Non-clinical nursing - What is out there?

[Sarah27]

I was three years into nursing school when I knew that clinical nursing was not for me. Now, I have been out of school a year and my only job has been at a holistic health clinic doing mostly medical assistant type work. I really enjoyed parts of it, mostly what they practiced, but the rest was just the typical stress and b.s. that comes with working other women and in a health care environment so I quit for my own sanity. Now, I can't find any other work here doing holistic care and until I move to California next year I don't have many options. I refuse to do hospital nursing as it goes against my morals and I don't like the negative environment. So, my question is what types of non-clinical nursing jobs are out there that don't require much more college. I am already swimming in student loans and don't want to add much more to that. But I would really like to be able to use my degree and do something I love everyday. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)

[MJB2010]

Do you like research? Are you interested in Medical Transcription (they pay RNS more) and you can work from home. How about a beauty clinic? Telephone triage in a call center? Corporate Nurse at a company? (we had one at my previous emplyer, she doled out aspirin, did bp checks, blood sugars, and made posters/bulletin boards about living healthier. Just a few ideas...

[fummertonBSN]

I struggled with the decision to work in a hospital setting or in the community. I was just accepted as an RN at an urgent care clinic, but there are other community positions available. Check with your local health dept. They have positions available in areas such as communicable disease, maternity case management, and school nursing. Just keep looking and be open to any opportunities that come your way. Good luck!

[RNMeg]

Do you have any specific issues with clinical nursing? Is it the intervention/pharm-heavy medical treatments, or the lack of time to get to know and treat your patients holistically? All of the above? Maybe you could look into one of the many naturopathic facilities around the country. The University of Arizona has the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, and the University of Minnesota has the Center for Spirituality and Healing. You could also look into midwifery or birth centers if you're into OB. These tend to have fewer interventions and more of a chance to get to know your patients.

[BKCinNOLA]

If you enjoy working with children, look into Early Childhood Intervention programs in your area. As nurses we do a lot of social work type stuff, speech therapy, physical therapy, psych issues, working with kids on the spectrum, supporting young and/or impoverished families in the community. Depending on what state you live in, EI Programs might be independent companies or part of the department of public health... maybe something to look into? Good Luck!