20 Hidden Fields of Nursing

20 Hidden Fields of Nursing

When you hear nursing, most often we think of those nurses working at the bedside in the hospital setting. There are so many specialties of nursing, some of which I didn’t even know existed until I had been a nurse for several years.  Here’s a list of 20 hidden gems of nursing, cruise ship, travel, health coach, camp nurse, legal nurse consultant, movie set, life care planner, hospice, public health, navigator, academic writer, occupational nurse, informatics, medical sales, case manager, flight nurse, nurse research, forensic consultant, and the rare Nascar nurse! Explore these hidden gems in our career of endless opportunities. 

 

1. Cruise Ship Nurse

If you love travel and the sea, what an amazing opportunity this would be. 

• What?
• Standard colds/nausea 
• ED/ICU All in ONE – YOU 
• MD/NP on board 
• 6-8 month contract
• Where?
• Cruises all around the world 
• Training?
• Minimum of 3 yrs experience 
• ICU or ER exposure 
• ACLS 
• Dialysis at Sea does cruises for those who require dialysis. 
• $$$$$? 
• $57,000-$70,000

2. Travel Nurse 

Travel nursing lends itself to some extraordinary experiences. I have some amazing memories as a traveling nurse. I was fortunate to work in some of America’s best hospitals, learn from amazing team players, make life long friends, and really learn the versatility and innovation of our career.  

Check out the Q&A we did with my favorite recruiter here: https://youtu.be/SA9w1Whn1mQ. 

• What?
• Work in your area of expertise 
• Typically 13 wk contracts – based on the facilities’ needs, contracts are available for renewal. 
• You must complete training and competencies at every hospital you travel to. 
• Prior Experience Required - 1-3 yrs minimum 
• Where?
• All around the world 
• Travel with a small agency, large agency, or on a private contract. 
• Training?

• Most agencies require 2 yrs experience some facilities want a minimum of 3 yrs experience.  

• $$$$$? 

• Pay varies based on years of experiences, level of need at the facility, which agency you work for, and your specialty. 
• Taxes are a huge responsibility when it comes to traveling, be sure to educate yourself thoroughly. Travel Tax has a great Q & A section on their website. 

3. Health Coach

• What?
• Help clients cultivate a healthier lifestyle 
• Help clients understand their disease processes 
• Establish a treatment plan

• Where?
• Large corporations 
• Day spa 
• Medical Centers 
• Health food stores
• Physician offices 
• Wellness centers
• Schools 
• Work as an entrepreneur 
• Training?

• Bachelor’s degree in a health-related field – nutrition, counseling, fitness, psychology, wellness, nursing, or healthcare is required. 
• Becoming a certified health coach is not required, but encouraged. Info available @ National Society of Health Coaches (NSHC). 

• $$$$$? 

• $52,401-$91,000/yr 

4. Camp Nurse 

Check out the Q&A we did with a camp nurse here: https://youtu.be/8kOYlg7M5ic. 

• What?
• Pre-camp health assessments
• Treat campers and staff who show signs of illness 
• Provide first aid to campers and staff with injuries 
• Provide assistance with emotional support
• Have a plan in place for any communicable disease outbreaks
• Administer medications as needed
• Provide education on applicable health topics, such as sunburn and bug bite prevention
• Where?
• All over the world 
• Some camps focus on youth with cancer, adults with mental disabilities, or other special populations. 
• Camps may also specialize in a type of activity, offer high adventure programs, or provide a program with a lot of activities to offer. 
• Training?

• ADN/BSN   
• Desire some experience
• Some experience in pediatrics preferred 
• Current CPR required  

• $$$$$? 

• $21.83-$39.88 per hour 

5. Legal Consultant Nurse 

• What?
• Many lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and jury members need help from an expert in the medical field.
• Legal nurse consultants work within a legal team.  
• Serve as the medical expert on cases and help attorneys read medical charts, interpret medical terms and lab work, and consult with the team on health-related cases.
• Where?
• Hospitals, clinics, long term care centers 
• Attorney’s office, prosecution offices, and forensic departments. 
• With experience, open your own private consulting firm. 
• Training?

• ADN/BSN 
• Must be a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant – to qualify you must practice as an RN for a minimum of 5 years 

• $$$$$? 

• $54,381 – $210,678 

 6. Movie Set Nurse

• What?
• Ensure the safety of babies < 1 yr 
• Ensure the safety of actors in high-risk situations – A lot of times Medic’s are used for these films. 
•  If an actor is close to delivery, a nurse will be on the set to ensure a safe delivery if the mother goes into labor. 

• Where?
• All over the world where ever a movie is being produced 
• Training?

