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Find a Job You Really Want In
Being a bedside nurse in a hospital is not the only way to become a nurse. While a hospital is where nurses typically start and work, your education as a nurse qualifies you for many positions that might not be top-of-mind.
Keep reading to find out what some of these non-bedside nursing jobs are and why you might want to consider pursuing one.
Key Takeaways
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A nurse educator, case manager, or health coach are the top non-bedside nursing jobs if you don’t want to work as a bedside nurse.
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Schools, cruise ships, resorts, and even corporations need nurses on duty, which provides many non-bedside nursing job opportunities.
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Many nurses choose to get a non-bedside nursing job because it gives them a change of scenery, teaches them new skills, and allows them to pursue their passions and have a better work-life balance.
10 Non-bedside nursing jobs
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Cruise Ship or Resort Nurse
Average Yearly Salary: N/A
Working as a cruise ship or resort nurse is definitely not the same as working in a hospital, and you’ll rarely have bedside visits. It’s all about keeping the guests happy and comfortable and, ever so often, dealing with an occasional injury or some illness that crops up.
Nurses who work on cruise ships or resorts rarely have to deal with ongoing illness, and their patient care is typically short. That means their skills focus on immediate issues and not long-term care.
If the patient is in a dire situation, they may be transported to a hospital and receive the specialized care they need. If they have ongoing issues, likely, that the nurse will only have to help them overcome roadblocks along the way. Most of your cases will be quick and not very serious, meaning you can get back to enjoying the scenery.
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Average Yearly Salary: $73,000
Healthcare facilities hire nurse case managers to take patients beyond their immediate care needs and put them on the road to long-term health. For someone with an injury, that might mean training them on how to manage and care for their wound and how to avoid that injury in the first place.
Patients with chronic illnesses can meet with a nurse case manager to learn what to expect from their illness and how to manage those symptoms. Then they won’t run to the hospital or the doctor when symptoms flare up.
Case managers can find many different places to work and different specialties. They can be in hospitals or healthcare facilities like we detailed above, or they can also find work in addiction clinics, pediatrics, social services, child welfare, working aging, long-term care facilities, immigration, occupational services, weight loss clinics, and more.
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Average Yearly Salary: $62,000
Nursing educators spend time in the classroom training future nurses on their job. Nursing responsibilities can be taught through classroom discussions, case studies, and work experience. If your love of nursing is more about your love of learning, this might be the career path for you.
Of course, you’re going to have to go beyond just learning about nursing when you’re in nursing school. Most requirements to become a nursing educator include a Master of Science in Nursing Degree, and some have a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree. It’s not uncommon for an individual who has decided that this is the path for them to pick up teaching classes and certificates along the way.
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Average Yearly Salary: $74,000
Healthcare risk managers are nursing professionals who typically work in a hospital or healthcare facility to ensure staff safety, not to be in charge of patients. They evaluate procedures, investigate patient complaints, look out for clinical malpractice issues, and stay on top of federal and state regulations.
The risk managers will be in charge of a lot in a hospital, and it may seem like they’re cracking down on the other nurses, but they’re looking out for their best interests. They’re also looking out for the interests of the patients.
If there is a problem in a hospital that could harm patients, they’ll be one of the first people to hear about it or spot it. They might come up with a solution or look to outside experts for the remedy, but they’ll ensure that something is done to put the patients and the hospital staff in the best position for success.
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Average Yearly Salary: $50,000
Working as a school nurse is a great way to use your nursing skills out of a healthcare facility and into an educational facility. Most elementary, middle schools, high schools, and even universities have some medical staff available to manage immediate healthcare problems.
In some schools, you’ll find that the nursing staff does some double duty and may help in the office, or they may teach a few lessons throughout the year on topics like healthcare, cleanliness, nutrition, etc. Pairing your nursing skills with a few teaching credentials can make you a valuable and sought-after employee, especially for underfunded schools.
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Average Yearly Salary: $75,000
Legal nurse consultants are nurse experts who help with reviews and testimonies for law firms specializing in medical malpractice and tort cases. But it’s not just law firms who want a nurse’s expertise.
You might find employment with insurance companies, forensic departments, pharmaceutical companies, medical records companies, government agencies, and law enforcement.
There is training available if this is the field that interests you. You can become certified in legal nurse consulting, but that’s not always necessary. This can be a very interesting profession that requires ongoing education and training but never requires you to do bedside care for patients.
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Average Yearly Salary: $65,000
Nursing informatics is a specialty primarily concerned with the financial and logistical aspects of nursing in a facility instead of focusing on patient care.
Rather than treating patients bedside, nursing informatics professionals look at how effective the facility or the procedures are, if the costs are what they should be, and if there is appropriate staffing.
The goal is to streamline the process and for the hospital or medical facility to save money. There can be other benefits from a nursing informatics review, including improved insurance claims processes, time to see patients can be advanced, evaluation of patient care, and even training for the nursing staff.
If you love organizing and structure, then going into nursing informatics might be a great step for you. You get to do what you’re good at, and others have to follow your advice.
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Average Yearly Salary: $69,000
Forensic nurses help the victims of crime recover and guide them through the initial steps of gathering evidence. This position can be in emergency rooms in hospitals, or you may also be assigned to work with law enforcement, in correctional facilities, the medical examiner’s office, on the road during natural disasters, in psychiatric institutions, in colleges, and other locations.
