Things You Can Do With a Nursing Degree

The healthcare industry is growing to new heights every year. With developments in almost every branch of healthcare, students can now enjoy plenty of career options, specifically in the field of nursing. The healthcare industry is arguably one of the best career paths to join. Medical students often have a hard time narrowing down the career options when they graduate from college. Especially for nurses, career prospects are so incredibly diverse that finding the right field might be challenging. 

If you are also having a hard time finding the right career path within the field of nursing, perhaps this article might be helpful to you.

Here are six professions you can opt for with a nursing degree.

• Nurse Educator

A nurse educator is a registered nurse who combines clinical as well as academic experience and expertise to train nursing students. He or she determines educational standards and curriculum, prepares students for a successful transition, and empowers young nursing students to excel in the nursing profession.

Think back to the time when you were in medical school. How important was the role of your teachers to get you here today? Undoubtedly, skilled nurses are essential contributors to the healthcare industry. And, nurse educators serve as the driving force in preparing skilled and well-trained nurses. With millions of nursing students graduating each year, the role of nurse educators is crucial. 

If you are a thriving nurse, it is best to utilize your nursing experience and knowledge to prepare young individuals. To become a nurse educator, institutions might require you to have the highest or close to the highest nursing education degree. A terminal degree in nursing might be just what you need to be a part of the nursing school. However, have in mind that some institutions will ask that you have additional certificates such as CPR and first-aid, especially if working with children.

Once you have the necessary qualifications, you can begin your journey as a nurse educator. 

• School nurse

The role of a school nurse is of utmost value. Every school needs to have a nurse who can effectively deal with medical emergencies in schools. With children running around and playing, there is always a chance that one of them might get hurt and require immediate medical attention. A school nurse also plays an important role in supporting students during their learning process. Typically, private, public, and parochial schools hire these nursing professionals.

Other responsibilities include encouraging physical and mental health development in students, effectively collaborating with parents, teachers, and students for safety and awareness programs, ensuring a healthy school environment, etc. With a nursing degree in hand, many schools will be more than willing to hire you if they don’t already have a nurse on board.

• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse

Psychiatric health centers need qualified nurses with a fair understanding of human psychology and associated problems. These healthcare centers need all the extra help they can get from nurses when it comes to dealing with mentally ill patients. Psychiatric healthcare nurses are responsible for providing specialized care to patients suffering from psychiatric disorders. 

Undoubtedly, a nursing career in psychiatry can be an extremely stressful job. Patients with psychiatric disorders frequently lash out and cause issues for the staff. Make sure you are both physically and mentally prepared to work under the capacity of this role. As a psychiatric mental health nurse, you may either work in a mental health hospital or as a home care nurse. 

• Geriatric nursing

When the elderly slowly begin to lose the ability to take care of themselves adequately, they must have people around them to provide care. Providing adequate care to the older ones, developing and implementing appropriate treatment plans for chronic illnesses, counseling, and educating families regarding elderly patients’ health are some of the tasks a geriatric nurse has to do. Other responsibilities include assisting physicians during patient examination, performing required medical tests of the elderly patients, developing and implementing healthcare plans, etc. 

A practicing geriatric nurse must have at least a Bachelor’s degree of Science in Nursing (BSN), along with an active RN license.

• In-Home Nurse

The families of Injured and ill patients generally prefer hiring nurses that can provide home-based care to patients. Understandably some patients can’t constantly travel back and forth to get the required treatment and healthcare services. Therefore, it would be best if a nurse could visit a few times a week and check up on the patient.

In-home nurses are responsible for performing several duties depending upon the patient’s needs. However, some of their everyday tasks include assisting with bathing, trimming patient’s nails, dressing wounds, administering medications, etc.

• Staff nurse

Perhaps the most common nursing career which we know is traditional staff nursing. A staff nurse is responsible for providing care to patients in hospitals and clinics and catering to in- patients’ needs. He or She is further responsible for monitoring patients’ health and administering medications. The job generally requires a fair deal of physical activity as staff nurses have to check each patient.

In addition to the primary responsibilities, staff nurses have to keep themselves updated with the latest developments in nursing and healthcare. When required, a staff nurse is responsible for interacting with patients, analyzing their needs, and creating a healthcare plan for patients. He or She is further responsible for completing patient documentation and dealing with their health-related queries. However, in many cases, a staff nurse educates patients and their families regarding their health conditions.

In addition, as far as the job sites and mare concerned, staff nurses usually work in a permanent location, such as hospitals and medical clinics. This means they don’t have to travel for work and perform per-diem responsibilities at a variety of health care facilities for a short amount of time. Apart from this staff registered nurses have a stable income and the opportunity to build close relationships with their colleagues. These are some of the benefits of the position which can be of great importance for fresh graduates and candidates aiming to land their first registered nurse job in the industry.

Conclusion

Nurses are essential contributors to the healthcare industry. They act as patients’ advocates as they carry out everyday tasks following the instructions of clinicians and other health experts. Pursuing a career in nursing might require lots of hard work and untiring efforts. However, one thing is certain that nurses enjoy more lucrative career options. 

These were just some of the roles you can opt for with a nursing degree. There are many other options that you can consider based on your area of interest and expertise. However, for now, check these out and see which suits best to you.