job positions or qualifications, and understanding some of them will make understanding the world of healthcare staffing much easier.

 

Travel nursing

Travel nursing is the process in which licensed nurses are hired on a short-term basis in a hospital or nursing facility. Travel nurses usually travel to a different facility to fill or help with nursing shortages every few months, but are sometimes offered permanent placement.
Try: StudentDoc explains the benefits of travel nursing and how it's helping to alleviate the national nurse shortage.

Nuclear pharmacist

Nuclear pharmacy is a specialized field of pharmacy in which pharmacists compound and dispense medication that contains radioactive materials. Because the field is so specialized, nuclear pharmacists are in high demand. The most common employment of nuclear pharmacists is in the dispensing of chemotherapy drugs.
Try: Purdue University's Division of Nuclear Pharmacy explains the importance of nuclear pharmacists and what it takes to become one.

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapy is a form of therapy used for patients who have suffered illness or injury that has impaired some of their basic functions. Occupational therapists help stroke victims regain motor and speech skills and help accident victims learn how to walk and be mobile.
Try: The American Occupational Therapy Association explains how occupational therapists help people recover from illness or injury and get back to a normal life.

Long term care nursing

Long term care nursing is the continuous provision of nursing and medical care to patients with chronic illnesses or mental disorders. Long term care nurses can specialize in specific areas of long term care like cancer hospice care or AIDS treatment centers.
Try: Nursing Spectrum explains how the responsibilities of long term nurses and the relationships they develop with patients and families differ from those of other nursing fields.

LPN

An LPN is a license practical nurse, responsible for basic patient care like daily hygiene, taking vital signs, and administering IV and oral medication. LPNs work everywhere from hospitals and nursing homes to specialized treatment facilities, but a recent shortage has put LPNs in high demand.
Try: The Central School of Practical Nursing offers a concise explanation of an LPN's daily duties and functions.

JCAHO

JCAHO, or the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, is an organization made up of medical professionals. JCAHO conducts evaluations and accreditation examinations at medical facilities to ensure quality of patient care, healthcare staff education, and regulation compliance.
Try: The offical JCAHO website explains its mission and how it helps to maintain a standard of care in healthcare staffing and facilities.

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