Top 10 Nurse Jobs Other Than Hospital Work

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The country’s labor sector is faced with an overwhelming number of unemployed nurses, and most of them pursue a bottleneck path of applying for typical nursing jobs – that is, in hospitals, community health centers and clinics. It is estimated that around 200,000 nurses in the country are unemployed, and 16,908 newly registered nurses are expected to add to this number. Although there is a steady demand for nurse jobs in regions like the Middle East, many often encounter difficulties in getting hired, primarily because they lack hospital experience.

And how would nurses expect to have the necessary hospital experience if all 200,000 of them will apply for a few hundred nurse jobs in hospitals around the country? It is clearly observable that most hospitals have more volunteers than staff, and it’s just sad to know that these volunteer nurses are expected to deliver the same standard of quality care for free. Some nurses try to go to community health centers and private clinics, but the chances of entering these clinical areas are equally slim due to budget constraints.

Nurses should be reminded that hospitals and other clinical areas aren’t the only satisfying and rewarding nurse jobs, and they should accept the reality that the needs of the healthcare industry change over time. Numerous technological advancements have already impacted healthcare processes through computer and information technology and business process outsourcing, and it only makes sense that nurses should prepare themselves for the future.

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While hospital and clinical careers in nursing are dwindling in numbers, other areas such as healthcare outsourcing, online research and education are booming with opportunities that allow nurses to develop new skills and earn more. If you’re getting tired of doing volunteer work for a hospital or having a seemingly hopeless search for a hospital job, here are the top 10 alternative nurse jobs that you can explore:

1.       Medical Transcriptionist

A medical transcriptionist is responsible for producing accurate and organized medical documents by extracting information from audio files, and these recordings may vary from emergency room visits, to diagnostic imaging studies to chart reviews. Excellent listening skills and in-depth knowledge of medical terminology and transcription guidelines are a must, as well as English communication skills.

                               

2.       Medical Biller

This nurse job involves preparing medical bills and invoices and recording the amount due for medical procedures and services. A medical biller is responsible for getting in touch with patients and obtains and relays the account information. Accuracy and attention to detail are the basic requirements for this job, as well as in-depth knowledge of medical records.

3.       Benefits Analyst

A benefits analyst is one who interprets and processes requests and secures the necessary data to appropriately implement the patient’s medical and insurance benefits. In most cases, the medical biller analyzes benefits claims with the aid of an adjudicating or validating system. Critical thinking and attention to detail are needed for this job.

4.       Virtual Healthcare Secretary

Another trending nurse job is a virtual healthcare secretary, where the nurse is mainly tasked with receiving, communicating and arranging medical correspondence online. The virtual healthcare secretary answers telephones and directs calls to appropriate staff, and transcribes dictation for various medical reports from physicians. Virtual healthcare secretaries are also tasked to compile and record online medical charts and reports.

5.       Telehealth Nurse

Basically, the telehealth nurse engages with the pre-medical and post-procedure needs of patients over the phone. A telehealth nurse will conduct a pre-treatment assessment and the preparation of the patient prior to the required medical or surgical procedure, and follows up the client’s condition as they recover from illness or medical/surgical treatment. If you like a clinical type of job without much stress from the hospital environment, then this job’s for you.

6.       Private Duty/Home Care Nurse

Who says that nurses can’t be self-employed? Although there is a shortage of opportunities in hospitals and other clinical areas, there are numerous individuals and families that employ private duty and home care nurses. Most cases involve cancer clients and patients experiencing debilitating or degenerative illnesses that result in considerable strain on caregivers, and this is why families of such patients opt to avail the expertise of nurses.

7.       Medical Representative

Medical representatives are in charge with the promotion of medical equipment and supplies of their respective companies, and they are engaged with sales, distribution and business development within their assigned areas. Oftentimes, we hear stories of their numerous benefits, including car and vacation incentives and sales commissions, and this can be a very exciting career path for people who love to travel. Excellent communication skills and a strong drive are required for this nurse job.

8.       Health Researcher

If you have the talent, skill and passion for searching and discovering new information about healthcare, then being a health researcher may be a rewarding career for you. The tasks are diverse, from the nature of the studies conducted to the areas of healthcare being researched. Researchers engage themselves in the review of current and existing technologies, data gathering, statistical and interpretative analyses of data and documentation, and this career provides the perfect opportunity to those who wish to pursue further studies. Knowledge of the scientific method, critical thinking and attention to detail are the skills needed for this profession.

9.       Writer

If you love to write about nursing and healthcare topics, a writing career may be a fulfilling alternative nurse job, and people do make money from writing medical or nursing-related articles. Being a writer, you have the choice of either getting hired by a company or working as a freelance writer creating engaging and relevant content to various clients. The pay also varies, and if you are consistently writing top quality posts, you might even be earning twice or thrice as much as your day job in the hospital.

10.   Nursing Tutor

Nursing education is also a career path that is not much explored by the majority of nurses, and even if there’s a low demand for clinical instructors, nurses can still employ themselves as private tutors. Through information technology, nurses can easily disseminate information and interact with students and colleagues through blogs, virtual classrooms, social media and online chat platforms, and online tutoring is an excellent nurse job if you want to develop communication and teaching skills. Not only will you help guide students in understanding concepts, but you will be able to build your network as well.

The nursing profession is constantly changing, and change is inevitable. Nurses have the ability to adapt to change, thus they should face reality that nurse jobs in the hospital are just one of their options. The key is to stay employed and develop skills that are currently needed by the industry.