Nursing is not the same as it was 50 years ago–or even 10 years ago! In the last few decades we have seen a huge shift of healthcare professionals moving away from clinical settings and seeking new career alternatives for nurses. 

The result? Nurses just like you are starting their own businesses and trying their luck as nurse entrepreneurs. 

Contrary to popular belief there are thousands of nursing career paths that are away from the beside. Some alternative career paths for nurses include medspas, homecare, legal nurse consulting, telehealth, concierge nursing, and too many more alternative career choices for nurses to count. 

Wake up and smell the roses! Career nursing doesn’t mean spending your entire nursing career in the hospital anymore, and that’s something to get excited about. 

If you are not convinced that you should be seeking a nursing career, or at least a side hustle, that’s off the beaten path then let us convince you otherwise. 

Better Care, Better Career

Exploring career alternatives for nurses starts with exploring the reason why you became a nurse in the first place. We are willing to bet that a nursing career appealed to you because through nursing, you are able to help people. 

Unlike most careers, nurses have the power to make a real difference in the world. Career nursing is extremely satisfying. But, as 99% of clinical nurses can attest to, career nursing at the bedside is exhausting.

The double shifts, emotional strain, and complicated nature of a nursing career at the bedside can take a toll on your mental, physical, and emotional health. 

But what if there were career alternatives for nurses that enabled you to provide better care, all while giving you a better career? There are! 

With the recent influx of nurses leaving clinical settings during the pandemic we are seeing an uprising of creative, alternative career paths for nurses, which include options like in-home care, telehealth, IV hydration, legal nurse consulting, and so much more! 

• Benefits for Patients

The bottom line is that most alternative nursing career paths actually enable you to provide patients with better care. Through one-on-one support you can help patients take preventative measures to stay out of hospitals in the first place. Another benefit of alternative career choices for nurses is time. Without having to rush off to the next patient, nurses have sufficient time to provide their clients with the personalized care they deserve. 

• Benefits For Nurses

One of the main motivators when searching for career alternatives for nurses is work-life balance. Bedside nursing often entails long hours and double shifts that take a toll on your wellness, but as your own boss you can choose when you work and create a healthier balance, When exploring the benefits of alternative nursing career paths you can not leave out the fact that you can earn more when you start your own business! Earn more, provide better care, and work less? Um, yes please! 

Alternative Career Paths for Nurses

Half of the challenge of deciding on the right career alternatives for nurses is knowing where to look. Luckily, we have compiled a list of successful nursing career paths for healthcare professionals looking for a nursing career as an entrepreneur.

• Home Care Nursing

Amongst the most popular alternative career choices for nurses includes homecare career nursing. Home care nurses travel to their patients homes and provide nursing services such as wound care, medication administration, patient monitoring, etc. A nursing career as a home health nurse can prove to be extremely lucrative if done correctly.  

• Staffing Agency Nursing

Starting your own nursing staffing agency is a great way to fill immediate nursing needs and put some extra cash, or a lot extra cash, in your pocket. Alternative career paths for nurses can be as simple as creating your own online staffing agency platform. 

• IV Hydration Nursing 

When considering career alternatives for nurses you can not leave IV hydration off the list. IV hydration therapy is the best way to ensure that patients are getting the proper hydration and nutrients needed. With a range of different drip options, IV hydration infusions can be customized to fit a patient’s unique needs. This nursing career path is not only lucrative, but can be fully mobilized, which cuts down on start-up costs. 

• Legal Nurse Consulting

Career nursing at the bedside isn’t for everyone, but for this nursing career path bedside experience is ideal. As a legal nurse consultant you may work for lawyers or insurance companies to analyze medical records, case files, and other documents to determine if care standards were met in a given situation. Using bedside experience, legal nurse consultants are an asset for both plaintiffs and defendants. 

• Health Coaching 

Still in the business of helping people, a nursing career path in health coaching includes a combination of motivational coaching and wellness coaching to advise patients to take control of their wellness. Alternative career paths for nurses in health coaching is perhaps the best way to prevent illness in the first place. As a health coach you can help patients live happier and healthier lives! 

• Healthcare Copywriter

Nurses have the unique insight and experience needed to find success as healthcare copywriters. As nurse copywriters nurses can use their knowledge and writing skills to create medically informed and accurate content for a wide range of clients.  

• Concierge Nursing 

When considering career alternatives for nurses you can not leave out concierge nursing. Much like home healthcare nursing, concierge nurses offer their services to patients from the comfort of their own homes. However, a nursing career in concierge nursing usually includes services for postoperative patients, rather than getiatric or disables patients, which are the two most common patient populations for home care nurses.

• MedSpa Nurses 

Medical spas are a great nursing career path for nurses that have a passion for aethstetics. Career nursing doesn’t always look like bedside care. Something a nursing career looks like dermal fillers, chemical peels, body sculpting, and Botox–and that’s okay! 

As you can see, alternative career choices for nurses are plentiful! But once you pick a nursing career you’re happy with, how do you get started?

Be Your Own Boss

The available career alternatives for nurses are endless! If you are looking to pursue a nursing career that’s not at the bedside, then we are here to help! 

At NursePreneurs we are here to help you explore all the nursing career paths available to you. With options in DIY programs and do-it-for-you business plans, we set you up for business success so you have all the pieces of the puzzle needed to find success as a nurse entrepreneur. 

Career nursing looks different for everyone. Don’t stay in a clinical nursing job just because you think it’s what you’re supposed to do. You deserve a nursing career that you love, you deserve to explore all the alternative career choices for nurses! 

Book a discovery with us today to take control of your life and explore alternative career paths for nurses–we promise you that you won’t regret it!