Nursing Roles Beyond the Bedside: 6 Options to Consider
What floods your mind when you think of nursing? Hospital settings where professionals wearing scrubs care for patients in bed, right?
The role of nursing is associated with bedside care. But is it the only thing nursing has to offer?
While hospital setting and bedside care are central to the profession, nursing includes a wide range of roles that go beyond patient care. Those roles are just as rewarding as bedside ones.
Many nurses are transitioning to them—but why? Nurses who decided to quit their jobs told McKinsey & Company in 2023 that they did so because they felt undervalued, weren’t adequately compensated, and had no work-life balance. About 43%, however, resigned due to better job opportunities.
Whether you’re a burned-out fresh grad or an experienced nurse exploring ways to leverage your nursing expertise in different settings, there are plenty of fulfilling alternatives to traditional bedside roles.
In this article, we’ll explore a few popular ones—but before that, let’s discuss the benefits of non-bedside nursing roles.
Pros of Non-Bedside Nursing Roles
Here are the perks of opting for non-bedside nursing roles:
1. Good Work-Life Balance
Nurses who opt for non-bedside roles enjoy better work-life balance. Lauren Berlin, a 45-year-old registered nurse, quit her full-time bedside nursing job and became a director of nursing for long-term care facilities. She did so because she needed work-life balance.
Unlike bedside nursing, where you often juggle night shifts, weekends, and holidays, non-bedside positions typically offer more regular hours. This means you can plan your days better, enjoy evenings at home, and even look forward to those precious weekends off.
2. Diverse Opportunities
Non-bedside nursing opens up a world of diverse opportunities that go beyond traditional patient care. These roles allow you to leverage your nursing experience in new and exciting ways, often with the chance to specialize in areas you’re passionate about.
You can leverage your expertise in areas like case management and health informatics. If education is your passion, you can train the next generation of nurses or lead community health programs.
3. Reduced Physical Strain
Bedside nursing is demanding— lifting and repositioning patients, long hours on your feet, and constantly moving around the unit. Over time, this can take a toll on your body, leading to fatigue, back pain, and other health issues.
Studies show that 84.5% reported having lower back pain after working in the nursing environment.
In a non-bedside role, the physical demands are much lighter. You’re more likely to work at a desk, in meetings, or in consulting, which means less wear and tear on your body. Not only will this preserve your physical health, but also your energy levels. That way, you can focus more on your work and less on managing physical discomfort.
4. Less Emotional Exhaustion
About 44% of all nurses reported symptoms of emotional exhaustion, according to a quantitative study. Evidence shows that nurses, especially women, experience a higher degree of stress.
You’re often exposed to intense, high-stress situations as a bedside nurse. You have to deal with critical patient conditions, manage family anxieties, and navigate the emotional weight of patient care. This can lead to burnout over time.
You still have significant tasks to complete in non-bedside roles, but the immediate emotional toll frequently decreases.
In roles like health informatics, for instance, you’re focused more on problem-solving and strategic planning rather than the immediate emotional needs of patients. This shift can provide a much-needed emotional breather.
Here Are Six Non-Bedside Nursing Jobs
Let’s dive into some of the non-bedside nursing jobs that you can consider if you’re looking for a change or exploring ways to leverage your nursing expertise in different settings:
1. School Nurse
Do you love spending time with children? Transform that affection into a meaningful job as a school nurse and be a hero at school!
School nurses, the CDC says, are the only medical professionals in a school—and so, you will play a vital role in promoting student health and well-being. Whether administering first-aid, managing chronic conditions like asthma, or conducting health screenings, you’ll be responsible for everything.
About 4.5 million children below the age of 18 have asthma. A recently published article in the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has disclosed that. Expect to be on the front lines to help these children manage their condition, ensuring their health needs are met, both in and out of the classroom.
Besides a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, you must pass the NCSN certification exam to work as a school nurse.
Yearly, you’ll make between $45,130 and $93,905. That might not sound like a lot—even less than registered nurses. But you’ll work at a set schedule, which is often from 7 AM to 4 PM. Plus, you won’t have to work on weekends, at night, or do overtime.
The best part? You’ll enjoy a long summer break, which is not possible with a bedside job.
2. Forensic Nurse
If crime thriller movies fascinate you, the job of a forensic nurse might be perfect for you.
Forensic nurses apply clinical nursing and forensic science to help solve crimes. That is, you will have to collect medical evidence to present during legal proceedings.
As a part of your duty, you will provide specialized care to patients who are victims of trauma, abuse, or violence. You might even have to testify during legal proceedings in a pinch.
A BSN degree is instrumental in preparing you for this challenging and rewarding career. Make sure you earn that first.
Apart from that, you must acquire either a master’s degree in forensic nursing or certifications specific to forensic nursing. Those include the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Pediatric (SANE-P) or the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Adult/Adolescent (SANE-A).
