Graduates with a degree in nursing have a plethora of options to choose from once they complete their studies. Becoming a registered nurse may have been at the top of your agenda when you began your degree a few years ago. If this is no longer the case, don’t worry. With a nursing degree, the world is your oyster—you can begin a career within alternative healthcare jobs or branch out into other industries. Here is a short guide to what you can do with a nursing degree.
Registered Nurse
When it comes to the nursing profession, there are many different types of roles. To begin with, a registered nurse provides patients with direct care. They are also well equipped to offer assistance with medical procedures, and they are involved with family members in terms of offering advice. In some cases, registered nurses administer medication and are involved with operating medical machinery. To become a registered nurse, you must complete an accredited registered nurse program. Excelsior College Albany NY is a not-for-profit, accredited online institution that offers associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in nursing. Wherever you are in your nursing career, this institution can help you go further.
Alternative Patient Care Roles
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing states that approximately 58 percent of registered nurses within the United States currently work in general medical and surgical hospitals. However, many alternative patient care careers explore if the traditional bedside role doesn’t appeal to you. For example, as a public health nurse, you focus on community care and help to implement health programs within a community. Your job would involve educating local people about the importance of wellbeing. Flight nurses are in charge of providing individuals with care during travel, while forensic nurses care for people who become victims of criminal activities.
Legal Nursing Consultant
If you are drawn towards a legal profession, you can mix the two industries and become legal nursing consultants. As a legal nursing consultant, you work alongside a legal team, and your role may involve helping the team with insurable fraud, medical malpractice, and compensation claims. As a consultant, you have the freedom to choose the type of work you want to do and the companies you want to work with.
Nursing Informatics Specialist
A nursing informatics specialist is a role that combines information technology with healthcare. The average median salary for someone in this role is $88,740 per year, and the role involves working with large corporations to safeguard cybersecurity practices. A nursing informatics specialist also helps corporations with their workflow by implementing new technology.
Nursing Researcher
A nursing researcher works within the healthcare industry to improve patient outcomes and healthcare services. The role involves creating, designing, and implementing scientific studies. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is the first step to becoming a nursing researcher. In addition, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) to earn your nursing license, and then you must earn a master’s or doctoral degree.
I never realized that there were different career choices for nurses. I found this article to be interesting because I had considered nursing as a career when I was young.