5 Unique Careers in Nursing to Consider
By Tiffany Aller, Contributor
Nursing career opportunities range from conventional positions at clinics and hospitals to more unique jobs focused on patient advocacy and shorter-term, high-demand needs. While investigating careers in nursing, keep your eyes and mind wide open to find jobs that may match your passions and broaden your experiences.
EXPLORE a variety of nursing positions, including unique jobs you may have never before considered.
5 Unconventional Careers in Nursing
When you first entered nursing school or dreamed of becoming a nurse, you may have pictured your future job in a typical hospital setting or doctor’s private practice. The field of careers in nursing has expanded in recent years, however, allowing you to consider more unique prospects for work.
1. Private professional health advocates
All nurses serve as patient advocates, ensuring their patients are heard and receive the best possible care. Nurses can now leverage these natural advocacy skills in a career as a private professional health advocate (PPHA), described by RN Teri Dreher as an opportunity “to guide [patients] through the maze of modern health care.” Dreher, author of "Patient Advocacy Matters," explains that PPHAs help their patients find the right providers while coordinating insurance coverage and helping them receive every type of care necessary.
2. Care coordinators
Similar to PPHA careers in nursing are nurse care coordinators or managers. Cathy Turner, BSN, MBA, RN-BC, says these nurses “manage patients with chronic conditions and help them stay as well as possible, for as long as possible.” Coordinators create care plans and promote treatment adherence. As chronic disease affects more individuals, these positions will become more sought after to ensure patient health at more affordable costs.
3. Health coach careers in nursing
Health coaching is another opportunity to help patients remain well, explains Turner. Registered nurses with coach training can often widen their scope of practice under a physician's guidance. Turner, who is the associate vice president of MEDITECH, says, "These nurses help patients (especially those with chronic conditions) to create and achieve wellness-focused goals.”
4. Nurse navigators
Patients with significant health challenges benefit from a trained nurse navigating their care. Turner describes nurse navigators as professionals who “help patients steer through an episode of illness, such as cancer or surgery” and help bring about positive outcomes while minimizing costs. She estimates their use will continue to increase as the financial need increases over time.
5. Travel nursing
No list of unique careers in nursing would be complete without travel nursing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that nursing career opportunities will expand by about 15 percent by 2026. Travel nurses help fill the in-demand positions that facilities cannot source locally. Travel nurses can earn higher pay and receive living expenses while on assignment, and they get to explore new areas.
During your next job search, consider some of these unique careers in nursing to find an exciting role that expands your skill set and advances your career.