My Career Goals + RN Education Choices = Confusion!

Hi everyone! I'm new here - looks like a great forum!

I have a 4 year degree in Psychology and work as a Health Insurance Counselor for seniors and people with disabilities. I want to go back to school to get my Bachelor's in Nursing so that I can use an RN certification to work in the Public Health Nursing or Administrative Nursing Fields (in nursing homes, ect). I am very confused about how this would work. Would I have to work as a nurse doing hands-on medical things in order to later do what I am most geared towards in my job experience? A lot of the step-up jobs I'm finding are looking for someone with my experience, but require an RN license. Can I just get the license and use it only as a credential for other types of work other than hands-on "traditional" nursing? I could explain the purpose of my question with this analogy: You can't just get a degree in criminal justice and expect to become a detective. You have to be a beat cop first.

Thanks for any information you can provide!!!

MedicareWhiz