Alternative Nursing Careers

One of the best things about becoming a nurse after earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is the variety of job opportunities that become available to you. A BSN opens the door to a plethora of rewarding alternative nursing career paths both inside and outside the hospital, including:

travel Nurse

A travel nurse works with health care staffing agencies. They take on temporary assignments as a contracted employee.

In this role, a travel nurse may help with a hospital staffing shortage, provide extra assistance during a busy time like flu season, or offer their services to fulfill a hospital’s specialty needs. One perk of being a travel nurse is that assignments generally last 12–13 weeks, providing ample time for sightseeing, hiking and exploring the area.

Additionally, the agency will often provide housing options and other recommendations.

School Nurse

School nurses primarily treat students suffering from illness or injury during the school day or at after-school programs. They also administer medication, maintain and gather data for student records, and determine whether the student may need to seek further care from a physician.

Legal Nurse Consultant

Legal nurse consultants assist attorneys by providing expert insight on cases involving medical issues.

These RNs can assist in medical malpractice, insurance fraud, personal injury, workers’ compensation, and criminal cases.

Loading Form

Flight Nurse

Flight nurses, sometimes also called transport nurses, collaborate with paramedics and doctors to transport patients in critical condition to trauma centers by helicopter or airplane.

Concentrating on emergency critical care either from the scene of an accident or while bringing patients to a different hospital, these nurses perform well under pressure, work with urgency and are great at multitasking.

Forensic Nurse

Forensic nursing incorporates elements from both the health care profession and the judicial system profession. Forensic nurses investigate assault crimes and accidental deaths, doing work in laboratories and courts of law.