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Dear Joyce – Beyond Bedside Jobs for Nurses

By Joyce Goodwin
dearCPTypesOfNursingJobs image

Dear Joyce♦: 

I'm a hospital social worker, and I see that nurses are working in many roles other than bedside nursing. I think my 18-year-old daughter should study nursing. Do you have any information about the different types of nursing jobs (besides bedside nursing)?

Sincerely,

Looking Out for My Baby

Dear Look: 

It's true that the role of nurses is expanding. Here are some of the more common categories and what they typically do:

  • Clinical Nurse Specialists: These are RNs with graduate preparation (Master's or Doctorate) in nursing, and who work in a specialized area, whether a population (e.g. pediatrics), a setting (e.g. ER), a disease or subspecialty (e.g. oncology), a type of care (e.g. psychiatry), or a particular problem (e.g. wound care). They provide consulting services to nursing staff and are usually involved with QI.
  • Nurse Clinicians: These RNs work in a certain specialty (e.g. ICU), and are responsible for teaching staff about new equipment, new procedures, etc., and for ensuring that competencies are up-to-date.
  • Nurse Practitioners: These are RNs with graduate preparation, who independently, usually as replacements for physicians, treating patients with general practice type of problems. Sometimes they specialize in an area, such as pediatrics, women's health, etc.
  • Nursing Instructors/Educators: Instructors in college settings usually teach theoretical courses, as well as clinical skills. In hospital settings, educators usually teach clinical skills, inservices, etc.
  • Public Health Nurse: Is responsible for teaching preventative methods and health maintenance in the community and in schools. Is often responsible for conducting clinics, such as for immunizations, Well-Baby checks, etc.
  • Occupational Health Nurse: Usually works in industry, with large a company, doing pre-hiring physical assessments, health teaching, and setting up programs to prevent accidents in the workplace.
  • Nursing Informatics: As hospitals become more high-tech, such as in the use of computerized charting, they need experienced nurses with an understanding of technology to implement the new computer programs and to train nursing staff how to use them.
  • Telehealth (or Telephone Triage) Nursing: These nurses provide basic assessments and give basic health advice by telephone. (See our article: Telehealth Nursing .)
  • Medical Sales: Works for a manufacturer, and is typically responsible for a defined region, selling specific medical products or pharmaceuticals.

    • ♦We're now having some of our other writers help out answering the "Dear Cindy" questions. Enjoy!
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