Key Eating Disorder Nurse Jobs in the Healthcare Industry

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Following the acute care phase of treatment, an eating disorder patient may be enrolled in a partial hospital program. In these types of settings, a patient is allowed to live at home while agreeing to come to the hospital for regular monitoring.

Nurses in these roles engage in regular monitoring of their patients, including daily vital signs, daily weights, and regular blood work to continuously monitor progress. Eating disorder nurses will also assess and manage the patient’s care in an outpatient format, and they often follow progress for an extended period to ensure healing momentum.

Eating disorder nurse jobs in outpatient settings are often lower stress and less reactive than in inpatient facilities. However, they require healthcare professionals to be extremely observant of fluctuations in data, mental health indicators, and lifestyle trends. Also, nurses often need to maintain communication networks with family, friends, school employees, and health professionals in a variety of different disciplines to support a positive trajectory.

Residential Treatment Programs

A residential treatment program is designed for people who benefit from living at a treatment center but don’t need to be in a hospital-based acute care setting. Most often, these patients are medically stable but require regular intensive psychiatric treatment along with a comprehensive team of professionals managing their care.

Residential treatment programs are ideal for eating disorder APRNs trained in psychiatric mental health or family health. These roles tend to be very hands-on and require nurse specialists to work closely with a team of psychologists, therapists, and psychiatrists to prepare patients to take ownership of their own recovery. Because this can be difficult to quantify, these eating disorder nurse jobs often require nuanced observation, evaluation, and reporting.

Day Treatment Centers

Eating disorder day treatment centers provide tremendous flexibility for patients working towards recovery. With options to attend the program for any number of hours per day for as many days per week as recommended, day treatment programs allow patients to remain in their community while receiving the help they need.

Patients enrolled in day treatment programs are well beyond the acute phase of their recovery but still greatly benefit from the expertise of a multidisciplinary team. The combination of medical care when needed, therapy, nutritional education, and structured eating sessions is a great way for an APRN to help a patient round out their recovery.

Nurses in day treatment facilities tend to operate on the positive end of the eating disorder spectrum, and they have the opportunity to share in the successes of the people they work with. However, because they are in a lower-contact environment, they need to be on the lookout for relapses and behaviors that are not conducive to recovery.

Find an Eating Disorder Nurse Job You Love!

Nurses are inherently trained to look at the big picture, and the complexities that accompany an eating disorder are well suited for this kind of care. Eating disorder nurse jobs can be found in a variety of settings, creating flexibility for the patient and the professional.

If becoming an eating disorder nurse is something you’re interested in, Premiere can help you get started on the right foot! Eating Disorders - Interprofessional Implications created by Megan Arbour PhD, RN, CNM, CNE, and Grant Hunsicker DDS covers common indicators, statistics, and implications of eating disorders, as well as the oral presentation of purging associated with them.

Eating disorder nurse jobs offer an excellent opportunity for specialization in advanced nursing care, and Premiere is here to support you in achieving your goals. All of our courses are created by leading industry professionals, and make staying current and informed about serious health issues fast, easy, and accessible from any screen.