Other Jobs That a Nurse Can Do?

[westieluv]

So I am too young to retire, but after 24 years as a nurse, I am so tired of having to work with sick, unhappy people all day long, and especially of having to be responsible for other people's lives. I am really ready to just work at a desk job of some kind or in some field other than nursing where people are actually not sick and I don't have to worry about literally having their lives in my hands every time I go to work.

Can anyone suggest any areas of work where one can make at least 2/3 of what a nurse makes and where a nurse would have a chance at getting hired? If I were to apply, say, at a bank or a library, would they just pitch my resume', or is it at least worth a try?

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. I currently work in outpatient dialysis after years in the hospital, LTC, and hospice and I am really tired of being responsible for every aspect of 20+ treatments a day, but I can't even imagine going back to any of those other areas of nursing except possibly hospice.

[Hancock330]

I suggest you consider your interests -- depending on your education and your job needs (ie, do you need benefits, regular paychecks, a consistent schedule, etc.) -- you might look at doing some "peer review" reading for a nursing journal; you might "translate" medical records for a lawyer or 3 (I would think that doing medical record reviews to determine whether standards of care were provided would be stressful because so much rides on the outcome of a malpractice suit); if you enjoy working with adolescents -- you might explore options for teaching health occupations courses at a high school; if you enjoy working with nursing students, you might offer tutoring services for them -- or offer to proof-read papers and provide feedback in terms of strengths and weaknesses, but not rewriting the papers; you might even be able to contract with a "distance learning" college to connect their students with appropriate preceptors in your area; you might also consider becoming certified to teach CPR -- for either the AHA or the Red Cross -- and teach those courses for lay persons or healthcare providers. Or, if you're really tired of nursing and all of the decisionmaking and problem solving -- seek out a "job" in any of a number of occupations. Just remember that any job that involves interacting with the public is going to have the stress of dealing with difficult personalities.

I retired after 43 years in nursing and nursing education. I love my volunteer gigs -- one is at my local, very small, public library, where I work at the circulation desk and do whatever else might need to be done (help people learn to use the computers; help them find the resources they want/need; reshelve books; water the potted plants; you get the drift) -- the other is as a receptionist for my local public radio station. These suit my interests. I hope you can find just the right combination of tasks and environment to meet your needs from now until you're ready to retire.

Best wishes.

[olivia60]

If you have either an AS or a BS degree you can get into Health Information Management or get certified as a medical coder, your background in nursing is going to take you a long way for this field. Being a coder you would assignment codes to diagnoses and procedures performed by the Doc. You already are familiar with that. Then there is home health. The need for licensed personnel is high. Both of these positions pay very well.

[NurseMikki]

I've been a nurse for literally over half of my working career, 15+ yrs. I just recently changed fields to telephone triage for a large internal medicine clinic. After the initial shock to my system, I am LOVING IT! Don't give up on nursing completely. Thats the beauty of nursing, there are so many options out there for us. There is so much knowledge you have. Have you considered looking into legal nurse consulting?

[ellenbstein]

If you still would like some direct patient care, but isn't stressful, I would suggest aesthetics. I work in an plastic surgery practice that has an operating suite and medical spa. All of our patients are healthy and mostly very very happy! I still get a good feeling helping... whether it is a rhinoplasty that they have contemplated for years or a skin care regimen to help with acne scars/sun spots. Our patients are all healthy, and we don't take insurance. We get to spend quality time with each and every one of our patients... I would have thought before working here that the patients of a plastic surgery practice would be all "plastic", but that is not the case!!! 99.99% are normal, down-to-earth people! And seeing patients who are happy and doing things for themselves (not just what they are coming for our office for, but they are usually doing other things for themselves as well, like exercise, travel), has helped jump start myself to follow suit! The normal business hours are great, as well as all holidays off... the only downside is the pay is lower than other places... but that is fine by me as I have enough stress (teenage kids) and busy-ness in my life (this now includes things like vacations and visiting family across the country!). Take care, Ellen

[nursenice1]

I have been a nurse for 42 years and have many types of nursing, including long term care, doctors offices, ICU/CCU, vocational rehab and teaching nurse aides and LPN's. every job has had its advantages and disadvantages, but I have loved every one. I am 62 and certainly not interested in returning to school. The job I have now is in Cardiac Rehab and I took this as an week fill in for maternity leave and have stayed. Have you thought of an assisted living facility? There are more and more people going to these centers who have minamal medial problems. Also look into Schools, especially ones that are run by organizations ( we call them charter schools) and see if they are in need of a nurse or someone to teach health classes. Why not design your own job? Promote yourself as a health educator who is willing to do talks for organizations or small businesses. What about Health Promotion? We have groups that go out and do flu shots in the fall and other medical services throughout the year.

[lorirn58]

You can sign up with Summit, Healthy Achievers, Total Wellness, etc, to be a wellness examiner for these companies. It is fun, light, and you get to travel around and meet relatively healthy working people who are cheerful and glad to see you! It is also not physically taxing. Pay is not big-time, but you can grow professionally if you want.

[Mrs Helleck]

Have you thought about flight attendent? My brother is one and tells me a lot are former nurses and teachers. Good benefits and you fly anywhere for free on any airline. I don't know how old you are but the last time I flew the attendents were older.

[she244]

Like most have posted. Insurance, call centers, or College Book Stores. Reviewing Medical Charts for Insurance and Lawyers may be something you are interested in. Working in Health Administration doing chart audits may be right for you since you have a lot of experience with charting. Good Luck to you in your pursuit on your next adventure. Try what sounds interesting, you may love it.

[RLJS]

Try applying at a major insurance company like UNUM...they hire nurses to review disability claims for case management. Genex Services also hires nurses and places them in insurance companies for case management. It's a desk job and it pays well.

[Dialysister]

I've never made more than $30/hr as a specialty RN. Recently I had to hire a house cleaner...they get $35/hr and don't have to worry about killing somebody!

[olivia60]

That is exactly what it is. Your adventure. Now is the time you can do the second most wanted desire in your life. You were a nurse so that was your first, now what was it you also thought you would like to do? You are retired now, you don't need the money. So do, do, do! Go for it Girl!

[CDeCapua]

Dear Westieluv,

I too am ready for a change from nursing, for reasons somewhat different then yours. I've sustained a permanent moderate back injury working in psychiatric forensics and no longer am allowed to work there. Anything in direct pt care seems out of the question also d/t most facilities demanding a 50 lb. lift or drag requirement. Legal nursing sounds interesting,however d/t my age and time/money demands I cannot seriously consider. I've learned that I can only do UR in an area I've worked, and that would be psych. There are no hospitals that need psych UR nurses in my rural county. Coding is what another nurse and I decided would be my

best bet. I'm learning that the schools that train at home for this, do give a cert of completion but that only gets you into the state test. Without passing the state test it is a no go. Some companys require 2 yrs of work experience before considering hiring, and none will hire you to work from home at least not initially. There are companys that need Rns to go into the homes of the elderly and do assessments for insurance companys. They pay in Calif 50.00 an assessment, and that covers your driving time, computerizing your assessment and the actual house visit. They do no gurntee any certain # of intakes per wk. As a previous owner of a Curves I would enjoy consulting with women on health wt loss, hormonal changes with menopause. I am hopeful about finding something in this genre. If you have anything to share in this regard, please do tell. [email protected]