If you’ve been in the nursing profession for a while and need a break from the bedside, feel over-worked, or are stifled in your current role and are looking to apply your nursing skills in a new way, there are tons of unique and lucrative opportunities out there—many of which you might never have considered or even knew existed. If you are willing to veer slightly off the beaten path, one of these career moves could be your perfect match! Here are a number of options to consider depending on your interest, skillset, and level of experience. Take a look. Then put your training, contacts, and job-finding skills to work.
Nursing Informatics Analyst
Would you like to pair your nursing skills with your proficiencies in computer technology? Nursing Informatics will let you do that. In this role, you will use your clinical nursing experience to optimize electronic medical records and patient care software. Since hospitals are now legally required to share patient records on-line, your job might involve developing and maintaining a patient records database that meets all applicable standards of accreditation and review organizations. When needed, you might perform systems updates and upgrades, run reports, collect data, implement new systems, train medical staff, and troubleshoot system problems. Nursing Informatics Analysts are highly sought after by health-sector employers (e.g., hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, physicians’ offices, medical technology companies) and the pay is quite nice, too. An Informatics Nurse earns an average salary of $70,009 per year.
Forensic Nursing
If you consider yourself a bit of a sleuth and have a thirst for solving real-life medical mysteries, find criminal justice intriguing, and don’t mind a grisly task every now and then forensic nursing could be your calling. Forensic nurses are usually employed by hospitals and their work primarily involves treating injuries inflicted by criminal behavior. Forensic nurses work closely with law enforcement agents to determine how a crime occurred based on physical evidence gathered from bodies of victims and perpetrators. Exhuming bodily remains and conducting autopsies are also part of the job. The median salary for a forensic nurse is $39 per hour, or $81,800 a year; the bottom 10% of nurses make around $50,000 a year and the top 10% make around $140,000.
Cruise Nursing
If you like the idea of practicing nursing aboard a luxury liner while exploring exotic destinations on your days off then cruise nursing can be a fabulous career. You can expect to treat patients with minor cuts and bruises, stomach upsets, and the occasional ear, nose, and throat infection. It might also be necessary to stabilize heart attack patients who must be airlifted to an on-shore medical facility. The average salary for a chief cruise nurse ranges between $4,800 and $5,800 per month, depending on level of experience and the cruise line. Dialysis nurses are also in demand on cruise ships and certification in this specialty can command greater pay. FYI—non-cruise ship dialysis nurses are based in dialysis clinics rather than hospitals, earn about $63,500, and work a 9-5 schedule. The bottom line: administering dialysis on land or at sea can be a welcome departure from long daytime or overnight hospital shifts.
Travel Nursing
Like cruise ship nursing, travel nursing also affords you the opportunity to see new places and indulges your sense of adventure. As a travel nurse, you can expect higher earnings, more autonomy, prime positions in locations of your choice, and a flexible work schedule. Assignments can last from 8 to 52 weeks, although 13-week assignments are most common. Many ‘travelers’ prefer back to back assignments, yet short gaps between jobs are not uncommon which leaves you free to travel or explore your locale. Average annual earnings for a travel nurse are $75,000. While on assignment, you get free fully furnished private housing and your initial travel and daily transit costs to and from your assignment are paid for by your employer or staffing agency. Additional perks can include reimbursable licensing fees for assignments outside of your licensed state, insurance coverage between assignments, and much more.
Legal Nurse Consultant
Law firms handling medical-related cases rely on legal nurse consultants to help bridge the gap between medical terms and legal jargon. An RN degree is the only prerequisite (no advanced degree is necessary) and the pay is typically $125 to $150 an hour just to review cases.
Flight Or Transport Nurse
In rural areas where communities are ill-equipped to provide full-scale medical treatment, a helicopter or small plane may be required to quickly transport patients to the nearest hospital. In these cases, a flight nurse, who is employed by the hospital, is needed to take care of the patient en route. Transport nurses earn an annual salary of $63,500, yet those who have Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification and work night or weekend hours are often paid more.
Nurse Consultant For An Architectural Firm
Have you ever given thought to how the layout of your hospital’s admissions department prevents bottlenecks of patients awaiting treatment? Or why the new visitors lounge elicits a feeling of calm the instant you walk in the door? The answer is “you.” Today, health organizations, design firms, and nursing groups are recognizing the value nurses can bring to facility design. Nurses recognize how environmental factors such as noise control, natural light, and views of nature are critical to patient care. From the ER to the OR, your input can help architectural firms design layouts that increase functionality, ensure patient comfort, and even improve patient outcome. This job falls under the nurse consultant category. Average annual earnings for a full-time consultant are $60,000 and hourly wages vary by employer. You might have the option to keep your nursing shiftwork and moonlight as an architectural nurse consultant part-time.
Additional Options To Explore
If none of the above nursing careers appeal to your sensibilities, here are several others to choose from (and there are plenty more).
- Medical Esthetics Nurse
- Nurse Epidemiologist
- Parish Nurse
- Oil Rig Nurse
- Military Nurse
- Insurance Nurse
- School Nurse
- Strike Nurse
- Clinical Research Nurse
Whether you are looking for tips on how to handle challenges in the workplace or want to pursue your career options, rely on BOS Medical. Our nursing and healthcare staffing recruiters go above and beyond to match each of our candidates to the right job. Contact BOS Medical today to find your next opportunity.