Beyond the bedside
Now, more than ever nurses are fleeing bedside. People ask how nurses just “leave” nursing? Well usually, they don’t! Some nurses after a certain amount of time start looking into alternate career options for a multitude of reasons. The nationwide nursing crisis shortage has forced alot of nurses for their mental and physical health to leave the bedside. At the moment I am not currently going to discuss in detail the reasoning behind the nurse shortage as it’s a very long list of reasonings and a lot of it resides in US healthcare system as a whole and the political and financial hierarchies that put a serious toll on the systematic issues that stretch nurses to their limits creating unsafe patient situations. Nurses deserve adequate pay, safe working conditions, mental health consideration and overall kindness. Often times nurses are filling every one else’s cup but no one in the healthcare system is assuring nurses are being treated with fairness and empathy. There comes a “breaking point” which is a harsh word but often times true when nurses have to branch out and look into jobs that are not directly related to bedside patient care. In better, lighter news you can do so so so much with a nursing degree. Here are some options!
Side note: you can also do something completely unrelated to nursing and healthcare. Find what makes you happy and allows for a lifestyle that suites YOU best.
forensic nurse
nurse consultant-helps businesses and companies
pharmaceutical sales
health writer- medical journalism
director / administrator / managers of nursing units
health coach / holistic practices- personal LLC’s and clinics
nurse educator- school, hospital, home
nurse informatics
occupational nurse
public health nurse
research nurse
case manager
cruise ship nurse
insurance nurse
offic nurse
risk manager
health chart reviews / legal nurse
nurse influencer
nurse blogger
nurse entrepreneur
cosmetic nurse botox / filler
chemo nurse
dialysis nurse
health equipment nurse
correctional nurse
womens heath nurse
NP
OR nurse
CRNA
hospice nurse
travel nurse
I am sure there are others (please comment if you know of any more!) as the possibilities are endless! If your bedside job is not the right place for you any longer it’s okay to branch out and try something else, don’t let guilt or others opinion defer you from doing what’s best for you!
