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Ward Nurse skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted Experts
Angela Mund,
Angela Mund
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical ward nurse skills. We ranked the top skills for ward nurses based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 29.2% of ward nurse resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a ward nurse needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 ward nurse skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how ward nurses use patients:
  • Provided comprehensive care for acutely ill and immediate post-operative patients.
  • Assessed and evaluated nursing and medical needs of institutionalized patients.

2. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how ward nurses use cpr:
  • Demonstrated competence in CPR and other medical emergency situations.
  • Responded to codes, administering CPR and oxygen, monitoring vitals and preparing medications in anticipation of physician orders.

3. Direct Patient Care

Here's how ward nurses use direct patient care:
  • Provided direct patient care to pre- and post-operative patient such patient who undergo dilatation and curettage, c-section.
  • Provided direct patient care in Medical-Surgical-Telemetry/intensive care unit (ICU), Mother/Baby, Emergency Department at this critical access hospital.

4. Administer Medications

Here's how ward nurses use administer medications:
  • Administer medications and injections as prescribed by the primary care provider.
  • Administer medications; provide treatments and diagnostic/preventative procedures; provide emergency first aid care; provide health education.

5. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how ward nurses use vital signs:
  • Take baseline vital signs, insert IV line if necessary, and do blood extraction for laboratory works.
  • Take and record vital signs, then inform the physician of any changes in patient's condition.

6. IV

Here's how ward nurses use iv:
  • Administer prescribed medication such oral, SC, IV routes and record changes and response of the patient.
  • Vein centralization for IV fluids and others.

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7. Patient Education

Here's how ward nurses use patient education:
  • Trained African workers in blood pressure, assessment skills, emergency response, patient education in diabetes and blood pressure management.
  • Provided patient education, monitored physical condition, planned and implemented care based on needs and initiated emergency procedures when indicated.
Select Skills To Add To Your Resume

8. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how ward nurses use patient care:
  • Directed staff and professionals in this state operated facility in patient care and responsibilities.
  • Handled patient care responsibilities which included assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating needs for long-term care.

9. Blood Pressure

Here's how ward nurses use blood pressure:
  • Performed blood pressure, glucose monitoring/prevention, care and intervention of wound management including staging and nutritional protocol.
  • Greet patients* Patient teaching/health education* Automatic and manual blood pressure readings* BMI readings* Full Lipid Panel Cholesterol/Glucose

10. ICU

ICU means intensive care units. It also has a name known as the critical care unit or intensive therapy unit. The ICU handles patients experiencing acute diseases or severe injuries that need specialized treatment procedures by specific professionals.

Here's how ward nurses use icu:
  • Demonstrated clinical leadership and problem solving in a variety of patient care situations including in times of emergent circumstances/medical ICU transfers.
  • Conducted educational seminars/in-services and streamlined policy and procedure manuals as a member of the ICU Service Council.

11. Catheter

Here's how ward nurses use catheter:
  • Perform procedures accurately, completely and safely according to established policy and procedures Skills Used IV placement Foley catheter placement Medication Administration
  • Administered oral and intravenous medication inserted intravenous catheters, urinary catheters, nasal-gastric tubes, nasal/oral suctioning, monitoring intravenous fluids.

12. Infection Control

Infection control describes the principles and practices used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to control and minimize the spread of infections with the aim of lowering rates of infection. Infection control refers to the process of detecting and controlling pathogens in order to reduce their spread.

Here's how ward nurses use infection control:
  • Participated in the development of policies and procedures in the infection control.
  • Executed action to prevent infection in conjunction with infection control.

13. Acls

Here's how ward nurses use acls:
  • Evaluate patients' vital signs and laboratory data to determine emergency intervention needs including initiation and implementation of ACLS code situations.
  • Demonstrated effective response to crises situations and prevented patient deterioration by early intervention and use of ACLS protocols.

14. Emergency Procedures

Here's how ward nurses use emergency procedures:
  • Carried out comprehensive observations and to implement emergency procedures as necessary.

