There are many alternative nursing careers outside the hospital. Some examples of non-clinical nursing careers include nursing informatics, pharmaceutical sales, telehealth nursing, forensics, case management, nurse education and risk management. Before pursuing any of these related jobs for nurses, carefully consider the job requirements.
When you think about what it means to be a registered nurse (RN), you might envision caring for patients in a hospital, clinic or home health setting. But what do you do with a nursing degree if you don’t want to be a nurse at the bedside? There are plenty of alternative nursing careers that you can consider. While these roles don’t involve direct patient care, they do affect the health and well-being of communities.
No matter which of these related jobs for nurses appeals to you, you can prepare for your future at Averett University with our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ASBN) program. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to explore some nursing specialties to provide insight into the type of nursing career you might like. Before choosing a nursing career, you’ll want to consider the typical job responsibilities and the career requirements.
Why Nurses Explore Alternative Career Paths
Generally, nurses gain a couple of years of clinical experience at the bedside first before pursuing any non-clinical nursing careers. During that time, they can experience for themselves the challenges of bedside nursing.
Clinical nursing in traditional settings often requires long shifts and irregular hours. Nurses tend to spend a lot of time on their feet and are usually tasked with caring for multiple patients at once, some of whom may require a great deal of care. In addition, some patients and family members can be challenging to work with due to their personalities.
After gaining some experience at the bedside, you might decide that you’d like to move away from direct patient care. Non-bedside nursing jobs often offer more regular, consistent shifts and reduced physical strain. Yet, there is still the opportunity to make a positive impact on patients.
Top 10 Alternative Career Options for Nurses
As you explore these alternative nursing careers, you should consider how they align with your interests and skills. For example, if you enjoy working with technology, then perhaps informatics nursing could be right for you. If you prefer working with people, then nurse recruitment could be ideal.
1. Informatics Nurse
Nursing informatics combines nursing science with information science for the purpose of improving patient outcomes and healthcare delivery efficiency.
Working in hospitals, IT companies, nursing schools and more, informatics nurses evaluate the facility’s staff needs and provide recommendations for technology improvements. They also use their nursing knowledge and technical aptitude to advance systems to improve the quality of patient care.
Required Education: To enter the field of informatics, you must have a BSN, nursing license and experience with electronic healthcare records. Aptitude for analyzing data and statistics is also helpful.
2. Health Policy Nurse
Another example of a non-clinical nursing career is health policy nursing. This is a great field if you’re interested in contributing to legislative change in areas like tobacco control or elder care. The best health policy nurses possess leadership ability, along with strong communication and analytical skills.
Health policy nurses use advocacy, research and analysis to improve society’s health. They’re employed by research firms, legislative offices, physician or nurse associations and more. They may also hold elected positions in government.
Required Education: To pursue this specialty, you must earn a BSN, obtain a nursing license, gain clinical experience and earn a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing. You might also pursue a professional certification in health policy, public health or public health administration.
3. Nurse Risk Manager
Risk managers are charged with keeping patients and staff safe. They work for hospitals, government agencies and nursing homes. Part of their job is to inform patients about treatments and potential complications. They also handle medical malpractice claims and patient complaints in compliance with federal and state regulations.
Required Education: To become a nurse risk manager, you must have a bachelor’s degree. Some positions require a master’s degree, particularly those responsible for the provision of safety courses to other nurses in a healthcare setting.
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4. Nurse Case Manager
Nurse case managers work in clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, overseeing the full scope of patient care to help prevent healthcare readmissions and to coordinate continuity of patient care. They can also opt to specialize in pediatrics, immigration, geriatrics or other practice areas.
Required Education: To become a nurse case manager, you must graduate from an accredited nursing program, pass the NCLEX-RN, gain a minimum of five years of experience as a nurse and earn certification in case management.
5. Forensic Nurse
Forensic nurses may work for hospitals, mental health facilities, coroners’ offices or correctional facilities. They gather medical evidence, care for victims of crime or natural disasters and provide expert testimony in criminal proceedings. The demand for these specialists is greater in large metropolitan areas.
