What is a special duty nurse and how to become one

Key steps to become a special duty nurse

1. Explore special duty nurse education requirements

   Most common special duty nurse degrees

   Bachelor's

   40.4 %

   Associate

   34.0 %

   Diploma

   10.2 %

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2. Start to develop specific special duty nurse skills

   Skills	Percentages
   Patients	41.50%
   Acls	16.06%
   MRI	14.89%
   Home Health	4.13%
   CPR	4.00%

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3. Complete relevant special duty nurse training and internships

   Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New special duty nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a special duty nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real special duty nurse resumes.

4. Obtain the necessary licensing

   Becoming a licensed special duty nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed special duty nurse in most of states. 43 states require special duty nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

   State	Education	Exam	License Url
   Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
   Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Licensed Practical
   Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
   California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Vocational Nurse
   Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse

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5. Research special duty nurse duties and responsibilities

   • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
   • Educate patients on chemotherapy and relate treatments including growth factors and radiation.
   • Take vitals and history of patients and enter into EMR (NexGen).
   • Operate the EMR system with proficiency to assist in the proper care of patients.

6. Prepare your special duty nurse resume

   When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your special duty nurse resume.

   You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a special duty nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

   Choose From 10+ Customizable Special Duty Nurse Resume templates

   Build a professional Special Duty Nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Special Duty Nurse resume.
   

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7. Apply for special duty nurse jobs

   Now it's time to start searching for a special duty nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

   1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
   2. Consult your professional network
   3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
   4. Watch out for job scams