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Nursing Careers Beyond the Bedside
Cindy Mehallow / Monster Contributing Writer
This article originally appeared on Monster Career Advice.
When providing bedside care loses its luster, working in a nonclinical specialty can renew your love for nursing and draw on your clinical experience. The following positions exist at most healthcare institutions and are well-suited to experienced nurses.
Case Managers
Case managers choreograph all aspects of patient care, coordinating the nurses, doctors, therapists and other practitioners who treat patients. As hospitals discharge patients more quickly and managed-care organizations increasingly oversee patient care, the need for case managers has blossomed. The aging population is generating more opportunities in long-term care and home healthcare as well.
“The demand for nurse case managers is tremendous,” says Margaret Leonard, MS, RN,C, FNP, a certified case manager and board member of the Case Management Society of America. She notes that some employers are becoming more discriminating, looking for nurses who have both strong clinical experience and certification in case management.
The two primary certifying bodies are the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the Commission for Case Manager Certification. Other certifications are available through specialty associations, says Leonard, vice president for clinical services for Hudson Health Plan in Tarrytown, New York.
Since they’re expected to achieve the shortest possible patient stay with the highest possible outcome, case managers must be proactive and able to evoke change. These professionals should be patient, extremely diplomatic and politically astute.
Patient/Staff Educators
Clinical nurse educators help patients and their families understand the patient’s condition prior to discharge, and they work in such outpatient areas as cardiac rehabilitation, diabetes education or childbirth preparation. Besides orienting and supervising new nurses, clinical nurse educators conduct in-service training for staff nurses.
Most clinical nurse educators possess at least a BSN as well as advanced clinical training in a specialty.
While they must be patient and able to write education plans, nurse educators must enjoy teaching and, above all, have a passion for their profession. “That passion comes through when you teach,” says Diane Goodman, BSN, RN, a clinical nurse educator for Lake Forest Hospital near Chicago. “Your students pick up on it and become passionate, too.”
PEARL
2 months ago
6 comments
I think that it depends on where you live if you are able to do the things all of you are talking about. I am from New York, I now live in New Mexico I feel they no how to give you more opportunity here. LPN's are able to do things here they would never think of letting you do in New York. Although it has been hard to get use to this area and I am home sick, I no here I can have opportunity I would never have in New York. I am now looking for a work at home job, but I am also a LPN I want the work at home opportunity to be in nursing. If anyone has info you can reach me at AROSEHARLEE@YAHOO.COM. Pearl
BettyDavies
4 months ago
2 comments
If you do not have experience as a case manager, how can you get the position? Is there a course that a BSN can take?
misscocomojo
4 months ago
6 comments
It always amazes me...all the different jobs out there but seemingly inaccessible. I've been a staff nurse for years, I have a Bachelor's, but, everytime I read the job ads, there is nothing that I am "qualified" for. Frustrating....we handle life threatening situations, hostile and abusive families and patients, advise physicians, but many of these jobs do not even consider us "trainable"? How can you get certified when you cannot even get the hours or experience needed because you are not "qualified" in the first place...am I missing something?
lauramfla
4 months ago
4 comments
I hear you guiltmagic. I have over 30 years of nursing experience. Most of it hands on, specialty was in the ER and other critical care units although have worked in various settings including case management, occ heatlh, med/surg and a few more. I have a BSN and have been looking to teach for a long time now. It appears that I am continuously overlooked because I've not had any "teaching experience"!! Over 30 years of nursing should be experience enough. In this nursing crisis and in view of the lack of nursing instructors out there you would think they would want someone who has been there and done that to show the new nurses the correct way to do it. It's really quite discouraging.
quiltmagic
about 1 year ago
2 comments
I was an experienced RN in emergency medicine, AND went to anesthesia school. I have been out of the profession for quite a while. I have been contacted by several nurse recruiters, and have actually applied for jobs, but when they find I have been away from the bedside for more than 5 years, I am told that is too long, yet foregin nurses most are new grads, are allowed in the USA with an emergency visa! Our nursing shortage stems from LACK of interest in Re-entry programs for nurses, and the lack of respect for the profession by institutions, pay scale, the media, to mention a few.My mother said, be a nurse they will ALWAYS need you, you will always have a job!
NOT SO mom, I've wasted your money on an education, and now can't even give a flu shot!-Looking for work in Houston!
nursemeri
about 1 year ago
2 comments
i'm an experienced lvn , 14 years. are there any opportunities for lvn to be a mentor or preceptor to new lvn's ?
i have loads of hands on experience! thanks, meri
delara
about 1 year ago
2 comments
all topics greatly helped me in understanding w/c option to take however, would you kindly tell me where to get pertinent information on how to register or enrol to obtain those certifcates? I need to seek proper guidance in getting a new leap of faith in shifting to a higher non clinical nursing level where i can utilize my vast nursing experience, skills, trainings & body of knowledge, where i can get satisfaction, stay healthy & happy but of course still have a purpose in life, sharing my blessings to others. Thank you for any help extended. Pls include relevant info on Certified CM, CPHQ CERT, Clinical Nurse Educator, Quality Improvement/Quality Assurance, Risk Manager, Chart Auditor, Patient Advocate, Nursing Educator, DM Educator Cert, Geriatric Counselor - those positions that deals with correcting documentation to be in copliance with the PHS, Stae, Federal, Medicare/Medical & JCAHO guidelines, good writing skills....thanks. Sincerely, Cynthia, RN, BSN - I need to obtain certification for i have done most of them in my career & now trying to avoid bedside bec of age & safety.