Required Education: To become a forensic nurse, you must earn a nursing degree, pass the NCLEX and obtain clinical experience (duration may vary). You may also elect to earn board certification, although it’s not required.
6. Pharmaceuticals Sales
Another non-bedside nursing job is in pharmaceutical sales. Pharmaceutical sales representatives educate doctors and other medical specialists about the newest pharmaceutical products on the market. They play an important role in ensuring patients have access to innovative, well-researched treatments.
Required Education: After working a few years as an RN, you can pursue this specialty by earning the Certified National Pharmaceutical Representative certification.
7. Nurse Recruiter
If an administrative role in the field of human resources appeals to you, you might consider becoming a nurse recruiter. These nurses solicit, vet, evaluate and endorse potential new hires in a variety of healthcare settings. They may also negotiate the terms of employment offers. The most successful nurse recruiters are good communicators with an aptitude for sales.
Required Education: To obtain a position in nurse recruiting, you must first earn a BSN, obtain a nursing license and gain clinical experience. Then, work on developing recruitment skills, such as communication and interviewing, and pursue certifications relevant to recruitment.
8. Nurse Educator
If you’re looking at nursing careers outside the hospital and enjoy teaching and mentorship, consider becoming a nurse educator. Nurse educators provide nursing instruction to college students and licensed nurses in both academic and clinical settings. Nurse educators build and update program curriculum, so they have a direct impact on the future of nursing.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), postsecondary nursing instructors earned a median annual wage of $80,780 as of May 2023.
Required Education: You’ll need a BSN, a nursing license and a great deal of clinical experience. Then, you’ll need to earn a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing to become a nurse educator.
9. Telemedicine Nurse
Another example of non-bedside nursing is a telemedicine nurse. While specific responsibilities and services depend on state and federal regulations, a telemedicine nurse, also known as a telehealth nurse, uses telecommunication methods such as video call, phone, email and messaging to provide patient care. They connect with patients over the phone or the Internet to provide healthcare services.
Required Education: To pursue this specialty, you must complete an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or BSN. You’ll also need a nursing license and extensive clinical experience.
10. Nurse Health Coach
A final alternative nursing career is becoming a nurse health coach. Nurse health coaches help patients achieve a healthy lifestyle or a specific health-related goal. They create diet and exercise plans to improve patients' overall health.
Nurse health coaches can also teach classes, identify individual health risks and motivate clients to achieve health goals.
Required Education: To pursue this specialty, you must have a nursing degree, license and clinical experience before receiving nurse coach certification from the International Nurse Coach Association (INCA).
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Skills Nurses Bring to Non-Clinical Nursing Careers
Nurses are highly skilled practitioners who will likely find that many of their skills translate to non-clinical roles. Communication skills, for example, are essential for many different careers, from health coaching to nurse recruitment.
Additional skills that may prove helpful for you in your career transition include:
- Adaptability
- Attention to detail
- Critical thinking
- Empathy
- Leadership
- Organization
- Professionalism
- Teamwork
How to Transition to an Alternative Nursing Career
Even if you’re a nursing student who already knows you’re interested in a non-clinical role, you’ll still need to gain clinical experience before making the transition. Each career has its own requirements, but the general pathway for transitioning to any of these related jobs for nurses involves the following:
- Earn a BSN
- Obtain your nursing license after passing the NCLEX
- Gain at least a few years of clinical experience at the bedside
- Pursue opportunities to practice skills that will be useful in your ideal non-clinical role
- Obtain relevant professional certifications
Jump Start Your Nursing Career With a BSN
Now that you’re familiar with a few of the alternative careers for nurses, you’re probably curious about the most efficient way to earn a nursing degree.
If you already hold 60 or more prior college credits or a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, Averett’s ABSN program can make your nursing future a reality by allowing you to graduate in as few as 16 months.
While admission to accelerated nursing programs can be competitive, we offer three cohort starts per year in January, May and August. Once you meet our admissions requirements, you can choose a start date that best aligns with your professional goals.
No matter the specific nursing career path you want to pursue, Averett can help you get started. Take the first step on your path to becoming a nurse by connecting with one of our admissions advisors.