Nothing says that you have to work in the ER or intensive care all of your life when you become a nurse. Not only are there many jobs that are less stressful out there, but many of them are also struggling to find candidates at the moment.

Some of these jobs require a very specific set of skills that very few nurses possess. Others are being overlooked by nurses because of a lack of visibility. This means that there is a world of opportunity out there for nurses who are ready to do the work. Let’s take a look at a few non-bedside jobs that nurses looking for a career change should consider.

Nurse Midwife

Nurse midwifery is one of the most fulfilling fields in nursing and has a strong educational component to it. As a nurse-midwife, you will not only assist pregnant mothers while they’re giving birth but also help them make better decisions during their pregnancy. You will play a direct role in reducing the number of pregnancy-related deaths and complications in this country, which are more common than many people think.

You’ll also be able to help reduce the chances of birth defects and premature births. You will be working with mothers after pregnancy to make sure that they and their babies remain healthy. Note that you will also be working with men in this profession. You might deal with male patients dealing with reproductive issues, for instance, or men who are suffering from a sexually transmitted disease.

This is a specialized career path, which means that you’ll have to get specialized education to fill the role. You will first need to get an undergraduate degree and get a license wherever you are. Once this is done, you will need to get a master’s in nurse-midwifery.

If you have an associate’s degree, know that there are accelerated classes that could allow you to get your credentials faster. Once you’ve received your credentials, you will need to get your license as a nurse-midwife before you can start to practice.

Legal Nurse Consultant

If you want to get out of a hospital setting completely, you could consider becoming a legal nurse consultant. They play a very important role in the legal system and work as a liaison between the legal and the healthcare world.

Lawyers often have a very limited understanding of medical lingo, and doctors have trouble dealing with legal jargon. This can lead to misunderstandings and this is where you’ll be able to help as you’ll have your feet in both worlds.

One of the best things about working as a legal nurse consultant is that you can work independently. But, if you want more stability and don’t mind working for someone, you might be able to get a permanent job at a law firm.

Note that you can’t just go out there and start applying, however. You will need a nursing degree and a license, and you’ll also need to get certified by a body like the AALNC before you can work as a legal nurse consultant.

Work in Academia

Another great option for nurses with significant experience would be to work in academia. As you may already know, the US is dealing with major nursing shortages across the board, and the lack of faculty is the main culprit.

Working in academia would allow you to work in a softer setting with a set schedule. You’ll also get the chance to see nurses integrate principles you taught them and turn into professionals right before your eyes. These are some of the reasons why so many nurses who have decided to make the switch report high satisfaction rates.

Note that you can work either as a teacher or in a leadership position. In either case, you will most likely need to have a master’s, though an EdD would open up many more doors.

If you want to work in a leadership role, then you could get something like an online doctor of education in educational leadership and organizational innovation from a school like Marymount University, for instance.

Choosing this route would allow you to get your credentials while maintaining your current position. You could also gain some valuable expertise that will make you a more valuable asset to your team while you look at other options. Know that you still have the choice to stay where you are and reach senior positions once you’re done with your studies too.

Occupational Health Nurse

If you’d like to work in a different setting and help companies and organizations improve the health and safety of their employees, then you could consider becoming an occupational health nurse. Your goal will be to draft and maintain health and safety programs within organizations.

Occupational health nurses may also be asked to provide specialized training to employees. They might have to teach employees how to deal with fractures or how to assist a co-worker suffering an injury.

Some companies may call occupational health nurses in to make safety assessments and see where they could improve. The type of assignments you’ll get can vary greatly depending on the company and its needs. Some will need someone to work on crisis intervention, while others will need people to work on case management or hazard detection.

This is a great field to be in if you want to broaden your set of expertise and transition into consulting roles later on.

Nurse Writer

If you have a natural love and talent for writing, know that you can also become a nurse writer. As a writer, you’ll have much more freedom than in many of those other roles. You can choose a career path based on your objectives, how much experience you have as a nurse and a writer, and how much work you’re ready to put in.

