Alternative Nursing Careers

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I am about to graduate in a few weeks and love healthcare but am interested in nursing careers that aren't necessarily patient care. I am having a difficult time finding these type of jobs. Does anyone have any recommendations of alternative nursing careers?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

This is a very frequent topic here on AN - and the answer is always the same. In order to be qualified for a 'highly desirable' non-bedside jobs, you'll need a significant amount of clinical expertise. For instance, those terrific, well paying jobs with medical equipment companies? You need to have a lot of experience using that equipment in order to be considered. Telephone triage? You need to have a the clinical expertise to figure out what is happening and anticipate the most effective way to address it along with all of the potential complications that could arise. Pharmaceutical rep? Need expertise in use of those drugs in order to effectively relate to the clinical client base.

There are no shortcuts. You have to pay your dues first. Lets face it, if it was possible to fulfill the job responsibilities without nursing expertise, an employer would just hire a non-nurse... it would be a lot easier and probably less expensive.

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Thank you for responding. I know there are options for work outside of the hospital, but sounds like the hospital is where I need to start regardless. So is this where starting out on a medical/surgical floor has it's benefit? Gives a broad knowledge for future career options?

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Specializes in public health.

you can start in public health without hospital experience.

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Not all patient care happens in a hospital. Is 'patient care' what you object to, or the hospital environment itself? Color me 'confused'.

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Meanmaryjean, I was referring to more of hosptial environment patient care. I'm not very interested in the 12 hour bedside shifts. I'd be interested in exploring research, hosptial credentialing, public health and such. I don't know where to begin. My nursing program hasn't talked about many alternative careers and I don't see any job postings in my area.

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Specializes in CEN, CFRN, PHRN, RCIS, EMT-P.

Nursing is so much more than bed side patient care. It drives me crazy when I see self-righteous people putting students down for wanting to practice nursing in an area other than bed side. This is the 21st century and you can do as good and arguably more for patients from a desk.

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Meanmaryjean, I was referring to more of hosptial environment patient care. I'm not very interested in the 12 hour bedside shifts. I'd be interested in exploring research, hosptial credentialing, public health and such. I don't know where to begin. My nursing program hasn't talked about many alternative careers and I don't see any job postings in my area.

You might want to explore some options in graduate school to help open some of those doors for you. A PhD in Nursing would be a good start on a research career, and there are opportunities to combine research with teaching at the university level. An MPH would be an excellent way to top off your Nursing degree as preparation for a career in Public Health. Still, a couple of years on a med-surg floor would give you a better foundation for many of the things you want to explore later in your career.

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