Add'l jobs for RN's other than bedside

Nurses General Nursing

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I am just getting ready to graduate and am looking for a job right now. Presently I am interviewing in different hospitals, however, I don't think the bedside is where I want to be long term. Other than hospitals, doctors offices, schools and HMO's, what other jobs are out there for nurses? I know there are other types of positions out there for RN's that I'm sure I never even knew about and I would REALLY appreciate any of you who are doing an "unconventional" job as a nurse to share your experience with me. Thank you!!

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ah! you sound just like me! i just graduated and am looking for something that isnt bedside nursing! keep me posted if you find anything and i'll do the same!

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There are jobs reviewing charts such as MedAssurant.

There are jobs doing coding of diagnosis for home health companies,etc.

There are jobs doing care plans for Nursing homes to meet state regulations.

These are basically jobs involving chart review, computer work.

These are a few that I know about and have done some of them.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

There are hospice positions where the nurse acts as the case manager for various terminally ill patients. There are management positions where the nurse is in charge of floor nurses, aides, and nurse supervisors. There are occupational health positions where the nurse works at a large factory or plant, doing annual and quarterly screenings on the employees.

Some nurses are employed in blood banks. Other nurses work as intake assessors for psychiatric facilities. And many nurses work as admissions representatives for skilled nursing facilities who attempt to keep the census up. Other nurses work for the state, doing annual Medicare and Medicaid surveys.

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Thanks for this thread! One thing I am wondering and I ask of those of you who do *not* do bedside nursing: do you think you HAVE to do some bedside nursing first before you go to any of those alternative positions? Or can you jump from NS to something other than bedside nursing? I would love to hear others' experiences!

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Specializes in ICU, OR.
Thanks for this thread! One thing I am wondering and I ask of those of you who do *not* do bedside nursing: do you think you HAVE to do some bedside nursing first before you go to any of those alternative positions? Or can you jump from NS to something other than bedside nursing? I would love to hear others' experiences!

I have done case management, and I cannot see how one can work in these positions without prior med-surg experience. So much of what you learn in nursing is learned after graduation and on the job. This experience is what you draw on for the "alternative jobs" to bedside hospital nursing.:twocents:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Progressive Care.
I have done case management, and I cannot see how one can work in these positions without prior med-surg experience. So much of what you learn in nursing is learned after graduation and on the job. This experience is what you draw on for the "alternative jobs" to bedside hospital nursing.:twocents:

I am not yet a nurse - but in my experience the above is true in all professions.

Hoteliers, teachers, lawyers, physicians, engineers, scientists, every job I can thinks of - all "learn" the job in the first years post education. For example, passing the bar exam enables one to legally practice law, but no decent law firm will let you handle even the simplest case without some level of supervision when you fresh out of school. Education gives one a theoretical understanding that must be augmented by practical knowledge.

On the day I interviewed at nursing school I met a woman that honestly told me she was not interested in toileting patients, making beds etc. I looked at her and said "Why, in the name of heaven, do you want to go to school here and take a slot away from somebody that actually wants to be a nurse?" She offered no response. I hope her interviewer asked the same question

When I graduate from nursing school the first thing on my agenda is to learn nursing and the only way I can see doing this is by working at the bedside under the tutelage and supervision of experienced nurses.

I hate to be rude - but I suggest you man-up or woman-up, get a job, and learn to be a nurse. Then look for an alternative job.

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czyja - i see where you are coming from but bedside nursing isnt the only nursing job out there. i know from personal experience that bedside nursing isn't for me, something about it just isnt for me, i want more of the business side of things which is why im looking for something away from the bedside. thats the great thing about nursing, there are so many places to go, and people like different things. i love working with patients, am a huge people person, but when someone isnt happy at their job, it effects the job. i can tell a huge difference because i'm just not happy at work. my pts. still get good care, but if you work somewhere and dont enjoy your job, its going to take a toll on your health so working somewhere and "man-ing" up wont help because pt. care will go down and i would rather remove myself from that environment than provide anything but my best care which is why i'm looking for a different job.

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Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.

I now have a job in infection control, but I spent a year and a half working at the bedside in order to gain the nursing experience necessary for this job. My five years of experience as a medical technologist played a crucial role in getting this position- If I had been a first-degree nurse with that amount of experience there is no way they would have even given me an interview...

The basic "bench experience" in the lab and "bedside experience" in nursing is what prepared me for this position. Even though it was difficult and the hours weren't always desirable, I know that this experience will guide me in my future career.

Physicians have to do a residency, lawyers have to work the least desirable cases at their firms and pharmacists have to either do a residency or put in some time at CVS, RiteAid, etc. We all have to "pay our dues" at the beginning of our careers by doing undesirable tasks, bad shifts, lots of weekends, etc.

Even if you don't want to do bedside nursing, I suggest that you try to get the most out of it that you can :) You might find that you enjoy your co-workers, the atmosphere, etc even if you do not like the actual job. You will be building your resume and learning a lot in the process, and you will be done before you know it :)

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Specializes in Critical Care, Progressive Care.
czyja - i see where you are coming from but bedside nursing isnt the only nursing job out there. i know from personal experience that bedside nursing isn't for me, something about it just isnt for me, i want more of the business side of things which is why im looking for something away from the bedside. thats the great thing about nursing, there are so many places to go, and people like different things. i love working with patients, am a huge people person, but when someone isnt happy at their job, it effects the job. i can tell a huge difference because i'm just not happy at work. my pts. still get good care, but if you work somewhere and dont enjoy your job, its going to take a toll on your health so working somewhere and "man-ing" up wont help because pt. care will go down and i would rather remove myself from that environment than provide anything but my best care which is why i'm looking for a different job.

D&Ggirl -

I certainly don't mean to suggest that bedside nursing is the only nursing. I do, however, argue that it is foundational. If you read the posts from the nurses doing non-bedside nursing you will find that they suggest their careers benefited from a period of hospital practice.

I am not sure what you mean by the "business side." It strikes me that nurse management and case management all draw heavily on the skills and knowledge gained at the bedside.

One cannot effectively manage nurses (or anybody for that matter) without the knowledge of their job gained by doing their job. I doubt one can be an effective case manager without having handled cases. Frankly, I have seen people try to manage others without the necessary experience. It always fails. This is why the top business schools do not take applicants out of undergrad programs - they recognize the value of line-level experience.

I am not suggesting that 20 years of experience is necessary - only a few. For example, a previous poster indicated that she works as an infection control nurse - she states that she combination of lab experience and bedside experience informs her current practice in infection control.

To suggest that "if you work somewhere and dont enjoy your job, its going to take a toll on your health" might be true after 10 years or so but I very much doubt that a year or two of hospital nursing will take a toll on your health. As for patients getting good care - this is completely within your control. Quality care is not a function of how much you like your work - it is a function of how much you are committed working hard for your patients.

Personally, I do not plan a career in bedside practice. I plan to have either an academic or management career. But I know that my effectiveness in either of these areas would be comprimised by insufficient experience on the wards.

So, the free advice from the non-yet-a-nurse old man with 20+ years of experience in the business world - suck it up, and work for a year or so in the hospital. Trust me, it wont kill you. And you will learn something, if not about pt care then about how nurses work.

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I have done case management, and I cannot see how one can work in these positions without prior med-surg experience. So much of what you learn in nursing is learned after graduation and on the job. This experience is what you draw on for the "alternative jobs" to bedside hospital nursing.:twocents:

Thanks for your insight!

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