Alternative Careers For RN’s: A Quick Guide
Having the title of Registered Nurse (RN) gives such a range of options when it comes to your career. As nurses, we go through rigorous medical training, but what they don’t tell you in school is that all the knowledge you learn along the way can be used in so many diverse ways. We typically think of using our RN to work in the hospital treating patients, but as it turns out, that is just the beginning!
Let’s take a look at all the things you can do other than work bedside in a hospital! Here are ten of our favorites!
1. Legal Nurse Consultant
● Basic job description: Help with medical information during legal trials, sometimes even testifying
● Skills needed: The patience to read many documents and general knowledge of nursing overall
● Where they work: Insurance companies, law enforcement, law firms, private consultants
● Salary: Approximately $75,000/year
2. Academic Nurse Writer
● Basic job description: Write medical journals, textbooks, websites, training manuals
● Skills needed: strong grammar, formatting, reference staples
● Where they work: Private consultants, educational facilities, regulatory bodies, insurance companies
● Salary: Approximately $70,000/year
3. Nurse Case Manager
● Basic job description: Act as an intermediary between patients and doctors, coordinate patient resources and medical decisions
● Skills needed: Good communication, organization, creative/resourceful
● Where they work: Long term care facilities, hospital, insurance companies, psychiatric facilities
● Salary: Approximately $70,000/year
4. Nurse Educator
● Basic job description: Educate other nurses, administrative tasks, implement new procedures, training programs, mentor
● Skills needed: Strong nursing skill set, leadership
● Where they work: Hospital, nursing homes, long term care facilities, psychiatric facilities, home health care facilities
● Salary: Approximately $73,000/year
5. Occupational Nurse
● Basic job description: Develop safe work practices, trainings, manuals
● Skills needed: Good communication, organization
● Where they work: Industrial, manufacturing, corporate, any larger workplace
● Salary: Approximately $69,000/year
6. Nurse Health Coach
● Basic job description: Coach about a healthy lifestyle, prevent future health problems
● Skills needed: a good background in nutrition, exercise, and preventative medicine
● Where they work: Private consultant, insurance companies, other private health companies
● Salary: Approximately $45,000/year
7. Camp Nurse
● Basic job description: Provide medical attention to camp goers, respond to emergencies
● Skills needed: a love for kids, good first aid and medication administration skills
● Where they work: Camps– adult, children and special needs
● Salary: Approximately $62,000/year
8. Cruise Ship Nurse
● Basic job description: Provide medical attention to staff and passengers
● Skills needed: a sense of adventure, knowledge of common cruise illnesses, response in emergency
● Where they work: Cruise lines– Bonus! Free Travel!
● Salary: Approximately $56,000/year
9. Infection Control Nurses
● Basic job description: Prevent the spread of disease, research, hygiene practices
● Skills needed: a love for research and data, a strong background in infectious diseases
● Where they work: Nursing homes, hospitals, doctor’s offices, insurance companies
● Salary: Approximately $85,000/year
10. Informatics Nurse
● Basic job description: Work to simplify documentation and electronic health records in conjunction with software developers
● Skills needed: a BSN, experience with electronic health records
● Where they work: Hospitals, software development companies
● Salary: Approximately $93,000/year
There you have it! 10 alternative careers for RN’s that aren’t bedside! Some of them sound pretty cool. What do you think? Which would you like the most? Join the conversation on
https://nursejournal.org/community/10-great-non-hospital-nursing-jobs-for-nurses/
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