Outside the Hospital: Nursing Jobs in Places You Never Thought About
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 56 percent of all employed nurses were working in hospital settings in 2004. But there are many opportunities in places you never thought of.
These include substance abuse centers, correctional facilities, dialysis centers, year round camps, mobile cardiac cath labs, cruise ships, amusement parks, the medical device industry, managed care companies, schools, hospices, home health agencies, colleges, pharmaceutical companies, outpatient surgery centers, and employee health departments.
Amusement parks, camps and prisons
Resort nurses and camp nurses must possess triage and emergency room experience, as well as excellent first-aid skills. While the ages of the guests at Disney World and similar resorts vary greatly, a basic knowledge of children’s health issues is a necessity for a nurse in these areas.
Correctional health care nurses can expect to have extensive background checks and drug screens performed prior to hiring. In these positions, a nurse typically works with the inmates in an infirmary or clinic.
Hospice and outpatient centers
Hospice nurses have options to work in crisis care, where round-the-clock in-home care is provided for a short term. Nurses work shifts, or on call, and respond to a medical crisis, or to relieve the family caregivers.
Outpatient surgery centers hire operating room and post-anesthesia nurses for Monday through Friday surgeries. Frequently orthopedic, eye, and plastic surgeons perform surgeries in their own office surgery suites, and hire nurses to work on site.
Medical device industry and cruise ships
The medical device industry hires experienced RN’s to educate hospital staff on medical devices, such as cardiac monitors, defibrillators, IV pumps, etc. The field is extremely competitive, and the salaries can be lucrative.
The cruise ship industry hires nurses to work fulltime on a ship for a contracted period of time. The ship’s nurse, according to Carnival Cruise Lines, is responsible to care for the medical needs of the passengers and the crew. The requirements are three years experience in emergency or critical care nursing with current competencies. BLS certification is required, and ACLS certification is recommended.
