Working in nursing can be an incredibly rewarding career path, especially for those who enjoy helping others and have a passion for healthcare. At the same time, the nursing field is very expansive with a wide range of specializations and niches to explore.
If you’re interested in a career in nursing but want to explore less ‘traditional’ nursing roles, the good news is that there are plenty of alternative career paths for nurses to consider. Whether you see yourself teaching, running your own practice, or advocating for change in healthcare, there is likely to be a role that fulfills your unique interests as you look into career alternatives for nurses.
Discovering Alternative Career Paths for Nurses
So, what are some less conventional career paths you can explore in the nursing field? From entrepreneurship and administration to education and research, the possibilities are limitless.
Nurse Educator: Shaping the Future of Nursing
If you’re passionate about helping to shape and inspire future generations of nurses, then you might consider exploring a role as a nurse educator. These professionals are responsible for teaching prospective nurses and current nurses best practices, patient care methods, clinical skills, and more to help them thrive in their careers and best serve their patients. Nurse educators can teach in a variety of settings, ranging from colleges and universities to hospitals and other facilities.
Nurse educators typically need to have many years of experience working in the field, so this role is generally a longer-term goal for plenty of nursing professionals. In some cases, an advanced degree, such as a master’s degree in nursing, may also be required or preferred.
Healthcare Administrator: Behind the Scenes Leadership
Some nurses also choose to go into healthcare administration, which involves the planning, management, and coordination of a healthcare facility’s inner workings. This type of role is much more administrative in nature, but the job of a healthcare administrator can directly affect patient care, patient outcomes, and facility operations in a number of ways.
Healthcare administrators can work in a variety of settings, ranging from hospitals and nursing homes to private practices and beyond. If you’re interested in serving in a leadership position where you can focus more on the business and operations side of healthcare, then this type of role may be right for you.
Public Health Advocate: Championing Community Wellness
Another possible career path worth exploring is that of public health advocate as an alternative nursing role. As a public health advocate, you will be responsible for developing and presenting programs that educate local communities and populations on ways to improve their own health and wellness.
This type of role can be ideal for those who want to continue to work directly with the communities that they serve while stepping away from that ‘traditional’ bedside role. Public health advocates are often hired by nonprofits, government agencies, and even hospitals to put together these important programs.
Nurse Entrepreneur: Innovating Healthcare Solutions
Have you ever dreamed of creating your own product or even launching your own business? Then you could put your own nursing knowledge and expertise to use as a means of launching your own product or business in the healthcare industry.
Many innovative nurses have become successful entrepreneurs by identifying problems in the field and coming up with solutions in the form of products or services to address these issues.
As a nurse entrepreneur, you can enjoy the freedom that comes along with running your own business while continuing to improve the lives of nurses and/or their patients through your innovative products.
Legal Nurse Consultant: Bridging Nursing and Law
If you have an interest in laws and regulations surrounding nursing care, then a career as a legal nurse consultant might be right up your alley. Specifically, legal nurse consultants are responsible for advising legal teams on medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability, and similar cases. These legal consultants must have an extensive knowledge of the healthcare field and must typically be licensed as RNs.
This type of role may be right for you if you’re interested in working independently, since you have the freedom to decide which cases you wish to take on.
Telehealth Nurse: The Future of Remote Patient Care
These days, telehealth is becoming increasingly common as a means of providing convenient, cost-effective, and reliable patient care. As more patients and healthcare facilities continue to rely on telehealth, the demand for telehealth nurses is expected to increase.
Specifically, telehealth nurses are registered nurses who can provide care remotely. This may include conducting patient assessments over video chat software, as well as monitoring patients remotely through wearable medical devices and similar technology.
One advantage of telehealth nursing is added flexibility in scheduling, especially for those who may want to work less conventional hours. Likewise, several nurses currently working in the field already have the skills and knowledge needed to transition to telehealth nursing roles without the need for additional training or certification.
Nurse Researcher: Advancing Medical Science
If you’re fascinated with studying specific areas of nursing or medical science, then you might want to explore a career alternative as a nurse researcher. These professionals are responsible for designing and carrying out scientific studies to explore different ways of advancing medical science and care outcomes.
