Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Exploring New Options: Dermatology Nursing

This may seem like a dream, every girl’s fantasy, something that’s too good to be true and now it’s finally happening. 

Dermatology nursing is a dream come true not only to female nurses but also to males as well. 

Let us get to know what it really is being a dermatology nurse, how to be one, and the perks that come with it.

A dermatology nurse is someone who helps patients through the treatment of wounds, injuries, and diseases of the skin as well as performs skin cancer and post-plastic surgery treatments.

They work with dermatologists and patients who have skin problems or skin diseases.

The skin is an organ like the heart and kidneys, and because dermatology is such an enormous field, one must have good interpersonal skills and be an expert in specialized care in order to be a dermatology nurse.
 


How to be a Derma Nurse
  • First you need to get your LPN Certification, Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). It will provide the basic academic preparation to be a Registered nurse (which is also a pre-requisite) like anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and human development, and extensive coursework in nursing, including supervised work experience with patient. 
  •  Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). This will entitle you to be a Registered nurse.
  • Work for a minimum of two years, getting 2,000 hours of experience in dermatology in a hospital, health care center, private physician’s office, university health care center or other health-related setting. This will provide you with the experience needed by doing specific job tasks. You may be able to encounter tasks in general nursing such as skin cancer screenings, chemical peels, patient education or assisting with dermatological surgery as well as administrative work, teaching, or research as a dermatology nurse to sit for the dermatology nurse certification exam.
  • Pass the Dermatology Nurse Certified (DNC) exam. With this, you are ensured to be equipped with specialized knowledge in dermatology nursing. However, the certification is valid for 3 years only, after that you may be able to renew you certification by taking additional hours of continuing education or earning credit by examination. The DNC exam is a multiple-choice exam that includes topics such as general dermatology, surgical dermatology, infections, dermatitis, acne, rosacea and wounds.
Dermatology nurses receive an estimate of $85,000 on average every year, which is $15,000 above the salary of generalist nurses. They may even receive a sign-in bonus for applicants and for those already working as one, retention bonus may complete the annual income. This bonus that we are talking about, ranges from $517 to $7,861.

Being a dermatology nurse can be exciting. Nurses may feel thrilled and love this specialized area of nursing and with this comes the best benefit of them all. They say when you love your work, you never go to work at all.

That applies to this job as well, as long as nurses love what they are doing and consider it as their passion, they will never bored and get tired of it and that no matter what hardships may be encountered along the way, they will always emerge and remain standing as a proud dermatology nurse.

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