Occupations in the field of healthcare are growing exponentially. It is reported that jobs in healthcare are expected to grow by 19% by 2024. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, this will add about 2.3 million new jobs to the mix, giving healthcare workers an unprecedented amount of employment opportunities across the country. This also holds true for nurses, who are increasingly looking to expand their horizons as well as the scope of their profession.
Contrary to popular conception, nurses are capable and qualified for a number of behind-the-scenes jobs in the healthcare sector. So, even if you are passionate about serving the humanity as a nurse for a few years, and after gaining 2 to 3 years of clinical experience, want to look further to a nursing job that does not bind you to hospital visits, then there are a myriad of options for you.
Here are 10 of these:
1. Nurse Educator
Median Salary (Annual): $73,196 – $113,463
This is one of the best opportunities available outside of hospital settings, especially for nurse professionals who would rather spend their time and expertise teaching people to be more conscious of their health needs.
Nurse educators work in post-secondary schools, communities, corporations, research companies, and in many other settings. Primarily, their job is to teach new processes and techniques ensuring better healthcare practices for others. They also work with patients and their families in care settings, to provide education, help them understand the care procedures etc. They also conduct training for hospital staff nurses as and when necessary.
2. Hospice Nurse
Median Salary (Annual): $61, 268
This job includes providing care for terminally ill or aging patients in home settings. Hospice nurses are responsible for carrying out plans and documentation as well as communicating with patients and their families. They are also expected to provide emotional support along with medical care for the family members of patients who are at the end of their lives.
Realistically speaking, the hospice nursing is not a highly paying profession. However, looking at its non-monetary and intrinsic rewards, hospice nursing does pay off nicely. Many nurses choose it because they like that aspect of the job and have a passion for providing end-of-life care.
3. Case Managers
Median Salary (Annual): $69, 233
Well, within a care facility, Case Manager Nurses are NOT required to provide bedside care. Instead, their job is to carefully choreograph patient care from afar, ensuring that the doctors, nurses, therapists, and many other care practitioners who treat patients carry out their tasks effectively to create a pleasant care experience for patients.
The opportunities for RN Case Managers are growing rapidly as an aging population demands more specialized care as well as better home health care. However, before applying for this job, you need to achieve professional certifications as a Case Manager Nurse. The certifying organizations are the Commission for Case Manager Certification and the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
4. Informatics Nurses
Median Salary (Annual): $76, 828
Nurses are perfectly positioned to start a career in the health informatics industry. The profession might be relatively new but its growing pretty fast.
Health informatics is all about using technology to deliver health care more efficiently. It is touted as the missing link between expert patient care and the fast-evolving technologies. As the avenues for telehealth and online access to health information continue to grow, the field of health informatics is expected to grow rapidly as well.
You can start off by exploring education in the field. For example, an online degree program in health informatics for healthcare workers can help you gain the entryway into an IT career.
5. Telehealth Nursing
Median Salary (Annual): $75,360
Also known as telephone triage nurses, they can work from home comfortably without having to visit a hospital to provide their services. But of course, a strong practical nursing experience is required to be hired for the job.
It entails working with patients on phone, via mobile or web applications, answering health-related questions and concerns while also providing disease management solutions for the chronically ill. There are plenty of private companies and remote care providers in need of triage nurses to work remotely alongside them.
6. Quality Improvement Coordinator
Median Salary (Annual): $66,700
The job of a QI Coordinator is to administer, supervise, and direct a team of healthcare professionals charged with the handling of administrative tasks of managing a healthcare facility. However, in all this, the most important task assigned to a QI Coordinator is to implement processes that lead to a comprehensive improvement in the quality and standards of patient care.
QI Coordinators can also be charged with looking at ways to save money, without compromising on the high level of patient care. In addition to the RN license, the employers will also look for a bachelor’s degree when hiring a QI Coordinator.
7. Medical Writer
Median Salary (Annual): $125,000
It takes a degree in journalism or English, as well as an interest in writing for the medical field to become a successful medical writer. Nurses with a knack for the written word can work for pharmaceuticals, medical equipment companies, as well as a range of health service providers.
Your job will be to write, research, and edit clinical documents and research documents. Competent medical writers provide in-depth and accurate services, and are highly sought-after in the industry.
8. Patient Advocate
Median Salary (Annual): $56,000
If you are interested in the managerial aspect of healthcare, working as a Patient Advocate will give you a chance to becoming a liaison between healthcare providers and the patients. As a Patient Advocate, you will be managing records and forms, greeting patients, and working with them to fill out official documents.
9. Nursing IT
Median Salary (Annual): $120,000
IT is playing an increasingly important role in providing healthcare on time, and that too in a highly effective way. RNs with relevant qualifications in the IT field are perfectly poised to take advantage of the opportunities in this up and coming field. Their job is to strike a balance in technology for healthcare. IT learning and development in healthcare and corporate medical settings offers nurses a chance to spend their time on tasks that will define the future of nursing and healthcare in technologically advanced settings.
10. Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC)
Median Salary (Annual): $70,000
Working as a Legal Nurse Consultant ensues using professional knowledge of the medical system and nursing processes to provide assistance in legal or medical-legal cases. The LNC’s job description also includes collecting and auditing records at a healthcare facility. However, it is important to be aware of the legal aspect of providing healthcare services and the applicable legal standards of care in a variety of cases, so that you can successfully land a job as a Legal Nurse Consultant.