Working as a nurse researcher may require you to spend time in research laboratories, on college campuses, in healthcare facilities, and beyond. Most nurse researchers have advanced degrees, such as master’s or even doctorate degrees, but educational requirements can vary from one role to the next.
Occupational Health Nurse: Safeguarding Workplace Wellness
Do you want to make a direct difference when it comes to workplace safety, health, and wellness? A job as an occupational health nurse could be right up your alley.
Occupational health nurses are nursing professionals who work with employers and employees to identify potential healthcare hazards in the workplace and create plans to mitigate these risks. In many cases, occupational health nurses are also responsible for providing care to employees who may have been injured on the job.
Occupational health nurses may be hired directly by larger companies and organizations, or they may work for government agencies or larger medical facilities.
Clinical Nurse Specialist: Expertise in Specialized Care
If you enjoy working in your current nursing role but would like to focus your care on a more specialized niche within the field, then you may want to consider becoming a clinical nurse specialist. These nurses have received specialized education and training on any number of nursing areas, such as:
- Pediatrics
- Pain management
- Oncology
- Women’s health
- Rehabilitation
Typically, clinical nurse specialists have advanced degrees like master’s or doctorate degrees. However, this type of role can be a great fit for nurses who want to make a real difference in a specific area of healthcare.
Informatics Nurse: Technology Meets Patient Care
If you’re as passionate about technology as you are about patient care, then an alternative career as an informatics nurse could be a great fit for you. Informatics nurses take on the crucial role of using computerized systems to analyze patient data and other clinical data as a means of making recommendations for improving patient care.
Informatics nurses, also known as health information technologists, typically only need an associate’s degree in nursing or a related field, though additional certification may be required for some jobs. These professionals often work in office settings and may be hired by healthcare facilities such as hospitals and physician’s offices.
Nurse Life Coach: Guiding Personal and Professional Growth
Nurse life coaches are registered nurses who provide personalized health and wellness guidance to individuals looking to achieve specific goals. For example, a person might hire a nurse life coach to help them come up with a practical weight loss plan. In other cases, goals may be more related to lifestyle changes or even managing stress.
Working as a nurse life coach can be a rewarding way to put your nursing expertise to use while working independently. Some nurse life coaches are freelancers who can take on as many clients as they want while creating their own schedules.
Nurse Midwife: Supporting Births Beyond the Hospital
Nurse midwives are specialized healthcare professionals responsible for providing pre-conception, prenatal, birth/delivery, and postpartum care to women and their newborns. These professionals play a critical role in caring for pregnant women during childbirth, providing careful monitoring and assisting with pain management as needed.
Nurse midwives need to complete extensive training and usually have master’s degrees in nursing. These professionals also need to obtain certification as nurse-midwives by passing a board exam and maintain their certification with ongoing training and professional development.
Case Management Nurse: Coordinating Comprehensive Care
For patients with more complex medical needs, a case management nurse may be brought in to help coordinate and review care plans. This is most often the case for patients recovering from serious injuries or facing life-threatening illnesses.
The job of a case management nurse can be challenging, but the results are very rewarding. This can be an excellent career path for those who want to be involved with more complex cases while collaborating with other healthcare professionals and making a direct difference in patient outcomes.
Health Policy Nurse: Advocating for Change in Healthcare
Healthcare policies are supposed to represent the needs and best interests of entire populations. Over time, policies may need to be revised or otherwise changed to ensure that this is the case. Similarly, new healthcare policies may become necessary.
The role of the health policy nurse is to recognize the need for policy reform and new policies to better reflect and address the needs of diverse populations. These professionals may conduct research to pinpoint gaps in care, draft new policies, and advocate for reforms in healthcare. If you’re passionate about making a difference and advocating for change with your patients’ best interests in mind, this type of role could be a good fit for you.
Hospice Nurse: Providing End-of-Life Care
Hospice nurses play the critical role of providing end-of-life care to patients facing terminal illness or other severe conditions. These nurses are responsible for working with other healthcare professionals to ensure that patients stay as comfortable and pain-free as possible. Often, they also provide support to family members and loved ones in preparing for the patient’s death. While this role can be emotionally challenging, it can also be extremely fulfilling for compassionate nursing professionals.