This job requires a very understanding and caring individual interested in psychology, crisis intervention, evidence-gathering techniques, and showing compassion to people who are experiencing the very worst moment of their lives.
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Average Yearly Salary: $39,000
Being a health coach can be a rewarding career if you are a nurse who’d rather see people become healthy than manage illness and injury all the time as a bedside nurse.
There’s specific accreditation you need to get if you’re interested in this field, but it can open the door to a lot of options. While managing patients and becoming a mentor of sorts to them is one option, there are others.
Nurse health coaches can also find work in insurance companies, gyms, or large corporations that are looking to help injured people ease back into a life that’s even healthier than it was before.
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Corporate Nursing
Average Yearly Salary: N/A
You can wear many hats if you become a corporate nurse, depending on the size of the company that you work for. As companies grow, they can have campuses larger than small towns meaning they often like to have a nurse or medical professional on staff.
Some companies are large enough that the corporate nurse will only do clinical functions, including routine health and fitness exams, assisting people not feeling well, and dispensing basic medical supplies. But other companies might have their nurse more involved with the staff.
Some corporate nurses give patient education classes to employees to teach them about fitness and nutrition and sometimes to help them with their insurance questions. Other nurses are in charge of reviewing the corporate facilities on an ongoing basis to ensure there are no safety or health concerns.
Find Risk and Insurance Manager jobs near me
Common reasons why you may want a non-bedside nursing job
Some common reasons you may want a non-bedside nursing job include:
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To get a change of work environment. Switching your career every once in a while can ensure you avoid burnout. This could mean working in a different environment, having new coworkers, or getting a different schedule.
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To learn new skills. Making a career change allows you to push yourself to learn an entirely new skill set. From teaching to forensics to management, there is a lot to learn in non-bedside nursing roles.
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To follow your passion. Whether you’re passionate about education, being there for hurting kids or helping people live healthy lifestyles, consider switching to a job that would allow you to pursue that passion. You never know what could come from it, even if it’s simply more fulfillment for you from your job.
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To better fit your stage of life. Long shifts at hospitals and healthcare facilities can put a strain on anyone, but this is especially true for nurses with little kids or family members who need their help. Working in a non-bedside nursing role may give you the schedule you need to have a good work-life balance.
Non-bedside nursing jobs FAQs
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Why are so many nurses leaving the bedside?
Many nurses are leaving the bedside due to the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout, and understaffed workplaces. Believe it or not, there are expected to be at least 500,000 seasoned nurses leaving by the end of 2022, creating a shortage of 1.1 million nurses.
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Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on nurses all over the country. To stay safe, nurses have had to wear protective equipment like N95 masks for several hours and work with far more patients. Discomfort, stress, and the potential of getting sick have caused many problems in the nursing field.
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Understaffing: A huge problem exacerbated by the pandemic, as more nurses leave the field, more nurses find their workloads increase. In this way, understaffing creates a vicious cycle that causes more bedside nurses to leave.
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Burnout: Overall, the pandemic and understaffing have led to huge levels of burnout amongst nurses. Nurses are simply overworked and put in hazardous situations, causing them to lose passion. Today, as many as 33% leave the bedside due to burnout.
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Non-bedside nursing jobs provide nurses with the opportunity to put their specialized skills to use without needing to do direct bedside patient care. These jobs are typically less stressful than bedside jobs because the number of patients is lower, and the potential for understaffing is reduced.
For instance, if a nurse has experience treating children, they may become a school nurse rather than a bedside nurse. That way, nurses can use their medical and interpersonal skills while avoiding the heavy burdens of bedside care.
Overall, non-bedside nursing jobs allow nurses more freedom in their schedule, education, and interests.
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What else is there besides bedside nursing?
There are many jobs out there besides bedside nursing. This list names the top 10, but there are well over 25 career options you can choose from. Here is a more comprehensive list of options:
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Cruise Ship or Resort Nurse
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Nurse Case Manager
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Nurse Educator
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School Nurse
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Health Coach
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Corporate Nursing
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Flight Nurse
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Health Writer
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Holistic Nurse
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Medical Chart Reviewer
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Nurse Ethicist
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Procurement Nurse
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Do I have to start as a bedside nurse?
Yes, you may have to start as a bedside nurse. Though many bedside nurses end up switching careers due to burnout, mistreatment, or other issues, the job does provide crucial experience. Not only is bedside work readily available (due to understaffing and high demand), but it also pays well.
Overall, we recommend gaining your acute care experience through two years of bedside work right after you graduate. After all, it’s vital for nurses to land a job immediately after graduating so that it’s easier to be hired.
After a few years, you can open up many doors for your future and have the luxury of changing careers.
- By Field
- Fastest Growing Jobs
- Most Dangerous Jobs
- Best Jobs For Moms
- Side Hustles For Women
- Jobs For Lazy People
- Cdl A Jobs No Experience
- Remote Nursing jobs
- Non Bedside Nursing Jobs
- Easiest Nursing Jobs
- Non Hospital Nursing Jobs
- Least Stressful Nursing Jobs
- International Nursing Jobs
- Most Stressful Jobs
- Fastest Growing Industries
Author
Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.
