There are plenty of alternative careers for nurses to consider, including patient-facing and non-patient-facing/non-clinical nursing careers. Some clinical careers to consider include school nurse, telehealth nurse, community health nurse, home health nurse and hospice nurse. Non-clinical careers include legal nurse consultant, nurse educator and nurse researcher.
Nursing can be one of the most exciting career paths, with many opportunities to thrive and succeed. People who enter nursing have a high earning potential and can access career opportunities nearly anywhere due to a strong job growth rate. Nurses often find their work meaningful because it enables them to give back to their communities. Plus, there is an incredible diversity of nursing careers.
Many nurses work in a traditional healthcare setting, such as a hospital, doctor’s office, or outpatient care center. However, there is also a wide range of alternative careers for nurses within various work settings, enabling them to have a positive impact. This post looks closely at some of the top nursing careers outside the hospital.
Alternative Careers for Nurses: Patient Facing Roles
As you progress through your nursing training, you will have opportunities to work through multiple clinical rotations, commonly known as “clinicals.” These clinicals will give you experience of several nursing specialties, ranging from community health and critical care to mental health and beyond. Clinicals provide hands-on work experience and offer an insider’s look at nursing roles.
When choosing a nursing specialty, you must decide whether you prefer a patient-facing role providing direct patient care or one of the many non-clinical nursing careers available—which we will explore shortly. First, consider whether one of the following patient-facing alternative careers for registered nurses (RN) might appeal.
1. Telehealth Nurse
As a telehealth (or telemedicine) nurse, you assess patients and provide care remotely via telecommunications technology such as videoconferencing software. Some telehealth nurses work from home, while others work from medical facilities.
Telehealth nursing has benefits for both nurses and their patients. For underserved patients in rural areas who lack access to other healthcare services, telehealth nursing is sometimes the only option available, while for nurses, a telehealth approach can enable them to see a greater number of patients.
However, telehealth nursing has its challenges. It requires sound nursing knowledge and several years of hands-on, in-person clinical experience, as it can be difficult to accurately assess a patient remotely. Telehealth nursing may be right for you if you like the challenge of remote health assessments and are prepared to gain some in-person clinical experience first.
Wondering how to choose your specialty? Explore this career guide for nurses.
2. Community Health Nurse
A community health nurse is a non-bedside nursing role that provides direct patient care in nontraditional settings such as community centers, homeless shelters, schools, and juvenile detention facilities. Community health nurses provide essential care to underserved communities and help address healthcare disparities and inequalities.
As a community health nurse, you can gain great satisfaction from knowing that you provide much-needed healthcare to people who need it most and cannot access it in traditional settings.
In addition to the skills and attributes needed for an RN, a community health nurse needs strong emotional resilience, excellent interpersonal skills, empathy, open-mindedness, and a passion for their work.
3. Home Health Nurse
Many patients, including the elderly, disabled, chronically ill, and pregnant/postpartum women, need to receive medical care in their own homes. Home health nurses work for a home health agency or hospital and travel to their patients’ homes to provide personalized care, medical monitoring, and patient and family caregiver education.
As a home health nurse, you can enjoy flexibility in your schedule and a greater degree of professional autonomy than in many other nursing roles. However, the work can be challenging as you can only access the equipment and supplies you bring. It is also more challenging to confer with a colleague quickly if you need a second opinion on a particular medical issue. Yet, this role may be ideal if you are independently minded and desire to provide highly personalized care, forging lasting relationships with your patients on a long-term basis.
Some home health nursing positions only require you to be a licensed practical nurse, while others require a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and a registered nurse license. Generally, a home health nurse should have several years of in-hospital clinical experience before pursuing this nursing career.
4. Hospice Nurse
Patients may be admitted to hospice care if their doctor believes that they have six months or less to live. A hospice patient may live longer than six months as end-of-life predictions are precisely that—predictions. However, some patients only live a matter of days or even hours after entering hospice care. Therefore, hospice care focuses on palliative care rather than a curative approach. Consequently, hospice nurses do not focus on treating an underlying disease but on making patients as comfortable and pain-free as possible.
Hospice care may be given in a hospital or a long-term care facility, although it is often provided in a patient’s home. This means that the hospice nurse role has similarities to home health nursing. Hospice nurses work within a team that may include mental health counselors, social workers, and chaplains.