Flight Nurse: Critical Care in the Air
Craving more adventure when it comes to performing your everyday nursing duties? If so, then you may want to consider a career as a flight nurse. These nursing professionals are responsible for working on airplanes and helicopters to keep patients in stable condition as they are transported to the nearest hospital or medical facility. This job can be high-stress and no two days are exactly alike, but it can be a suitable role for nurses who can stay calm and collected under stress while making potentially life-saving decisions.
Diversifying Nursing Skills for Non-Traditional Roles
If you’re interested in pursuing a less traditional nursing role, one of the most important things you can do is to diversify your nursing skill set by earning additional certifications and completing specialized training.
Certification and Advanced Training Paths
Many of the less conventional nursing roles explored above require special certifications, licenses, or other designations that entail more advanced and specialized training. With this in mind, you’ll want to explore the exact requirements for the roles that interest you most and determine what additional education or training you may need to complete.
For example, becoming certified as a nurse-midwife requires you to already be licensed as a registered nurse (RN), as well as completion of a nurse-midwifery program and passing of the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB) exam. After passing the exam and earning your license, you must also renew your certification every five years, which requires fulfillment of continuing education and professional development hours.
Transitioning From Clinical to Corporate Environments
Another consideration when exploring non-traditional career paths in nursing is the transition from working in clinical environments to more corporate environments. For nurses who have spent a considerable amount of time in hospitals and similar settings, shifting to a more corporate role as a health policy nurse or nurse researcher can be quite jarring. A wealth of nurses making this kind of career transition may need to prepare for a bit of an adjustment period, as working in a corporate or office setting can differ greatly from the fast-paced environment of the hospital floor.
Navigating Challenges in Non-Traditional Nursing Careers
In addition to the extra certifications and licensure that may be required in an alternative nursing path, there are also some inherent challenges and obstacles that you may need to overcome when pursuing career alternatives for nurses.
Overcoming Stereotypes and Setting New Precedents
For instance, consider the existing stereotypes that already pervade the field and the specific role that you are considering. If you’re interested in a role in health policy, for example, you might find that coming from a nursing background makes it difficult for you to be seen as a confident authority figure. Because nurses are often viewed as being so compassionate and caring, they sometimes struggle with being taken seriously when moving into more specialized roles.
This is where it pays off to not only have the education and training under your belt to prove yourself but also the confidence to go along with it. The most successful nursing professionals in less conventional roles are those who aren’t afraid to be trailblazers and set new precedents.
Balancing Passion With Professional Growth
Another challenge that a number of nurses transitioning to less conventional roles face is that of balancing their passions with their own need for professional development and growth. As a nurse, it’s easy to become so focused on helping your patients and caring for others that you forget to prioritize yourself.
At the same time, setting aside the time and resources needed to grow professionally is a must if you want to continue pursuing your interests and make a real difference in your field.
Explore a Nursing Degree From Florida Technical College
With so many career alternatives for nurses that go beyond ‘traditional’ bedside roles, your experience in the nursing field is your own to shape and mold as you see fit. Regardless of what type of nursing role you see yourself in, having the right education and training is critical.
At Florida Technical College (FTC), we’re proud to offer both an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program to suit your needs. Both of these programs are available at our Kissimmee, Orlando, and Tampa campuses for your convenience. These nursing programs can help you build the foundational knowledge and skills that you need to pursue your license as a registered nurse and launch your nursing career, so get in touch to learn more or start your online application today.
These examples are intended to serve only as a general guide of possible employment opportunities. There are many factors that determine the job an individual may obtain and Florida Technical College cannot guarantee its graduates any particular job. Some positions may require license or other certifications. We encourage you to research the requirements for the particular position you desire.
Sources
https://ftccollegeprd.wpenginepowered.com/program/diploma/associate-of-science-in-nursing/
https://ftccollegeprd.wpenginepowered.com/program/bachelors-degree/science-nursing/
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/health-educators.htm
https://ftccollegeprd.wpenginepowered.com/request-information/
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/health-information-technologists-and-medical-registrars.htm
https://nursinglicensemap.com/advanced-practice-nursing/certified-nurse-midwife-cnm/
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/health-information-technologists-and-medical-registrars.htm
https://www.coursera.org/articles/telehealth-nursing
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm
