Telemetry nurses are an important part of a patient’s healthcare team because they can alert doctors to potential problems as they occur.
When you become a telemetry nurse, you will be working with critically ill patients. The main duties of a telemetry nurse are to connect and monitor machines that monitor vital signs such as heart rate and blood pressure. He or she also interprets the readings from these machines so the health care team can assess the patient’s condition.
This nursing specialty places you at the forefront of advanced medicine and patient care. The work that telemetry nurses do is a vital part of the spectrum of patient care and healing. Typically, most telemetry nurses work in the Progressive Care Unit of a hospital.
An aspiring telemetry nurse will need to complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
To become a telemetry nurse, you must first complete a bachelor’s degree, usually the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in the United States. To fulfill the requirements for this degree, she will complete math and science courses, including anatomy, chemistry, biology, psychology, and nutrition. Most nursing degree programs also require clinical internships in hospitals or other health care settings before graduation.
A telemetry nurse places a pulse oximeter on a patient’s fingertip to measure blood oxygen saturation.
Upon graduation, you must take the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX) to become a Registered Nurse (RN) in the US. Some states have additional licensing requirements beyond the NCLEX exam. She must also meet these requirements before practicing nursing and working in that state.
The American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) sets national guidelines for the RN pathway to telemetry nurse. The AACN Certification Corporation administers the Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN) exam that RNs take to meet the certification requirements for this nursing specialty. Telemetry is one of several specialties that are included in the PCCN exam.
Patients may be transferred to a special unit after surgery, where they are monitored by telemetry nurses.
To qualify to take the exam, you must have a valid RN license and 1,750 hours of bedside nursing experience with acutely or critically ill patients in the two years prior to your application. You must have worked at least 875 hours during the year prior to the exam. RNs who have met this requirement at health care facilities in the United States and Canada are eligible.
Telemetry plays an important role in monitoring critically ill patients.
The AACN also accepts certification applications from RNs who have gained work experience at foreign facilities that meet the US Standard of Nursing Practice for this specialty. These institutions must have AACN Magnet status or Joint Commission International accreditation. Candidates for telemetry nursing certification apply to take the exam and pay fees through the AACN online portal. Exam review courses, study guides, sample questions, and tips from currently certified nurses help candidates prepare to pass the telemetry certification exam.