9 Alternative Careers For Nurses

What is one good alternative career for a nurse?

To help nurses discover alternative employment opportunities, we asked recruiters and business professionals this question for their best insights. From becoming a medical researcher to healthcare educator, there are several opportunities that nurses should consider when looking for alternative careers.

Here are nine alternative careers for nurses:

• Medical Researcher
• Physical Therapy
• Safety or Medical Coordinator
• Nutritionist
• Customer Success
• Personal Care
• Healthcare Educator
• Telenursing
• Medical Sales Representative

Medical Researcher

Working as a medical researcher is a great alternative career path. A licensed nurse has a great deal of experience administering care to patients. The nurse's background in medicine could be used as a resource guide for a career as a medical researcher. The fact a nurse knows about medication and how different medicines interact is another advantage. They would also be able to easily conduct research in the field since they would know where to go to find any information they might need. Being a medical researcher would be ideal.

Shaun Price, MitoQ

Physical Therapy

One potential career alternative for a nurse is to become a physical therapist. This person would provide services such as assisting with treatments and helping patients recover from accidents, surgeries, and illnesses. The integration of physical therapy and nursing services offers a unique opportunity for nurses to combine their knowledge and skills. A career in physical therapy can offer a satisfying, steady income for nurses who are interested in continuing their career field. This job would be an excellent alternative for people that are passionate about promoting wellness and preventing further injury while also being able to make a more comfortable living without the need to look for other work.

Chris Panteli, LifeUpswing

Safety or Medical Coordinator

Many organizations require internal nursing triage care for accidents or medical emergencies. Medical Coordinators often coordinate information with workers' compensation claims and act as a go-between for employees and employers. Depending on the organization's size, this could be a team of one or multiple individuals who treat employees immediately or until advanced medical support can arrive. Medical Coordinators are generally involved in employee safety and wellness programs alongside the human resources staff and aid in providing health and wellness information to employees in a confidential manner.

Annette Harris, Harris Financial Coaching

Nutritionist

Health and nutrition make up a huge part of nursing which is why many nurses often look at becoming nutritionists as an alternative career path. While there is definitely a need for further training and learning to make this career change, nurses already have a firm grasp of the basics which makes the transition a lot easier.

Riley Beam, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

Customer Success

If a nurse decides they're ready for a new career option, they should consider customer success roles. Their time as a nurse has likely helped them develop communication skills that easily transfer to CS. The ability to connect with new people, have difficult conversations and manage the needs of others sets them up for success within a customer success team.

Logan Mallory, Motivosity

Personal Care

Many nurses are gifted in the realm of personal care. Hospice-related opportunities are not the only chances for this to be achieved. For some, social work, alternative nursing, or even working in health and wellness industries can be great alternatives for nurses to use their gifts in different climates.

Karina Karassev, Stori

Healthcare Educator

If you are looking for a job that would provide you with some diversity in your work being a nurse, you can consider becoming a healthcare educator. Even if you're still in practice, you can use your spare time to educate other healthcare professionals. You'll have to keep up with the latest trends, research, and technology in order to keep your nursing skills updated.

Kathryn Smithson, PathSocial

Telenursing

Telenurses can take care of their patients and evaluate and analyze their medical requirements over the call remotely. It is a good alternative career for a nurse as it will help reduce the distance, travel time and keep patients out of hospitals.

A higher degree of job contentment has been registered among telenurses. They use cutting-edge technology to offer quality medical services in remote locations. The duties of a telenurse are conducting virtual check-ups and sending medical reports to other medical performers and practitioners, who are performing remote service delivery to patients via the landing phones and internet, and helping them garner details remotely during a surgical operation.

Jonathan Tian, Mobitrix

Medical Sales Representative

Being a nurse, you can join the healthcare industry as a medical sales representative and expand your professional network. You'll be selling medical equipment for use in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. There are several advantages to a sales job, including a high-income potential and a flexible work schedule.

Danny Trichter, Accessibility Checker