FOR YOU TO EXPLORE: 21 DIFFERENT NURSING CAREERS

Nurses are a vital part of the healthcare industry. In addition to being the primary care provider for patients of all kinds, nurses are key to both patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. In short: the healthcare industry would struggle to function at all without nurses. For this reason, there will always be demand for nursing professionals. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor has indicated that more than 200,000 nursing jobs will become available in the next 10 years. Clearly, even though COVID-19 brought a whole new host of challenges to the medical profession and to nurses in particular, nursing is still one of the most popular career options in the healthcare industry and in the world.

So if you’re interested in becoming a nurse, where do you start?

Well, you may think that all nurses work in hospitals or emergency clinics, but this is actually not the case. Instead, nurses, like doctors, specialize in dozens of different fields, each one vital and important to the healthcare system as a whole. This work often takes nurses far from the emergency room and hospital. In fact, according to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than one-third of nurses today work in general medical and surgical hospital settings.

Clearly then there are lots of options - all of which we’ll explore in further detail below. As any practicing nurse will tell you, each career has its own unique path and challenges. Most if not all of these career paths require a Bachelor of Science, and some require further schooling and certifications as well.

Here’s 21 different career paths that students interested in nursing can consider!

1: ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE

A type of nurse who treats and diagnoses patients. They may also prescribe medications and can often be a patient’s primary care provider. Most Advanced Practice RN positions require a master’s degree.

2: CRITICAL-CARE NURSE

These nurses work in ICUs where intensive care is needed. They deal with critical cases often involving serious injuries. A Bachelors in Nursing (BSN) degree is needed for this job.

3: FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER

These are nurses who work as primary care providers in family medicine. Their job involves patient assessment, treatment plans, and prescribing medications. A master’s degree is needed for most FNP positions.