Need ideas for a new career when nursing career is over

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I am 55 years old and it is getting more and more difficult to do this kind of work. I have had problems with jobs since a severe shoulder injury 2 years ago. I am looking for ideas of how to use my experience to find a job not so physical stressful, any ideas?

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Specializes in Pedi.

Education, management, case management, school nursing. You didn't say what your background is so I have no idea if any of these would be a good fit for you but there are certainly ways to continue in nursing that are less physically demanding than acute care.

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You could try phone triage.

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I would love to do phone triage...that would be great for me. But not many opportunities in this area (southeastern Wisconsin) for an associate degree. I have actually done a few things in the last 30 years but mostly long term care and rehab. For 7 years I did case management but now everyone wants a bachelor degree for that. I also worked in a manufacturer medical office for extra money on weekends, but that factory closed....go figure. I am just so tired lately and thought night shift would be a good shift for me but I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the sleep schedule. One thing I would like to say is thanks for responding, I have been feeling so low lately and wanted to reach out.....thanks.

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I am 55 years old and it is getting more and more difficult to do this kind of work. I have had problems with jobs since a severe shoulder injury 2 years ago. I am looking for ideas of how to use my experience to find a job not so physical stressful, any ideas?

I'm still new in the nursing field but there are some ideas...

* Try public health... look into county jobs? Your public health department? How about the World Health Organization? or the CDC... You might surprise yourself.

* Be an nurse educator either for a unit or for the public? You have alot of experience and knowledge.

* Nurse recruiter... I've learned that most recruiters used to be nurses themselves...

* or become an legal nurse....

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Specializes in retired LTC.

At times, some staffing agencies get requests for very atypical positions for short term contracts. Kind of like a typical head-hunter job agency or like a traveling/circulating/flying nurse agency. I know there are requests for school nurses, occupational nurses, pharmaceutical research, chart auditing, etc. Like covering for maternities or special projects. I know a gal who got some positions that way. Try registering with them.

Your background includes LTC/rehab. How about ALF or day care? Teaching CNAs orHHAs? The BSN may not count. Is IV nsg an option for you?

I have some health issues, myself, and as soon as I can square them away, I may be making a change also. Medical coding is an attractive option for me. I need to do some training for this. I taught health care stuff for a little business/computer school so I became intersted in coding with them. There are various educational approaches. Good Luck.

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Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

I understand. I can't do lifting of adult patients any more due to a back injury. So, I work at volunteer clinics as a provider (overseas), have gone back to school to get my ANP certification, have been a school nurse, have done legal consulting, and worked as an intake coordinator for hospice. Just some ideas. And, don't say you're too old to return to school--you aren't. I'll graduate with my ANP at 59 :). Hang in there & best to you!

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

Have you considered HIT (health information technology) or EMR (electronic medical records)? These fields are burgeoning due to the mandatory requirement for electronic medical records. Also, the actual job does not seem very physical.

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Thank you for all the suggestions, i actually filled out an app online today for a position for phone triage. And I mailed out 2 resumes for supervisor positions. Now I am going to look into EMR and HIT...thanks again.

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Moved to Nursing Career Advice for more response.

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Administrative position in a home health agency. You could be doing chart review, preparation of the care plans, coordination with the doctors, all the office admin type work. They like to have nurses do this stuff.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I am 55 years old and it is getting more and more difficult to do this kind of work. I have had problems with jobs since a severe shoulder injury 2 years ago. I am looking for ideas of how to use my experience to find a job not so physical stressful, any ideas?

I'm not too far behind you age-wise (54 in January) and I've found my niche in assisted living (ALF) nursing. Although I do miss direct care sometimes---my job is 95% administrative---I can't work the floor anymore d/t arthritis, back problems etc., and this way I can stay in nursing without risking my health.

The major drawbacks are being salaried (even though the wages are often quite good) and being on call 24/7. You usually don't wind up covering shifts, but if a staff member's got a medical question about a resident that needs professional consultation, you're it......even if it's 0330 and you've got to be up by 0600. Otherwise, it's mostly desk work with periodic physical assessment of residents, mostly for acute situations and move-ins/readmission from hospital or rehab.

Good luck to you! PM me if you'd like more info. :)

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