Your annual earnings as a forensic nurse could be anywhere between $34,000 and $107,500.
3. Cruise Ship Nurse
The job of a cruise ship nurse is a beyond-the-bedside job that resembles an ongoing vacation. Working as a cruise ship nurse will allow you to travel to new places while providing care to crew members and passengers.
Your key responsibilities as a cruise ship nurse would include treating patients on board. You will have to examine patients physically to diagnose medical conditions, conduct tests like blood tests and X-rays, and create treatment plans.
For example, consider the case of Jennifer Lautenschlager, a 51-year-old software engineer who was successfully treated by a cruise ship nurse during her voyage.
One morning, she woke up with a headache and sniffles on a cruise ship along the coast of Mexico. Lautenschlager headed to the ship’s medical facility to see a doctor.
A cruise ship nurse recorded her temperature and did some tests. The test results revealed she suffered from an upper respiratory infection. Thanks to the prompt care from the cruise ship nurse, Jennifer received the treatment she needed.
Earning a nursing degree and passing the NCLEX exam isn’t enough to become a cruise ship nurse. According to nurse.org, you must also acquire the Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certification. Not all cruises require this. But earning one will allow you to work with any cruise line.
Cruise ship nurses make $80,321/year, on average, though the highest-paid ones pocket $136,000/year.
4. Flight Nurse
Working as a flight nurse is a wonderful opportunity for those who crave adventure and high-stakes environments.
Flight nurses provide critical care to patients during air transport, whether in helicopters or planes. Your work environment, therefore, won’t be like others. Rather, you’ll be working mid-air, providing care to patients who will be transported by emergency aircraft to a medical facility.
Until the flight lands safely, monitoring vital signs and administering medications to the patient will be your duty.
Kick off your career as a flight nurse by acquiring a nursing degree. You can apply for an associate degree in nursing (ADN), but earning a BSN will be wise. That is because most companies require a BSN degree.
An increasing number of employers, Holy Family University writes, refuse to recruit nurses without a four-year college degree in nursing or above. If you don’t hold a BSN, your salary might hit a plateau. It would, thus, be wise to obtain that from the get-go.
There are plenty of BSN careers you can explore as a nursing professional looking to work in a non-bedside role. Aside from a BSN, three to five years of clinical experience in an emergency room, intensive care unit, or a similar setting can be a big plus.
Financially, working as a flight nurse is one of the roles that is rewarded well. ZipRecruiter’s survey has found that flight nurses earn, on average, $109,709/year, though experienced ones can rake in $145,000/year.
5. Nurse Recruiter
Don’t want to get into the patient care aspect of nursing? Become a nurse recruiter. It’s a role that will allow you to work in a healthcare organization but focus on the human resourcing side.
Your role as a nurse recruiter will demand you to use your nursing knowledge to identify and hire qualified nursing professionals. A typical day in your life would involve evaluating candidates, conducting interviews, and collaborating with department heads to meet staffing needs.
Your duties don’t end there. You will also have to coordinate with hiring managers, schedule interviews, and guide them through the hiring process.
For nurse recruiter roles, hospitals require a bachelor’s degree in nursing. With this degree, you’ll appear as an attractive candidate to recruiters.
Nurse recruiters pocket $60,470 per year, on average. But you could rake in $97,738 annually if you’re highly experienced and work in certain regions like New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis.
6. Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
For those who enjoy networking and sales, a role as a Medical Sales Representative might be a great fit.
In this position, you will have to work for pharmaceutical companies. You will be tasked to promote and sell medication to doctors, pharmacists, and healthcare facilities.
Your nursing background is what will make you stand out from other sales representatives. That is, you can discuss the benefits and applications of products with a deep understanding of patient care.
You might have to meet healthcare providers, give presentations on new drugs, and answer detailed questions about how these medications work.
A bachelor’s degree in nursing will provide a solid foundation, but it isn’t the sole requirement to become a pharmaceutical sales representative. You must also earn the Certified National Pharmaceutical Representative certificate before you start applying for jobs.
The total pay range of a pharmaceutical sales representative, according to Glassdoor, is $120K - $225K/year. You can expect to earn $77,164 per year, on average.
The Key Takeaway
Bedside nursing can be demanding. But that isn’t the only job you can pursue with a nursing degree. There are many other opportunities away from the bedside that you can consider.
These roles, from school nurse to pharmaceutical sales representative, offer fresh perspectives and new challenges. They provide opportunities for a better work-life balance, professional growth, and the chance to influence healthcare on a broader scale.
If you’re ready to step away from direct patient care and embrace a new path, consider these diverse options. Leveraging your nursing expertise creatively, you can contribute to the field in innovative and rewarding ways.