Various online and offline publications could hire you. If you want to choose the simplest route, you can either apply directly with online publications or search for health-related writing jobs on job boards. Having a nice website and a professionally crafted LinkedIn page with samples of your work and a decent blog could help.

Speaking of blogging, working as a nurse blogger could be a great way to make money writing about what you love. All you need is a good niche, a hosting account and a domain name, WordPress, and a few ways to monetize your blog and you could turn this into a full-time or side income.

You could also work as a journalist or for a magazine. Or you could work on medical texts and documents. These jobs will demand that you have a formal formation as a writer and require a specific tone, however, so they might be a bit tougher to get. These roles can pay very well if you have the skills and expertise.

Public Health Nurse

We can expect public health discussions to be at the forefront for the next few years. If you want to be able to give back and work close to the community, you should definitely consider becoming a public health nurse.

Public health nurses often work with populations that are the most vulnerable. They might lead public health initiatives and workforces in impoverished areas. They could be called to help educate populations who may not fully understand certain health issues, for instance. In the case of an epidemic, you could be on the front line handing out educational material or directly teaching people how to avoid transmissions.

This is another very fulfilling field where you’ll have the chance to make a real difference. This is also a good field if you want to move into public office or start a non-profit organization sometime in the future.

Home Health Nurse

We can also expect to see more emphasis being put on home care since so many people will be retiring in the next few years. More users will also be directed to outpatient care to alleviate some of the burdens off of the healthcare system.

It’s reported that about 12.8% of all nurses in the country work in-home care, and this number should only increase in the next few years. As the name implies, your job will be to provide care to patients on their property. The nature and extent of the care will depend on the patient’s condition and their reasons for hiring you.

You might be called to help someone who has suffered a fracture or injury at home, for instance. In other cases, you might have to assist families who are caring for elderly members who might be losing mobility or suffering from cognitive decline. This is a great position if you’d like to have a closer and more personal relationship with patients.

Informatics Nurse Specialist

This is another field that should see a lot of demand in the next few years. New technology is being implemented every day in healthcare, and the rate at which it’s happening is increasing exponentially. Healthcare facilities need professionals to help implement these solutions and train the staff on how to use them.

As an informatics nurse specialist, you may be asked to research new technologies, and see which ones would make sense for your organization. You may need to evaluate things like costs, some of the pros and cons of different solutions, and if there are improvements to the technology on the horizon. You will be playing a central role in purchasing decisions and the quality of care.

As you may expect, this requires a very special set of expertise and formation. You will need to get a nursing education and hold a valid license in addition to undergoing special informatics training if you want a realistic chance at getting a position in this field.

School Nurse

If you’ve been working as an RN for a while and have never thought about working as a school nurse, you should right now. One of the greatest things about working as a school nurse is all the cool perks you’ll get.

First of all, if you’re tired of 12-hour shifts or having to work on-call, you won’t have to deal with any of this as a school nurse. Your schedule will be the same as the students’. This means that it’ll be fixed and won’t clash with your other implications if you have school-age children. You could even decide to work at your child’s school or move them to where you want to work for added convenience.

The pace will also be much easier, and you might not only work on treating students dealing with injuries or illness, since you’ll be educating them about healthy life habits as well. You might teach them how to prevent the chance of catching infectious diseases, for instance, or how they can live a happier and healthier life through proper nutrition and physical activity. This is a perfect field for nurses who happen to be parents and experienced nurses looking for something new and less demanding.

Medical Sales Representative

Working as a medical sales representative is a great job if you feel like you have a knack for sales and have extensive experience in the field. Nurses make some of the best medical sales reps because of their in-depth working knowledge of different treatments and equipment. Very few people understand these better than a nurse, which could make you a valuable asset to any pharmaceutical company or supplies manufacturer trying to boost their sales.

The best thing here is that you don’t need any additional training to land a position. You don’t even need to be licensed. These companies will hire virtually anyone, but your resume will get right to the top of the pile if you have nursing experience.

These are all great non-bedside jobs that will allow you to benefit from your expertise and experience something new. If one or a few of these jobs interest you, we suggest you speak with people in these positions right now and see if you could thrive there.