Options other than bedside nursing

suzanne4, RN · Apr 15, 2004

Almost every single area is open to you except for teaching and some management postions. And then there are positions that you create for yourself. What are your interests when you are away from the healthcare arena. How could you tie those in with nursing? Perhaps you just take some time off from nursing and see where your heart takes you. Find some other type of work for lets say 90 days while you give your mind time to think.

Hope that this helps................ :balloons:

suzanne4, RN · Apr 15, 2004

Another question: If you could do anything that you wanted, without regard to the education that you have right now, what would it be? Try thinking along these lines............................and see if you can come up with something..........

:balloons:

menetopali · Apr 15, 2004

watch the facility job boards and try to slip into a surgical job. i work perioperative services in an outpatient department with only an associates degree. it's a whole different kind of nursing than at the bedside. most of our patients are relatively healthy as they are outpatients (though we do get inpatient procedures sometimes) and the care that they require is usually associated with the sedation that we use or specific procedural concerns.

Nurse Ratched, RN · Apr 15, 2004

most of our patients are relatively healthy

And more importantly, largely unconscious - there are definitely days that's an appealing thought :).

Back to the OP's question: is it strictly the hospital setting (goodness knows that can make anybody crispy in pretty short order) or are you up for a different patient population altogether? If you are sure you want to get away from the bedside, check down the list of specialties on the forums home page and see if anything suits you.

Personally, the increased pay I could make working full time at the hospital versus my office job is SO not worth it. Perhaps you could consider looking at things from a different angle - is there a way for you to afford to make less money in a job that's more desirable in terms of work and hours? (The pay difference in my area is pretty minimal when you compare base salary - it's the charge and shift diffy that bumps you up in the hospital - and who wants more responsibility and crappy hours?)

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Apr 15, 2004

What can you do with a nursing degree:

http://www.tobeanurse.com/passport_degree.htm

Work for the Red Cross--blood drives

Correctional Nursing

State Health Nurse

Nursing Magazine Editor

Occupational Health

Tele health Advice nurse

Urgent care clinic

The world is your Oyster--explore it.