15. Patient Safety

Here's how ward nurses use patient safety:
  • Participated in patient safety reporting system.
  • Adhered to legal and patient safety requirements of nursing care in area of practice.
top-skills

What skills help Ward Nurses find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What type of skills will young Ward Nurses need?

A

Angela MundAngela Mund LinkedIn Profile

Vice President, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

To meet the needs of our current volatile and complex healthcare landscape, all healthcare providers will need to understand the business of healthcare, in addition to providing expert patient care. Starting in 2025, all graduates from nurse anesthesia programs will be awarded a doctoral degree, a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP), or a doctorate in nurse anesthesia practice (DNAP). These degree programs include additional anesthesia experience as well as an understanding of effective leadership, healthcare economics and reimbursement, the use of big data for improving patient outcomes, and evidence-based practice.

What skills stand out on Ward Nurse resumes?

A

Angela MundAngela Mund LinkedIn Profile

Vice President, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

To become a CRNA, the applicant must first be a registered nurse and graduate of a baccalaureate nursing program. A minimum of one year of clinical experience in an intensive care unit (ICU) is required. The application process is rigorous, and many nurse anesthesia programs are seeing higher than typical applicant numbers, perhaps due to the impact of COVID-19 on the ICU nurse workforce.

The most competitive applicants will have an overall GPA >3.5. Basic science courses are heavily weighted with respect to both course grade and type of course. A competitive resumé should include evidence of clinical expertise, leadership, volunteerism, and scholarly work. In addition, all registered nurse applicants should have shadowed a CRNA to learn about the profession prior to application. The interview process may include assessments of critical thinking, decision-making, and emotional intelligence.

What soft skills should all Ward Nurses possess?

D

Diane Salvador Ph.D.

Executive Director and Professor, Elmhurst University

The most important skill for new nursing graduates is critical thinking. You will be put into varying roles and assume different responsibilities. You must critically think and evaluate situations you find yourself in and make wise nursing decisions. Another important skill that we emphasize in education is communication - this is key to safe, quality care.

What hard/technical skills are most important for Ward Nurses?

D

Diane Salvador Ph.D.

Executive Director and Professor, Elmhurst University

New nurses should be prepared to demonstrate proficiency in basic nursing care and procedures. It is important to realize that each hospital has its own policy and procedure to follow, so taking advantage of your nurse preceptor and orientation program will ensure you are familiar with these basic procedures.

What Ward Nurse skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

M

Michelle Hampton Ph.D.Michelle Hampton Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Associate Professor, San Jose State University

I think there are always opportunities to work and gain experience once the nurse is licensed. They might need to be creative, flexible, and work where there's a need. That might be a specialty area they hadn't considered or a geographic area that requires some travel. I don't think a gap year is inevitable for all new graduates and there might be opportunities for them to find work, and they can always continue the learning process after you're employed, even if it's not your dream job. The more significant obstacle seems to be for students who are currently still in nursing programs.

Clinical sites weren't accepting students for several months, and now that they are again, they have significantly limited the number of students allowed at one time and the number of hours they can train. When a staff member or patient tests positive, students are pulled from the site for some time, and students are struggling to get the minimum number of hours required to continue progressing in the nursing program. Some schools have even suspended admission for new groups of students instead choosing to focus on getting the current students through the program.

List of ward nurse skills to add to your resume

Ward Nurse Skills

The most important skills for a ward nurse resume and required skills for a ward nurse to have include:

  • Patients
  • CPR
  • Direct Patient Care
  • Administer Medications
  • Vital Signs
  • IV
  • Patient Education
  • Patient Care
  • Blood Pressure
  • ICU
  • Catheter
  • Infection Control
  • Acls
  • Emergency Procedures
  • Patient Safety
  • Medical Orders
  • Primary Care
  • EMR
  • CNAs
  • Hospital Policies
  • Medical History
  • Diagnostic Tests
  • Tracheostomy
  • Critical Care
  • Patient Flow

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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