15 Jobs for Nurses that Are Outside the Hospital

One reason why many people are attracted towards studying the nursing profession is because of its endless job opportunities. Nursing graduates can get a job in the hospital or outside the hospital, may it be clinical or non-clinical, which means that it is not at all surprising for a nursing graduate to start or shift to a non-clinical job in the future.

Some nurses shift to other careers because they seek for the chance of applying what they have learned in a more interesting way. Some nursing graduates have this entrepreneurial drive that triggers them to want to earn and establish more while some just want to do more exploration and learn different things in life.

Most of the jobs for nursing graduates that are non-hospital require a few years of actual clinical and hospital experience, and in some circumstances, even additional education. A career outside the hospital is not for all nurses, but those who are particularly courageous and interested in the more out-of-the-box jobs must eventually find their way to success in terms of job satisfaction and sustainability.

Here are 15 non-hospital jobs that any nurse can apply:

Nurse Health Coach

At this point in time, any Registered Nurse is rightful to call themselves a “nurse coach.” A nurse health coach offers certain health and lifestyle coaching and counseling services. A nurse health coach is not at all required to have any additional or special certification, provided that the nurse will not go beyond his or her scope, and that everything he or she would tell to his client is rooted from his or her professional experience.

Being a nurse health coach actually helps nurses to legally commence their career in a new yet related dimension. Being a nurse health coach can eventually yield them businesses that offer the same service. Moreover, being a nurse health coach also helps in broadening their horizons and eventually reaching beyond their level of expertise. Many life and health insurance companies ought to hire nurse health coaches in order to keep their clients as healthy as possible, mitigating the cost for medication and other expenses related to health that are covered by the insurance company.

Life Care Planner

Another career opportunity for Registered Nurses is to be a life care planner. This profession requires nurses to help the clients who have incurable illnesses or intensive medication needs. They help them develop a certain plan of care that would help them through the way. Various organizations offer life care planner certification to registered nurses. One organization that offer this certification is the International Commission on Health Care Certification.

Nurse Navigator

If a registered nurse is particularly interested in doing research and in making people’s lives easier and better, he or she might consider being a nurse navigator. A nurse navigator must first understand insurance policies so that he or she can help the clients in a way that they can afford and benefit the most. Also, nurse navigators ought to help patients in finding care and treatment that they can afford. An ideal nurse navigator would be a registered nurse who is particularly good at paper works and is passionate about contributing something to humanity.

Academic Nurse Writer

If a Registered Nurse is passionate about writing and is particularly good at it, he or she might consider being an academic nurse writer. Academic nurse writers basically write and produce content in the forms of books, infographics, online jobs in kenya and leaflets about their specialty. They can even be a stable author in which they can write and produce their own series of books to inform the general public or the ones who are studying the nursing profession.

Legal Nurse Consultant

Attorneys are not particularly good and familiar with medical jargons and processes, which is why they will be needing legal nurse consultants to help interpret the clients’ medical records, as well as to serve as expert and relevant witnesses. This career is indeed a good one, but it demands additional training and education through the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants. When a registered nurse happens to have passed and has satisfyingly achieved the standards of the organization, he or she will be granted a certificate and find jobs as a legal nurse consultant.

Hospice Nurse

From the word itself, hospice nurses tend and provide care to those patients who are at the end of their lives while in a home setting. They help patients through constant reassurance and pain relief. They also ought to promote patient independence just as long as the patient is able. Hospice nurses are also trained to provide not just medical support, but also emotional support to the family and friends of the patient and to the patient itself.  

Public Health

A public nurse’s job is to provide healthcare assistance to a certain community, may it be governmental, organizational, or in public institutions. Settings that involve this kind of work are schools, municipalities, and other small communities.

Occupational Nurse

Occupational Nurses often work in corporate settings wherein they give talks, lectures, and seminars to promote healthy living to the employees of a certain company. They can also talk about prevention and safety measures in a certain workplace.

Concierge Nurse

If a registered nurse wants to earn more, he or she can consider being a concierge nurse. A concierge nurse basically takes house calls and actually does home visitation and service. This dimension of nursing had been widely practiced around the world until the 1940’s. Being a concierge nurse provides registered nurses an area for professional growth and honing of their own potential in their craft.

Forensic Nurse Consultant

If a Registered Nurse has previous hospital experience and has a certification from the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), he or she can work as a forensic nurse consultant in law enforcement agencies, attorneys, and prosecutors.

Nurse Case Manager

This side of nursing provides a registered nurse a lot of work-from-home opportunities, which require previous hospital experience, computer literacy and skills, and it sometimes also involves travel.

Dialysis Nurse

While it might sound like a job in a hospital, dialysis nurses actually have job opportunities in private companies and home settings.

Nurse Midwife

Yes, nurse midwives usually work in hospitals, but know that there are also job opportunities for nurse midwives in birth centers wherein safe and natural birthing processes is the priority. However, some cases are more intense than others. If uncontrollable circumstances occur in birth centers, the midwife nurse must assist the patient to a more capable and spacious hospital.

Mental Health Nurse

Mental Health continues to be a large concern around the world, resulting in the growth of demand for mental health nurses. Mental health nurses are often situated and assigned in community settings, educational settings, and private clinics.

Nurse Educator

If a registered nurse is particularly passionate about education, teaching, research, and content-making, he or she can consider being a nurse educator. Acknowledging the fact that today’s society is information centered, it goes without saying that nurse educators are also in-demand in research firms, publications, and even in universities. One requirement to be a nurse educator is to acquire units and trainings with regard to pedagogy and education, but such a requirement is not necessarily important to all employers.

Overall, being a nurse, regardless of the context or work setting, is a job that requires commitment and dedication. It is a job that touches people’s lives despite having an empty stomach and a full bladder during work hours. To be a nurse is never easy, but if one is particularly happy with his or her job, then there should be no problem. If passion leads, compassion goes through.