15 Professions You Can Have With a BSN Degree
When we think of nursing, most of us have the impression that it is one of the most humane professions that exist, a profession that deserves respect and stands alongside medical work. However, you might ask yourself, what can I do with a nursing degree?
Somewhat surprisingly, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a four-year study program, now offers numerous nursing career paths. With the right qualifications, you can become a professional in whichever field of nursing you want to work in, such as pediatrics, gynecology, physiotherapy, and so on.
But perhaps you are not that enthusiastic about the traditional nursing profession and want to explore alternative jobs for nurses and gain additional skills. Read below to see what you can do with a nursing degree.
1. Critical Care Nurse
Critical care nurses are well trained to take care of patients in danger of death, who are recovering from various surgeries, who suffer from severe diseases and must be supervised 24/7, and similar. Their job as part of the medical staff carries many challenges and responsibilities.
Critical care nurses' responsibilities include, among other duties:
taking care of patients 24/7 by keeping them under constant supervision;
intervening immediately in case the patient's condition suddenly deteriorates;
monitoring the patient's condition and reporting improvements/deteriorations;
monitoring the technical equipment used for respiration, heart rate, infusions, etc.;
taking care of the foods and medicines that patients should use;
communicating cautiously with patients' families or relatives.
The space where critical care nurses work is, in most cases, disinfected and sanitized, and there are strict rules as to who can go in and who cannot.
Critical care nurse job outlook
Employment in nursing has changed over the years and is expected to change again in the coming years. This is because the needs in the field of medicine change, mainly due to unexpected events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
In general, the number of critical care nurses is growing as the number of elderly patients in need of continuous care increases.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 9% from 2020 to 2030, with 194,500 job openings every year.
Critical care nurse salary
Challenging and tedious work with seriously ill patients, long working hours, and exhausting days make critical care nursing even more difficult. At the same time, these difficulties make critical care nurses more financially rewarded than others.
How much you will be paid as a critical care nurse will depend on the geographical location and its financial policies, the workplace, your qualifications, and, as in any other job, the experience you bring to the table. In light of this, the annual salary of critical care nurses ranges from $69,248 to $172,500 per year.
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2. Emergency Room Nurse
Emergency room nurses usually work in the emergency department and treat patients with injuries and severe illnesses. These nurses are trained to respond immediately and treat the patients in need while monitoring their condition.
Emergency room nurses can also work in other environments outside hospitals, wherever their help is needed, such as on airplane flights, in any work environment, on ships, among others.
Emergency room nurse job outlook
The demand for emergency room nurses is also increasing and is always present because the medical staff in all hospitals need to be trained nurses for traumatic events, accidents with severe injuries, and patients with serious illnesses.
According to BLS, the number of employees as emergency room nurses is expected to increase by 9% by 2030. BLS predicts that over 276,600 new ER nurse job positions will open during this ten-year period.
Emergency room nurse salary
A career in this field is both challenging and rewarding. In general, emergency room nurses are paid better than the general average for all professions. The annual salary for an emergency room nurse can depend significantly on the city/state they work in. For example, a nurse in New York can earn between $80,000 and $101,000 per year, while in Atlanta, a nurse earns between $69,000 and $87,400 per year. In California, the figures can go up from $99,100 to $125,000 per year. This amount may also vary according to the medical institution you are employed in, because public and private institutions have different payment rules.
3. Home Health Nurse
Unlike other types of nurses, home health nurses treat patients in the comfort of their own homes. They visit them daily at a scheduled time to provide the medication and treatments that their patients must receive.
Home health nurses monitor the condition of patients and report to the main doctors. Their work offers the opportunity to build closer relationships with patients and their families and a higher level of trust in them.
Home health nurse job outlook
Given that the elderly and the sick are in constant need of medical assistance in their homes, the demand for home health nurses increases.
Employment is projected to grow 33% much faster than average from 2020 to 2030, according to BLS. This translates to over 112,990 new job openings every year.
Home health nurse salary
In terms of financial benefits, home health nurses can be paid monthly, weekly, or after each visit; this is an issue regulated by the government or insurance companies.
Overall, their average annual salary is $79,111. Their salary will significantly depend on their education, qualifications, performance, and of course, nursing experience.
4. Nurse-Midwife
Nurse-midwives are professional nurses trained to provide advice, medical help and refer patients to a specialist. They are trained in assisting women during their pregnancy and childbirth.
Nurse-midwives work closely with doctors to help mothers give birth. In addition to assisting in childbirth, they provide other gynecological services, such as fertility counseling and treatment, annual gynecological visits, and similar.
