Floor nurses don’t always have a very long shelf life. On average, roughly half of all RNs cycle out of the profession entirely within five years of their graduation. They haven’t even finished paying for their degree yet, and they are already looking for something else. The reason behind this jarring statistic is not terribly difficult to guess.
Floor nurses work brutally long shifts that may take place any day of the week, including holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.
It’s a hard way to live, but also not the only way to make a difference in the world of healthcare. In this article, we take a look at some educational pathways that produce diverse nursing careers.
Just How Diverse is Nursing Education?
Getting a nursing degree is actually a fairly boilerplate process. Because there are many state and federal requirements that all nursing programs need to satisfy, there is not a ton of room for variation. You’ll complete around 120 credit hours, finish your clinical, and then take a big ugly test called the NCLEX.
Once you’ve done all of that, you will be able to work as a nurse. These qualifications will ensure your eligibility for most nursing jobs. However, some careers will require either a graduate degree or additional training.
Do I Need to Independently Acquire Certifications?
In most cases, you will not need to independently acquire your additional certifications. For example, let’s say you would like to work as a diabetes educator. This job puts you in direct contact with people who have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, helping them to manage their insulin and new lifestyle requirements.
Nurses naturally know about diabetes, but it is ultimately just one of many health conditions that they study in school. They don’t graduate with enough diabetes-specific knowledge to help someone with every stage of their diagnosis.
To work as a diabetes educator, you will need the CDCES credential. This will require some coursework and a big test that takes several hours to complete. It also costs money— to do the tune of a few hundred dollars.
Why pay that if you don’t have to? Many hospitals are desperately short-staffed and will be happy to help a nurse with strong credentials acquire whatever additional certifications are required for the job. In other words, you can apply to work as a diabetes educator without your CDCES certification. Because the certification can be acquired relatively quickly, your potential employer will most likely be happy to work with you on that.
On the other hand, if you are considering a job that requires a graduate degree, that will be something you need to get independently.
What Nursing Jobs Require a Graduate Degree?
Some nursing careers will require you to get your master’s. These specialty positions generally produce a higher salary, and may also benefit from greater career advancement potential. For example, if you are interested in a leadership role, you will typically need to get a graduate degree in healthcare management, or something related.
There is a long list of nursing careers that fall into this category. Nurse anaesthetist. Director of Nursing. Informatics nurse.
Graduate programs are also good for people who are interested in working as nurse educators. If you want to teach at a college, for example, you will need at least a graduate degree. Often, having a PhD is the standard.
Nurse Practitioners
Nurse practitioners are required to obtain their graduate degree before they can begin practicing. Becoming a nurse practitioner is rewarding because it opens the door to many specialties. If you are passionate about mental health care, you can become a psychiatric nurse practitioner. If you love working with babies, you can become a neonatal nurse practitioner.
Nurse practitioners also have a lot more independence than other nurses. Depending on state law, some are even able to open their own practice and function ostensibly as a general practitioner. If you want to expand your options— and boost your salary— becoming a nurse practitioner is an excellent way to do it.
Paying for Additional Nursing Education
If you would like to get a graduate degree in nursing but feel less keen about paying for it, there are pathways available to you. Many hospitals set aside funds for tuition assistance. Depending on where you work, this could cover some, or all of your education-related expenses.
Even people who aren’t eligible for tuition assistance may find that there are plenty of other ways they can save money on their education. Grants and scholarships are an awesome way for anyone to reduce the cost of college. You don’t have to have been recently enrolled in school. You don’t even necessarily need a stellar academic transcript.
Find grant and scholarship programs that are appropriate for your background. Depending on where you are in life, you may also find it feasible to work on campus as a way of reducing your tuition costs.
Many universities employ graduate students as teaching assistants. TAs receive significant tuition discounts.
There are lots of ways to pay for college. Find the one that makes the most sense for you.
Think Creatively
When considering your future in nursing, it’s important to avoid limited thinking. There are so many nursing-related jobs that many people just aren’t aware of, or don’t take into consideration.
For example, do you have kids? Maybe you’d be happy working as a school nurse. They don’t experience emergencies (usually) and they play an important role in maintaining the health of the entire school. Best part? It’s probably the only healthcare job that lets you have summers off.
Of course, that’s just an example. There are lots of nursing careers that won’t require you to work a twelve-hour night shift on Christmas. Think about what you are passionate about, and go from there. You’ll likely find that there are nursing careers you’ve never even thought of that are just a certificate away.