• LPN/ ADN / BSN 
• Some occupational nurse skills preferred. 
• Must be up to date on all licensing and training.

• $$$$$? 

• Pay varies widely from movie to movie dependent on the film’s budget. 
• Work is not guaranteed or consistent in most cases.  

7. Life Care Planner 

• What?

• Assess patients and their diagnosis to determine what type of care they will need in the near and distant future. 
• Research best course of action as well as possible treatment options. 
• The care plan you create should reasonably meet their needs for long term medical care. 

• Where?
• Hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, hospice care centers, and health insurance companies. 
• Get experience, work as an entrepreneur.
  

• Training?

• ADN / BSN 
• Certified Life Care Planner- Certification required 

• $$$$$? 

• At a large company, the salary will vary greatly. $56,000-$67,000
• Entrepreneurs make $75-$150 per hour

8. Hospice Nurse

Check out the Q&A we did with Pediatric Hospice here: https://youtu.be/avKVxDQvaLI. 

• What?
• Caring for patients who are at the end of their lives in a home or hospital setting. 
• They help patients by assisting with pain relief and help promote independence for as long as the patient is able. 
• They also provide medical and emotional support for the family members of patients in their care.
• Where?
• Hospital 
• In home hospice agency 
• Training?

• ADN / BSN 
• Most training is done on the job. 
• Pay increase for Hospice and Palliative Nurse Certification

• $$$$$? 

• $64,167 - $79,546 / yr 

9. Public Health Nurse

• What?
• Educate and promote a healthy lifestyle to the community. 
• Work with immigrant populations and the underserved. 
• Provide screening tests to ensure that infectious diseases are identified, treated, and contained. 
• Work to identify patterns of illness. 
• Provide immunizations and track patterns of disease outbreaks. 
• Can be involved in research of illness or disease patterns. 

• Where?
• State, public, or government entities – Schools, community organizations, and community health clinics. 
• Mobile Units to reach remote areas or those who are unable to travel to conventional offices. 
• Training

• ADN / BSN 
• BSN Preferred 

• $$$$$? 

• $51,000-$55,000 / yr 

10. Shot Clinic Nurse 

• What?
• Typically seasonally August – January  
• Administering vaccines
• Complete insurance consent forms
• Where?
• Shot clinics 
• Corporations 
• Retail stores 
• Remote locations 
• Community Centers 

• Training?

• LPN/ADN/BSN – New Nurses Welcome 
• No additional training required. 

• $$$$$? 

• $22-$35 / hr 

11. Nurse Navigator

• What?
• Understand insurance policies in order to help patients obtain the care they need in a way they can afford. 
• Ideal for nurses who enjoy autonomy in the workforce. 
• Optimal for nurses who enjoy paperwork and research in addition to helping their patients.

• Where?
• Hospitals
• Insurance company  
• Work as an entrepreneur 
• Training?

• ADN / BSN 
• Need an understanding of insurance policies and availability. 

• $$$$$? 

• $56,719 - $90,707 / yr

12. Academic Nurse Writer 

• What?
• Author textbook chapters in your specialty, or even write and publish your own books. 
• This job is closely aligned with nurse education.
• Freelance writing for a magazine, blog, or journal. 

• Where?
• Freelance 
• Publishing company 
• FDA
• Medical Supply Company 
• Insurance Company 
• Training?

• BSN
• Masters in nursing education is almost always required 

• $$$$$? 

• $74,000-$94,000 / yr 

13. Occupational Nurse 

• What?
• Create health and safety programs for the employees as well as provide preventative healthcare.
• Work with employers to ensure that employees have a healthy and safe work environment. 
• Tending to injuries
• Administer medication
• Perform physical examinations
• Vision / Hearing tests
• Drug or alcohol screenings
• Act as a gatekeeper for various healthcare services, including rehabilitation and disability matters.
• Document all employee injuries and illnesses within the workplace.
• Conduct research on the effects of workplace exposures, gathering health and hazard data.
• Treat injuries and illnesses for employees, including follow-ups and referrals
• Oversee and implement emergency and disaster preparedness programs and planning.
• Develop disease prevention programs, like smoking cessation, exercise, and healthy eating programs.
• Where?
• Large corporations 
• Disney has an occupational nurse 
• Consult for a private practice 
• Training?

• ADN/BSN
• Optional, but encouraged, certification in occupational health nursing can be achieved via The American Board for Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. 

• $$$$$? 

• $49,000 - $87,000 / yr 

14. Nurse IT/Informatics

• What?
• Boost the management of information and communications. 
• Boost efficiency, cut costs, and boost quality of patient care.
• Integrates nursing science, computer science and information science to better manage and communicate information, data and knowledge in the practice of nursing. 
• Facilitate data integration, information, and knowledge so that they provide better support to patients and health care providers.
• Where?
• Hospitals
• Nursing Homes
• Public health firms
• Research laboratories
• Insurance agencies 
• Training?

