Earning a nursing degree and licensure may afford you the opportunity to work in a variety of different healthcare environments during your career. Many people may believe that nurses only work in hospitals and administer care in traditional scrubs. However, there are diverse options available to you once you've finished your education.
Each of these niche fields of nursing are unique in their own way. Take a look at some of these options to get a better idea of the careers that exist with a degree in nursing.
Holistic nursing
Throughout your studies, you may come across information about holistic medicine and its different modalities. It's a form of healing that takes the whole person into account – mind, body, emotions and spirit. Its philosophy looks to dig deeper than conventional methods of prescription medication to provide patients with optimal health conditions. As a holistic nurse, you may become familiar with very different aspects of medical treatment which don't involve dressing changes or care plans. While you may help prescribe them with traditional medication for their conditions, some holistic nurses also may educate patients on lifestyle changes to promote wellness and improve health. Additionally, alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massages may be used to relieve stress that may be causing people to feel sick. More than just medicine, holistic nursing takes an analytical approach to healthcare, looking at factors such as diet and sleeping habits, which may affect an individual's health.
Nursing informatics
According to the American Medical Informatics Association, this role integrates nursing with the management of information technologies to promote the health of people worldwide. This position calls for nurses to work as developers on communication technologies to improve the quality of healthcare in the U.S. If you enjoy working on a computer, informatics may be an exciting career option for you to consider. You may design new tools to help hospitals have a better workflow with digital information systems. It can serve to help patients as well because their doctors would provide improved care delivery with advanced technology. The knowledge and abilities you gain from a nursing college or nursing school may be applied in helping designers create equipment and software which benefits healthcare facilities.
Fitness nursing
Sometimes nurses would rather help patients prevent sicknesses or injuries rather than treat them after they've already happened. Helping people stay healthy is one of the main driving points behind the emerging industry of fitness nursing. The rise of this career option has led to many hospitals and other facilities developing wellness programs around the country. These centers typically focus on nutrition and stress management as well as exercise and its many benefits in preventing disease. One of the most exciting aspects of this position is that you may not be restricted to medical environments as both professional and collegiate sports teams may employ the services of a fitness nurse. Some sports stadiums may also employ nurses to work as on-field trainers for teams or have them treat injured fans at first-aid areas.
Forensic nursing
When an individual is a victim of violence and abuse, forensic nurses who are trained to treat their particular trauma will collect evidence for investigators and may provide testimony during court trials. Their efforts may help prevent future crimes and act as a critical resource for anti-violence education. While nurses in this profession still perform similar functions to those of a registered nurse in a hospital, working in forensics also may require further knowledge of the legal system. Additionally, they may have extensive experience with injury identification, evaluation and documentation. Many forensic nurses specialize in trauma centers, caring for victims of physical and sexual abuse.
Nurse researcher
When you learn how to become a nurse, you may be exposed to many aspects of the healthcare industry on your way to graduation. A career as a nurse researcher may have you utilizing knowledge you've gained over the course of your studies about medical and pharmaceutical products. Additionally, you may perform analysis and generate reports based on research into best nursing and treatment practices. The goal of this position is to improve healthcare through in-depth knowledge of the many different modalities of medicine.
Nurse educator
This position helps to improve the future of medicine by combining clinical experience with a desire to educate others about healthcare. If you're interested in a non-clinical nursing career, this may be an exciting option available to you. The job may have you designing and evaluating academic programs for nurses. Colleges, universities, allied health schools and hospital-based schools may recruit nurse educators to teach their students about nursing.
Nursing is a career that has the potential to open many doors for you. Once you graduate, it's up to you to decide which one to walk through.
Ultimate Medical Academy’s Tampa Campus offers an Associate of Science in nursing program that can be completed in just two years. This is one of UMA's most popular programs because it gives graduates the essential tools and instruction needed to take the NCLEX-RN examination, which is required to work in the field of nursing. UMA’s Tampa campus allows for real-life management instruction and laboratory simulation that directly applies to the day-to-day demands of a career in professional nursing.