Kamis, 19 Juli 2012

Best Jobs for Nurses



As a nurse, your main goal in life is helping others. However, it would be nice to help others in a comfortable work environment, with decent pay and benefits, without stressing yourself beyond belief, right? To help nurses find they best jobs for them, here a few different options for nurses that are well paid, with some taking you off the normal beaten path.

- Nurse Anesthetist. By far the best paying nursing job out there, with salaries ranging between $80,000 and $150,000 a year. The hard thing about this job is that in order to find training, you may have to move across the country for your education. The schools are very competitive and have extremely limited class sizes. The program will take 2-3 years, and once you've become certified, you will be administering and maintaining anesthesia in hospitals, doctor's offices, pain clinics and other healthcare centers.

- Flight Nurse. If you value excitement over high pay, consider getting a position as a flight nurse. There are limited positions, but the adrenaline provided is quite tempting. You will need at least a BSN, if not an MSN, and have excellent skills in trauma nursing. Be ready for intense weather conditions and all kinds of disaster situations.

- Forensic Nurse. Like solving problems and riddles? As a forensic nurse, you will be a part of a criminal investigation, collecting evidence at crime scenes and working with victims, both living and deceased. Very CSI, but an extremely rewarding career for those who can handle it. A BSN is required, as MSN is desired, and there could be some law-enforcement training in your future as well.

- Nurse Educator. While the jobs above are specialist positions and can be difficult to find a job in, there is a huge demand for nurse educators. There are even students being turned away from nursing schools due to a lack of nurse educators. The downside is the amount of schooling required -- you will need your masters, though a doctoral degree would be even better. You will get to work with students in a variety of environments and with a schedule far more flexible than most nurses have. The pay is generally around $70,000 a year, but you usually get school holidays off as well.

- Nurse Case Manager. If you'd like the chance to be away from the day to day duties of a nurse, this is a perfect position for you. You will study the progress of patients, scrutinize their care, offer different forms of treatment. You might be asked to find the most cost-efficient treatment plans for an insurance company or medical facility. Your pay will be in the $60,000 to $70,000 range, but you only need a BSN or at most, an MSN, to be qualified for the job.

Keep in mind that these are not the only jobs out there. There are countless opportunities for nurses, including travel nursing, nurse midwives, nurse researchers, and cruse ship nursing, just to name a few. Realize that however you want to help people, there is probably a job out there suited to your wants and needs. Now, do you know what you want?

Rabu, 04 Juli 2012

Alternative Jobs for Nurses



Every year, thousands of freshly graduated nursing students flood into the healthcare market looking for work. Most will go into the much needed and steady world of hospital and bedside care, but for the few who are looking for something different, or for long time nurses who have grown tired of their current work, what are some of the alternative options out there for nurses?

The most obvious is teaching. The education field is always looking for more help and it is an incredibly rewarding place to be. Some schools are actively searching for more nursing educators to keep up with the demand of students. Of course, this kind of employment requires more schooling, at least a masters degree, to be able to obtain a position, and also a special kind of patience and understanding, to deal with frazzled students. Along this same line is the option of becoming a nursing tutor. You need to have passed the board exam, but the ability to work freelance and set your own hours is hard to beat.

Like more money and less hours? Consider becoming a legal nurse consultant. As a legal consultant, law firms and lawyers will hire you to assist them on various cases. You will review medical records and offer advice based on your nursing experience and wisdom. You get to set your own hours and you don't have to wear scrubs.

If the science end of nursing is what gets you going, then find a position in clinical research. Pharmaceutical companies are always hiring clinical research companies. Independent research facilities are often looking for associates who have experience in the field as well as in the laboratory. You could also go into the sales end and become a medical representative. Basically, you sell medical supplies, instruments, and services to hospitals and offices. Knowledge of the nursing field will give you an edge over other representatives and make your job a lot easier. Plus, you get wear business clothes and work in a variety of locations.

Travel is a hard bug to beat, so instead of fighting it, why not try a job as a travel nurse? There are countless jobs all over the world for registered nurses. You will get to experience new cultures, learn new medical technologies, and help people in different places, while somebody else organizes your travel and housing, and then gives you a paycheck on top of it all. If you want to travel, but still maintain a home base, try flight nursing. Go to work everyday with no idea where you'll head and care for patients while the plane or helicopter is in the air. If air isn't your element, then look into being a cruise ship nurse. Your food and housing is provided and moves with you, and you are able to travel to new places while taking advantage of all the cruise ship amenities.

These options are just the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens more options available, you just need to know what kind of work you like doing, and get creative. Like working with kids? Check out school nursing. Like solving mysteries? Look into forensic nursing. Endless possibilities are waiting.