• ADN/BSN
• Not required, but most nurses in informatics have a masters in nursing, information, or computer science. 

• $$$$$? 

• $49,000 to $87,000 / yr 

15. Medical Sales Representative 

• What?
• Coordinate availability of products for hospital/clinics 
• In-services to educate users on the clinical benefits of the company’s products
• Deliver sales presentations to key customers 
• Achieve annual sales goals as established by the Company and District Manager
• Utilize proper sales skills 
• Demonstrate exceptional presentation skills, good administrative and organization skills.

• Where?
• Domestic facilities as well as travel
• Most companies offer a differential for overnight stay
• Training?

• Minimum of 3 years of Business to Business (B2B), direct selling or medical sales experience
• Exceptional oral and written communication required 
• Experience selling in an environment with multiple call points and decision makers within an account
• Professional training program experience 

• $$$$$? 

• $43,508 – $181,901 / yr 

16. Nurse Case Manager

• What?
• Develop, implement, and evaluate individualized patient care plans. 
• Act as social workers, advocate patient welfare, and serve as a liaison between patients, their families, and healthcare providers. 
• Work with patients, assessing their conditions and needs in order to develop personalized care plans. 
• Educate patients and their families on how to follow care plans. 
• Where?
• Lots of work from home opportunities
• Case Managers can do travel contracts 
• Hospitals
• Hospice
• Nursing Homes
• Home health agencies
• Health insurance 
• Training?

• LPN/ADN/BSN
• A few years of experience is recommended
• Case management certification is not required. 
• These jobs usually require previous experience, computer skills, and sometimes involve travel. 

• $$$$$? 

• $51,109 - $86,120 / yr 

17. Flight Nurse

Sean Martinez BSN, RN - ECMO Specialist, Flight Nursing, ICU

Check out the Q&A we did with a flight nurse here: https://youtu.be/KAVHFCknuuw. 

• What?
• Accompany patients as they are being transported by aircraft. 
• Skills include everything you’d do in an ER or ICU, but in a much smaller space and with fewer resources.
• Most of these patients require advanced critical care and the flight nurses are ultimately responsible for all direct patient care during transportation.
• They often work with flight paramedics or respiratory therapists in rendering basic and advanced life support and treating acute trauma. 

• Where?
• Dispatched from an airport to the scene or event. 
• Some flights are for transport of critical patients from one hospital to another. 
• Training?

• BSN
• Training is on-the-job, though some programs offer flight simulation training.
• Most are required to complete the Department of Transportation Air Medical Curriculum.

• $$$$$? 

• $50,000 to $120,000 / yr 

18. Nurse Research

• What?
• Varies, dependent on where you are working. 
• Conduct research on a nursing level. 
• Create and design studies and analyze data within those studies to report and publish results. 
• Conduct clinical trials 
• Study diseases 
• Communication skills are vital
• Where?
• Hospitals
• Medical clinics
• Research laboratories 
• Pharmaceutical companies 
• Government agencies 
• Training?

• BSN/MSN 
• A MSN is not required for all positions, but highly recommended. 
• This is a highly specific category of nursing with various additional training in research methodology and tools used to perform research.

• $$$$$? 

• $30,869 – $118,484 / yr 

19. Forensic Nurse Consultant

Check out our Q&A with a Forensic Nurse here: https://youtu.be/rWb-7w1xP5M. 

• What?
• Provides specialized care for patients who are victims and/or perpetrators of trauma (both intentional and unintentional).  
• Must have a specialized knowledge of the legal system and skills in injury identification, evaluation and documentation.  
• Collects evidence, provides medical testimony in court, and consults with legal authorities.  

• Where?
• Hospitals – ER and Urgent care settings
• Community anti-violence programs 
• Coroner’s and medical examiners offices
• Corrections institutions and psychiatric hospitals  
• Forensic nurses may also be called during mass disasters or community crisis situations.  
• Training?

• BSN
• Certification through the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) is usually expected

• $$$$$? 
• $81,800 - $140,000 / yr 

20. NASCAR Nurse

• What?
• Initial assessments of racers and pit members after an accident, initial treatment, and stabilization. 
• Treat injured or sick fans. 
• Work with a team of EMS staff/volunteers to stabilize and care for individuals. 
• Work with NASCAR’s Research and Development team to improve safety. 
• Where?
• During the NASCAR season the team is responsible for covering 30 race tracks in 25 states and in Canada. 
• Training?

• BSN
• On the job training. 

• $$$$$? 

• Information unavailable.