what next? Appreciate advice.

MaggieMae,
If you like teaching then you probably have good communication skills and there are a number of areas that might work for you that will spare your back and the hours and working conditions are typically good.

1. Telephonic or phone triage nursing is a great fit for nurses who have good communication skills and can develop relationships over the phone. Your clients can range from newly discharged patients requiring brief post-discharge follow-up to patients with chronic diseases needing teaching or supervision for a long time.

2. Hospital case management / discharge planning might be rewarding, especially in a rehab environment, given your background. This might be more physically demanding as you could be running around in the facility a lot and on your feet.

3. Research nursing (where I work) is an often overlooked field but very rewarding for those of an organized, detail oriented nature. If you are near a university with a medical school you may find jobs available that you would be trained for.

4. MDS (Minimum Data Set) nurse in a long term care facility. Again another job that would require that you not go nuts over very detailed, precise documentation requirements, but if you like that stuff then it could be an interesting job.

5. Insurance companies hire nurses to do pre-care utilization review, quality reviews and case management. The jobs differ in the amount of patient contact you have from none to a lot but the pay tends to be good and the hours good.

6. The health department in the state you live in may also have a wealth of jobs that you have never heard of or thought of that could be a good fit. You can usually find a job bank listing their positions with a bit of searching on the internet. These jobs are typically located close to your state capitol if you happen to live near that but many have satellite offices all of the state.

7. If you want more patient contact but don't necessarily want to work in the hospital you could try clinic nursing.

Those are just a few of the ideas that come to mind but I am sure there are many more! Good luck.

Why don't you finish that BSN and give yourself more options? If you are an employee of the school system, they probably have a decent tuition reimbursement option.

It would also help prevent boredom while you explore your options.

MaggieMay....sorry for the delay. I've been on vacation and refuse to TOUCH a computer while I am off work!

I don't think having only an associates degree will keep you from many research jobs. The hardest thing is to get your first job but after that you have the ever valued EXPERIENCE and it will get progressively easier. If you decide on research nursing you might start by joining the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) or Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCra) and then go to the local meetings. Check before joining to make sure that they actually have meetings in your area if networking is your primary goal. It is still probably worth it to join because you will learn a lot and as a member you will be able to see who else in your area is in the association and perhaps contact that person so see if they have openings. Persistence is the key but I suspect you can find something if research appeals to you. Good luck!