Nursing jobs that primarily involve teaching your patients...?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm a newer nurse and am wondering about what areas of nursing focus on patient teaching. That is one of my favorite parts of my job, I just wish I could do more of it! I would be so happy doing that all day!

I am interested in home health for this reason, but not entirely sure if it focuses on teaching in actuality. I've also thought about being a diabetes educator. What kind of companies hire these positions? Community health agencies? Any insight on the best areas of nursing for someone who loves to teach patients self-care skills? Thanks!

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I just started Home Health and it truly does involve a TON of patient teaching.

I would get a couple of years of Med Surge or work in a Skilled Nursing

Unit of a Long Term Care facility, to really hone your fine nursing skills,

before taking on HH though. JMO...

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Nurse Family Partnership

Labor and Delivery -- You are there to teach them how to deliver that baby effectively.

Hospice -- This is definitely family and patient teaching. End-of-life spiritual issues for the patient, and for the family: physical and mental changes prior to death, how to medicate effectively for comfort, managing incontinence and preventing skin breakdown, bowel management, what to do when something goes wrong, etc.

Specializes in ICU, OR.

Mother/Baby - breastfeeding support, newborn care.

Specializes in Pediatrics/Developmental Pediatrics/Research/psych.

Many psych/mental health/addictions nurses can be hired in education type jobs. Often outpatient rehabs, PHPs, Clubhouses hire nurses for both psychosocial and physical health Ed groups. Topics might be abstinence, stress management, medication groups, nutrition... Often such agencies need quality educators because there are often problems with ineffective health maintenance among their clients. Often the counselors/therapists do most of the therapy and case management, and nurses are hired for health Ed.

Another position is as a school nurse if part if you job description is health Ed. In a similar vein, college wellness center nurses often do mostly educatiin

I do family centered care(postpartum and newborn) and there is a ton of teaching involved. Most of the patients are healthy and without complication so the care is minimal(assessing and med pass) but most of my time, I feel is spent teaching about what to expect regarding post Partum body, newborn care, etc.

Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

School nurses do a fair amount of teaching.

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