To become a certified hospice nurse, you must meet the certification requirements of your state and the registered nurse license. Typically, hospice nurses need a BSN, a state license, a state certificate, and several years of in-hospital clinical experience.
Being a hospice nurse is often said to be a calling. It is emotionally challenging, so emotional resilience, strong interpersonal skills, empathy, and compassion are critical. This career path may be right if you maintain clear professional boundaries while providing comfort and consolation to terminal patients and their grieving families.
5. School Nurse
Alternative careers for nurses can be found in all educational institutions, including public and private K–12 schools, community colleges, and universities. School nurses manage the in-school health needs of the student population, providing first aid, preventive care, and health education and maintaining the school’s medical records.
School nurses often liaise with parents/legal guardians when a student experiences a health issue, needs medications when in school, or needs assistance managing a chronic condition (e.g., diabetes and asthma). They must also be effective advocates for students and vigilant for possible signs of child neglect or abuse.
This specialty is often ideal for nurses who enjoy working with children or young adults and excel at providing health education to younger people. This role may also suit nurses committed to advocacy, as school communities often serve students with disabilities.
In addition to earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and a registered nurse license, school nurses often need to hold a Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and perhaps an Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification. As such, certification as a school nurse can also open other career pathways. Furthermore, school nurses may be expected to have several years of in-hospital clinical experience as pediatric nurses.
Non-Direct Care Nursing Careers Outside the Hospital
Some nurses decide their talents and skills are best used elsewhere outside of direct patient care. Fortunately, there are many non-clinical nursing careers to choose from. Generally, a non-bedside nursing career requires several years of in-hospital clinical experience before transitioning to a non-clinical role.
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6. Nurse Researcher
Effective nursing depends on a steady stream of innovations and medical knowledge to improve patient outcomes and support preventive wellness. Nurse researchers are vital in developing new treatments and procedures and work as facilitators of medical study. Central elements of this role include academic reporting and maintaining records. Some patient interaction is needed as nurse researchers ensure that patients follow study protocols and that their well-being is protected during a research trial; however, this role involves far less patient interaction than typical bedside nursing roles.
The nurse researcher role is ideal for nurses who are passionate about the scientific process and want to contribute to the field as a whole. It is also a good fit for someone with excellent communication skills, particularly written communication, and a head for numbers.
Becoming a nurse researcher typically requires a graduate degree, such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). You can gain clinical experience while earning an advanced degree. Nurse researchers can also benefit from becoming certified by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.
7. Nurse Educator
Nurse educators work in nursing schools and teaching hospitals, helping to prepare the next generation of nurses to tackle modern healthcare challenges. They need a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, an RN license, clinical work experience and a graduate degree such as an MSN or DNP. (An MSN is often the minimum qualification, and many positions require a doctorate.) Aspiring nurse educators may also take the Certification for Nurse Educators (CNE) or the Academic Clinical Nurse Educator Certification (CNEcl) exams.
The nurse educator role may appeal because it enables you to make a meaningful difference in the ongoing nurse shortage in the United States. You can also gain great satisfaction from inspiring and motivating the next generation of nursing students. This role may be ideal if you have excellent communication skills, a sound knowledge of nursing concepts and are dedicated to lifelong learning.
8. Legal Nurse Consultant
The medical and legal fields often intersect, and this overlap provides other nursing careers outside the hospital. One example is legal nurse consultants, who review criminal and civil cases involving medical issues and provide expert advice on medical matters to attorneys. Legal nurse consultants often give expert witness testimony in criminal and civil cases, ranging from personal injury cases to homicide investigations to workers’ compensation cases.
Aspiring legal nurse consultants can pursue certification from a relevant board after earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, obtaining a registered nurse license, and gaining several years of clinical nursing experience. Certification is not mandatory but can improve your employment prospects. Certification options include the Certified Legal Nurse Consultant exam and the Legal Nurse Consultant Certified program.
This alternative nursing career may be ideal if you excel at public speaking, have unwavering professional ethics, and have a sharp analytical mind.
What is an accelerated nursing program? Learn how Pacific Lutheran University’s ABSN program helps you earn your nursing degree during a time crunch.
Begin Working Toward Your Nursing Career Today
No matter where your nursing career takes you, Pacific Lutheran University can provide you with a firm foundation for your future. Our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program enables you to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in as few as 16 months. We offer three start dates each year and accept applications on a rolling basis.
Contact our admissions representative today and start working toward a non-traditional nursing career.