Or you could look at MBA/MHA programs to take you directly into healthcare administration work. Many hospitals, esp corporate-based ones, have internship/fellowship programs for transitioning new MBA/MHA grads into administrative work at their facilities.
Or you could go into governmental administrative work, e.g., HHS positions for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, or comparable state government positions where you'd be dealing with healthcare delivery issues from a govenmental perspective. Or there are positions with each state's attorney general office, where as an assistant AG you represent the professional boards that license healthcare professionals--the physicians, dentists, RNs, LPNs, etc.

Lynn,
It's easier to land positions as an RN than as an attorney because there are more job openings compared to the number of available professionals, even in this tough market. Austin has a very progressive dept of nursing at the Univ of TX. Here in Colo, the Univ of Colo has an non-nursing Bachelor degree to a nursing PhD program to draw people from other professions into nursing.

If you have other questions, you may contact me directly.
HollyVK, RN, BSN, JD
hollyvk@aol.com

I joined this site after reading one of your postings. I am graduating with a JD in may and am thinking about getting an RN and working as a nurse, then trying to get into healthcare admin/risk management. Part of the reason I want to get an RN is because I really always wanted to be a nurse, but I had parental pressure to be a "professional" (aka MD or attorney). Now, at 26 years old, I realize that I have to do what makes me happy, even if my parents aren't thrilled. Still, I think it would be neat to transition to healthcare administration later on. My question is, are RNs getting jobs or not? And, what do you think of my plan? Is it realistic? I was reading the boards and noticed that a lot of RNs can't find jobs, that hospitals only want experienced RNs. Also, did you say you're from Texas? I am very interested in moving to Texas after law school. Especially Austin or San Antonio. Sorry for blabbing!