4 Rewarding Nursing Careers for People Who Want to Make a Difference

Whether you have recently graduated with a nursing degree or you are currently undertaking a nursing qualification, becoming a nurse can be incredibly rewarding for individuals with a passion for helping others. There are many different paths to take in the field of nursing that suit people with a high degree of empathy and compassion. Here is a list of rewarding nursing careers for people who want to make a difference in the world.

School Nurse

The role of a school nurse takes place in educational institutions, and it involves taking care of school children. Nurses in a school setting provide physical, mental, social, and emotional care to kids. Studies suggest that school nurses have a high job satisfaction rate. This high level of contentment could be due to the nature of the work, as well as a better work-life balance than other nursing roles. School nurses often work similar hours to teachers and other staff members. This means that they have free weekends, they don’t have to work evening shifts, and they also benefit from a long school vacation break. The consistent scheduling and long breaks allow nursing professionals to strike a healthy balance between work and home life.

Nurse in a Senior Living Facility

Besides hospitals, nursing homes are the biggest employer of licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses. Nurses in nursing homes offer constant support to patients and provide different types of care. In a senior living facility, responsibilities can vary greatly. In assisted living, daily tasks can include helping residents with activities of daily living (ADL) and supervising nursing assistants. Nurses with assistant living jobs often develop meaningful relationships with their patients as residents often stay at senior living facilities for a long period of time.

Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and they can provide primary and preventative care in a number of settings. Depending on the state, NPs share similar responsibilities to physicians and can practice independently. Daily duties can include assessing, diagnosing and managing patients, ordering tests, and prescribing medication. Besides the gratification of the wide scope of practice, becoming a nurse practitioner can be financially rewarding too. The average salary of an NP is $110,030 per year, although this depends on where they practice and their specialism. NPs can choose to provide care in a number of specialties, such as women’s health, acute care, and family health.

Nurse Educator

Nurses with an interest in educating others may find the role of nurse educator to be rewarding. This role combines education with clinical nursing experience. Nurse educators impart specialist knowledge and wisdom to nursing students, working nurses and other health professionals.

To become a nurse educator, you normally should invest in postgraduate study after gaining significant clinical nursing experience. For example, you could do a Master of Nursing (Education). With the availability of online courses, you can do postgraduate study while working full-time.

Nurse educators play a huge role in the training and development of future generations of nursing professionals. In a university or college setting, the position involves creating lesson plans, teaching students, and evaluating their progress. In the workplace, a nurse educator may perform roles such managing induction or onboarding of staff, assisting with professional development planning, and teaching health staff about new technologies and nursing practices.