Specialist nurse to nurse assistant
A specialist nurse already meets 57% of what the nurse assistant role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
55/ 100
1 How much of what a nurse assistant is expected to do is already part of a specialist nurse’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the nurse assistant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A nurse assistant role treats 23 of its required skills as things a specialist nurse already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accept own accountability
- address problems critically
- advise on healthcare users' informed consent
- apply nursing care in long-term care
- apply person-centred care
- apply sustainability principles in health care
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A nurse assistant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a specialist nurse background worth leading with.
- already held apply sustainability principles in health care assisting and caring
- already held follow-up patients with heart attack assisting and caring
- already held apply nursing care in long-term care assisting and caring
- already held implement nursing care assisting and caring
- already held plan nursing care management skills
- already held solve problems in healthcare communication, collaboration and creativity
All 29 carried skills, including the 23 the nurse assistant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn disability care required
- still to learn person centred care required
- still to learn first aid required
- still to learn nursing principles required
- still to learn nursing science required
- optional, not held acute care optional
- optional, not held palliative care optional
- optional, not held adolescence medicine optional
- optional, not held disability types optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held geriatrics optional
- optional, not held human anatomy optional
- optional, not held human physiology optional
- optional, not held infection control optional
- optional, not held innovation in nursing optional
- optional, not held medicines optional
- optional, not held paediatrics optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held primary care optional
- optional, not held resuscitation optional
- still to learn work with nursing staff required
- still to learn communicate with nursing staff required
- still to learn support nurses required
- still to learn monitor basic patients signs required
- still to learn identify abnormalities required
- still to learn provide basic support to patients required
- optional, not held distribute meals to patients optional
- still to learn hygiene in a health care setting required
- optional, not held safe management of medicines optional
- still to learn health care legislation required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a nurse assistant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 disability care study this
- 02 monitor basic patients signs practise this
- 03 person centred care study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 29 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held address problems critically skill
- already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
- already held apply nursing care in long-term care skill
- already held apply person-centred care skill
- already held apply sustainability principles in health care skill
- already held communicate in healthcare skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held follow clinical guidelines skill
- already held implement fundamentals of nursing skill
- already held implement nursing care skill
- already held interact with healthcare users skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held plan nursing care skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held provide professional care in nursing skill
- already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
- already held solve problems in healthcare skill
- already held work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
- already held deal with emergency care situations skill
- already held follow-up patients with heart attack skill
- already held perform diagnostic testing for allergies skill
- already held perform venous cannulation skill
- already held promote a positive image of nursing skill
- already held use electronic health records in nursing skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held pharmacology optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held acute care optional
- optional, not held distribute meals to patients optional
- optional, not held palliative care optional
- optional, not held safe management of medicines optional
- optional, not held adolescence medicine optional
- optional, not held disability types optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held geriatrics optional
- optional, not held human anatomy optional
- optional, not held human physiology optional
- optional, not held infection control optional
- optional, not held innovation in nursing optional
- optional, not held medicines optional
- optional, not held paediatrics optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held pharmacology optional
- optional, not held primary care optional
- optional, not held resuscitation optional
63 held skills the nurse assistant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt leadership styles in healthcare skill
- not needed by the target role address side effects of menopause skill
- not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role administer immunotherapy skill
- not needed by the target role advise on healthy lifestyles skill
- not needed by the target role advise patients on infectious diseases when travelling skill
- not needed by the target role analyse quality of nurse care skill
- not needed by the target role apply context specific clinical competences skill
- not needed by the target role assess physical conditions of clients skill
- not needed by the target role assist in epilepsy surgery skill
- not needed by the target role assist in kidney transplant skill
- not needed by the target role carry out invasive cardiovascular procedures skill
- not needed by the target role carry out nurse-led discharge skill
- not needed by the target role coach individuals in specialised nursing care skill
- not needed by the target role communicate in specialised nursing care skill
- not needed by the target role conduct patch testing skill
- not needed by the target role conduct polysomnography skill
- not needed by the target role conduct preoperative investigations skill
- not needed by the target role contribute to the advancements in specialised nursing care skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate care skill
- not needed by the target role delegate emergency care skill
- not needed by the target role develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
- not needed by the target role diagnose nursing care skill
- not needed by the target role educate on the prevention of illness skill
- not needed by the target role empower individuals, families and groups skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate nursing care skill
- not needed by the target role evaluation in specialised nursing care skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role impact of social contexts on health knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement scientific decision making in healthcare skill
- not needed by the target role inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- not needed by the target role initiate life preserving measures skill
- not needed by the target role manage adverse reactions to drugs skill
- not needed by the target role manage communicable disease skill
- not needed by the target role manage hospital-acquired infections skill
- not needed by the target role manage information in health care skill
- not needed by the target role manage multiple patients simultaneously skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
- not needed by the target role manage trauma through surgical means skill
- not needed by the target role participate in health personnel training skill
23 further entries not listed here
24 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn disability care required
- still to learn person centred care required
- still to learn first aid required
- still to learn health care legislation required
- still to learn hygiene in a health care setting required
- still to learn nursing principles required
- still to learn nursing science required
- optional, not held acute care optional
- optional, not held palliative care optional
- optional, not held safe management of medicines optional
- optional, not held adolescence medicine optional
- optional, not held disability types optional
- optional, not held general medicine optional
- optional, not held geriatrics optional
- optional, not held human anatomy optional
- optional, not held human physiology optional
- optional, not held infection control optional
- optional, not held innovation in nursing optional
- optional, not held medicines optional
- optional, not held paediatrics optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held pharmacology optional
- optional, not held primary care optional
- optional, not held resuscitation optional
Other moves recorded from specialist nurse
- advanced nurse practitioner 71% covered · moderate
- healthcare assistant 62% covered · moderate
- nurse responsible for general care 60% covered · substantial
- dental hygienist 56% covered · substantial
- physiotherapy assistant 54% covered · substantial
- specialist pharmacist 52% covered · substantial
- dental chairside assistant 51% covered · substantial
- dental technician 50% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a specialist nurse become a nurse assistant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A specialist nurse already covers 57% of what a nurse assistant is expected to do: 29 skills carry over, 23 of which the nurse assistant role treats as required.
What skills does a specialist nurse need to become a nurse assistant?
13 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by health and welfare. The single most important is disability care.
How hard is the move from specialist nurse to nurse assistant?
Its learning distance is 55 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.