5 Alternative Jobs for Registered Nurses

By Sarah White

Once you’ve become a registered nurse, you might wonder what else you can do with your degree and licensure. Luckily, there is a need for skilled and experienced RNs in a number of different positions in the healthcare industry. Your expertise and perspective as a registered nurse will make you a prime candidate for some alternative healthcare jobs. Whether you want to continue working with people , or you enjoy managing other nurses, here are five alternative jobs for registered nurses.

Nurse Case Manager

Nurse case managers generally hold at least a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing and, while some may have an associate’s degree, companies typically look for at least a bachelor’s. You will also need to become licensed as a registered nurse and spend at least two years providing direct patient care before you can move on to the role of nurse case manager.

Once you move to the role of Case Manager, you will spend less hands-on time with patients and more time working with staff nurses, physicians, and other hospital personnel. Your main duty will be to help develop a care plan for patients and help determine a patient’s placement if further treatment is necessary. This might mean you will help coordinate a patient’s placement in a rehabilitation, hospice, social service, or metal health facility. You will also admit and discharge patients from the hospital. In order to ensure patients are receiving the most affordable care as possible, you will need to be very knowledgeable about different insurance plans and what they cover.

According to PayScale, the average salary for a Nurse Case Manager is $64,668 per year. The reported range starts at $49,501 and goes up to $84,230 annually.

Check out openings on Monster to find Nurse Case Manager jobs in your area.

Nurse Educator

A nurse’s education doesn’t end with a diploma; in order to maintain licenses and certifications, RNs are required to complete a certain amount of continuing education. That’s where a nurse educator – as the title suggests – comes into play. As a nurse educator, you will be responsible for coordinating these continuing education programs as well as ensuring new hires are appropriately trained.

In order to educate nurses, it stands to reason that you first need to understand the life of a nurse. Therefore, you must first become a licensed registered nurse before you can become a nurse educator. The job also requires that you spend some time on the floor as an RN before you move onto the more administrative role. To organize programs, you will need to work alongside the medical staff of the hospital or clinical setting you work in to find nurses and caregivers willing to take time to be trainers. You will need to train these staff members on how to instruct students and new hires.

According to PayScale, the average salary for a Nurse Educator is $67,025 a year, with a reported salary range of $49,602 to $93,742 per year.

Check out openings on Monster to find Nurse Educator jobs in your area.

Nurse Manager

Nurse manager is another alternative career option for RNs that are looking for a change of pace. As a nurse manager, you will be charged with supervising and managing staff as well as the facility you work for. Duties include planning and implementing programs, developing new systems, finding ways to improve patient care, and managing the overall staff and patient flow. Nurse managers sometimes work with patients, but unlike typical nursing positions, it isn’t the main focus of the role.

You will need at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing as well as a registered nursing license to become a Nurse Manager. Your experience in nursing will help you succeed in your role as a Nurse Manager since you will better understand your staff’s day-to-day workload.

According to PayScale, the average salary for a Nurse Manager is $80,181 per year. The reported salary range starts at $56,575 and goes up to $106,392 annually.

Check out openings on Monster to find Nurse Manager jobs in your area.

Public Health Nurse

Public health nurses aren’t typically charged with caring for patients; instead, they are responsible for educating the general public on health issues. As a public health nurse you will most likely work for a health care provider or a government agency. You will identify at-risk groups, build advocacy plans, and develop awareness programs to educate different groups of people on various health issues be they physical or mental. The ultimate goal of a Public Health Nurse is to help others live healthier lives by reaching out to schools, communities, church groups, families and others in the public.

To become a public health nurse you will first need a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then you will have to pass the licensing exam for registered nurses. You may also find it useful to get training in other areas such as health policy, public health, health administration, and more.

According to PayScale, the average salary for a Public Health Nurse is $49,317 a year. The reported salary range starts at $40,359 and goes up to $74,706 per year.

Check out openings on Monster to find Public Health Nursing jobs in your area.

Clinical Nurse Manager

Registered nurses can become Clinical Nurse Managers with five years of experience in nursing. You will also need at least three years of nurse management experience, according to PayScale, as well as good communication skills, problem solving skills, and conflict resolution skills. Clinical Nurse Managers are in charge of a number of different employees and are tasked with managing staff. Duties include managing schedules, delegating tasks, training employees as well as hiring, interviewing, training, and terminating staff members.

In addition to managing the overall staff of your healthcare facility, you will need to keep an eye on operational costs, budgets, quality of care, procedure and policy, and program development. You will also need to keep on top of compliance issues to ensure that the nursing unit at your healthcare facility is up to date on all state and federal regulatory requirements.

According to PayScale, the average salary for a Clinical Nurse Manager is $75,263 per year. The reported range starts at $52,894 and goes up to $100,291 per year.

Check out openings on Monster to find Clinical Nurse Manager jobs in your area.