What Is the Job Description of a Surveillance Nurse?
Government-run and nonprofit public health agencies and organizations perform a variety of functions, including monitoring outbreaks of infectious and preventable diseases. Surveillance nurses are an important part of the teams that perform these important functions at many of these public health organizations.
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Function
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Surveillance nurses monitor rates of illness and disease and work with health care professionals and the general public to reduce or control common conditions that pose a threat to public health. Areas of concern for surveillance nurses include flu outbreaks, heart disease, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Features
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Surveillance nurses study data from local hospitals and physicians that provide information about illnesses, looking for patterns and trends. Nurses develop plans that professionals may use to improve diagnosis or treatment, as well as educational programs to spread awareness about how to prevent or minimize the risk for developing a condition and how to spot early warning signs of conditions to receive prompt treatment.
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Skills
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Successful surveillance nurses possess analytical and problem-solving skills, creativity and the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Staying abreast of advances in clinical research surrounding the prevention and treatment of illnesses and diseases is also necessary to the work of surveillance nurses.
Nursing education and licensure
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Employers typically require surveillance nurses to have a state-issued registered nursing license, which involves completion of a two-year associate's degree, three-year hospital training or four-year bachelor's degree program in nursing. After graduation, nurses take a written examination known as the NCLEX-RN to receive licensure.
Other requirements
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Employers often prefer to hire surveillance nurses who have experience both in clinical nursing and public health. In some cases, a master's degree in public health is an additional requirement for employment in the field.
Compensation
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As of December 2009, surveillance nurses earned average salaries of $72,000, according to Indeed.com.
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