If you are interested in non-bedside nursing jobs, there are many options available to you. Learn about 11 nursing career paths outside of the hospital and how you get a jumpstart by earning your Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Concordia University Texas.
If you’re looking to achieve your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and take nursing beyond the bedside, you’ve come to the right place. Recent studies show that 57% of all registered nurses in the U.S. work inside of hospitals while the remaining 43% are choosing alternative careers for nurses.
However, before you can discover which career alternatives for nurses is best for you, you must first earn your BSN through a quality nursing program.
Accelerate into Nursing Through Concordia University Texas
Concordia University Texas’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track puts your existing college credits (minimum of 60) or your non-nursing degree to work so you can earn your BSN and transition into the field of nursing in as few as 16 months.
While in the ABSN track, you will complete a rigorous mix of fundamental coursework, hands-on nursing labs and clinical rotations inside a variety of healthcare facilities across the Austin and DFW areas. This will help prepare you to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam with confidence so you can enter the workforce as a practice-ready nurse.
Curious about the ABSN admissions process? Here are 5 steps for how to get into nursing school.
Here are eleven nursing–beyond-the-bedside careers worth considering once you earn your degree.
1. Informatics Nurse
If you enjoy ongoing change, communicating with others and learning new things, becoming an informatics nurse may be a great way to use your BSN. As an informatics nurse, you will be responsible for assessing organizational needs to determine what technological updates are required in a healthcare facility.
You will also be tasked with blending your technical knowledge with your clinical nursing skills to develop systems to improve the quality of patient care. Outside of the hospital setting, you can expect to work within IT companies, nursing schools, patients’ homes and long-term care centers.
2. Medical Mission Nurse
Work as a medical mission nurse can be a very fulfilling option, especially if you have the desire to travel overseas. Perhaps you even come from another country and seek to return home and serve your own community. Many missions organizations are looking for qualified nurses who are willing to follow a non-traditional path.
Because you will likely work for a nonprofit organization rather than directly for a medical facility, medical mission nurses are often paid through fundraising, but this can differ depending on the type of nursing and the organization, itself. If you are interested in working overseas on a more short-term basis, there are many volunteer opportunities open to those with a nursing skillset.
You don’t have to wait until you graduate to start traveling as a nurse. Learn about medical nurse mission trips during nursing school.
3. Forensic Nurse
Forensic nurses are extremely detail-oriented and enjoy investigative problem-solving. They work within a variety of settings, such as hospitals, psychiatric institutions, anti-violence programs, coroners’ and medical examiners’ offices, correctional facilities, and communities after natural disasters.
As a forensic nurse, you will be tasked with assessing, screening, treating and collecting forensic evidence from crime scenes and involved persons, including sexual assault survivors. You may also be asked to testify in court about patients’ medical information and evidence collected. Although forensic nursing can be difficult at times, the work can be very rewarding.
4. Risk Management Nurse
You can put your BSN to good use by becoming a nurse risk manager. Overall, this type of RN manages the legal risk to patients and medical facilities, and within that, they are required to educate and communicate with patients regarding treatments and possible complications.
Outside of the hospital, nurse risk managers can work within government agencies, hospice centers, long-term care facilities, consulting firms and more.
5. Nurse Recruiter
If you’ve ever had an interest in the human resources side of healthcare, then nurse recruiting may be a match for you. Nurse recruiters can be found working within larger medical institutions like nursing homes and hospitals in part-time and full-time positions. You may also come across opportunities to work as a freelance recruiter or for a recruiting firm or agency.
Within this position, you will be responsible for identifying, screening, and hiring nursing talent, staying up to date on the latest job search trends, negotiating salaries and more.
6. School Nurse
If you enjoy working with students of all ages, then you could become a school nurse. These types of nurses work in all educational institutions, including private schools, public schools, vocational schools, international schools, colleges and universities as well we U.S. military bases.
As a school nurse, you will provide direct patient care to students and spend a good amount of your day promoting health and education.
7. Clinical Research Nurse
As a clinical research nurse, you’ll study different aspects of the healthcare industry with the end goal of improving patient outcomes. Clinical research nurses work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, universities, pharmaceutical companies, research laboratories and medical research organizations.
Job responsibilities include collecting samples and vitals, recruiting participants, planning and implementing daily clinical procedures, and educating subjects. Along with a BSN, this job title requires several years of training in a research setting.
8. Cruise Ship Nurse
Cruise ship nurses work with a wide variety of patients on board. Because cruise ships cannot easily dock for passengers to seek medical care, these ships keep their own medical personnel on board. As such, nurses working on cruise ships must be prepared for anything.
On any given day, they could be treating seasickness and on the next could be triaging a medical emergency. As an added bonus, cruise ship nurses get to travel for work and explore new places without sacrificing the job that they love.
9. Flight Nurse
Flight nurses work on emergency transport helicopters and planes, treating patients during transit until they make it to the hospital or other medical facility. Becoming a flight nurse requires the ability to think quickly in emergency situations with minimal resources.
Patients who are being transported by air are typically those in an acute situation where their lives are at stake. Flight nurses must be adaptable and have the confidence and knowledge base to help patients make it to their destination. Several years of acute care experience is required to be a flight nurse, and getting your BSN is the first step to being qualified.
10. Aesthetic Cosmetic Nurse
For anyone looking for a more relaxed care environment that still deals with patients daily, aesthetic cosmetic nursing might be a good fit. In this specialty, nurses perform treatments such as injections, laser hair removal, and sometimes assist in cosmetic surgery.
Another option for cosmetic nursing is working in private surgery outpatient centers, assisting patients who are recovering from major cosmetic surgery.
11. Insurance Nurse
Insurance nurses work with health insurance companies to visit patients and assess their medical needs. They perform evaluations, obtain specimen samples, and report back to the insurance companies with recommendations about any needs for policy changes.
Because insurance nurses work so closely in both fields of nursing and insurance, they should have a strong understanding of how both systems work.
Get Started on Your BSN
As you can see, there’s a lot you can do with your BSN degree beyond the bedside. Whether you choose to work in a traditional hospital setting or in one of these 11 non-bedside nursing jobs, Concordia University Texas’s ABSN track can make your dream of becoming a registered nurse happen. Connect with an admissions counselor today to find out how you can take the first steps.