As a nurse-midwife, you can work in public, private clinics, and birth centers.
Nurse-midwife job outlook
The employment of nurse-midwives is also projected to increase because the demands for their assistance are growing. According to BLS, the overall employment of nurse-midwives is projected to grow 45% from 2020 to 2030, which is a speedy growth.
Nurse-midwife salary
Working as a nurse-midwife is generally considered a profitable job in nursing as it is a nursing specialty. Nurse-midwives earn an average of around $104,414 and $128,674 yearly. However, location will have an impact on your salary. Should you be willing to move around, consider California, followed by Utah and Mississippi, as these are reported to be the highest paying states in the country.
5. Occupational Health Nurse
This is a more specific type of nursing and is concerned with occupational health protection. Occupational nurses' duties include:
assisting workers with health protection measures in the workplace;
providing first aid in cases of injury;
determining the initial diagnosis for the possible health condition;
developing various programs regarding healthy eating, quitting smoking, safety, etc.
Occupational health nurse job outlook
Occupational health nurse jobs are projected to increase in the coming years, as this type of nursing represents an interesting and necessary nursing practice toward which many people are gravitating.
Employment in this area of nursing is projected to increase by 7% by 2029 to be more concrete. Moreover, it can be considered as one of the fastest-growing professions. Such an increase in this type of nursing is justified, since many companies are prioritizing the health of their workers and are taking measures to protect them.
Occupational health nurse salary
An occupational health nurse receives an average of $71,883 yearly.
While an occupational health nurse with 1 to 4 years of experience can earn an average yearly salary of $67,617, one with 20+ years of experience can earn $76,904. In addition, for a better salary, you may want to consider which city to work in. Boston, Houston, and Dallas are reported to be the top 3 best-paying cities.
6. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse
Psychiatric mental health nurses are a specialized group of nurses who treat people with mental health problems. This group of nurses is trained to work with children, adults, families, and individuals who have experienced traumatic events and suffer from mental health difficulties.
Most psychiatric mental health nurses work as a team in collaboration with other nurses from this field. In this type of nursing, it is important that nurses have high empathy for patients, in addition to knowledge and skills.
Psychiatric mental health nurse job outlook
As shown by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, more than 6,600 mental health practitioners are needed to carry out this job. This hints that the demand for psychiatric mental health nurses will grow with the increase of the population and of the need for mental health treatment.
Psychiatric mental health nurse salary
As with all jobs and careers, the salary you can earn as a psychiatric mental health nurse depends on many factors. One of them is whether you work as a specialist, in which case patients visit you in the office for health services, or whether you work in a mental health institution.
The average annual salary is $111,712. However, the state/city you work in plays an important role. For example, a psychiatric mental health nurse in New York earns between $88,000 and $101,455 a year, between $56.800 and $72,000 in Philadelphia, and between $63,008 and $127,038 in Las Vegas.
7. Nurse Manager
Like managers in large enterprises, a nurse manager has the task of organizing the work of the nursing staff within a clinic to ensure the smooth running of the work and a healthy work environment.
The tasks of a nurse manager include:
managing the financial and human resources within a clinic;
providing a safe environment not only for patients but also for visitors;
organizing and managing meetings;
setting schedules, etc.
Since this job position is a bit more challenging and carries more responsibilities, a nurse manager should have good organizational, problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills, to name a few.
Nurse manager job outlook
The demand for nurse managers is increasing and is projected to grow by 32% from 2020 to 2030, which is higher than the average for other occupations. The demand for nurse managers who help in the effectiveness of work in clinics and health institutions is even more evident in modern times.
Nurse managers are needed, especially in large hospitals and clinics, with a higher number of nurses.
Nurse manager salary
The average salary for nurse managers is $84,658. However, experience is an essential factor. For instance, an entry-level nurse manager earns $77,906 per year on average, whereas an experienced nurse manager earns up to $87,475 per year.
It is important to know that nursing managers in larger hospitals with larger numbers of medical staff and patients and those working in intensive care are paid slightly more.
8. Nurse Educator
As you can guess from the name, nurse educators are nurses and teachers at the same time. In most cases, they serve as educators in nursing schools to pass on their knowledge, skills, and experiences to young students who aim to become effective nurses in the future.
A nurse educator, like other teachers, has the task of completing learning units, preparing lesson plans, exams, and, finally, carrying out student assessments. They teach students general nursing subjects, or they focus on specific areas where students want to specialize.
Nurse educator job outlook
Nurse educators are in high demand by schools and colleges that offer nursing in their curriculum. As more young people turn to nurse schools and older nurses are increasingly retiring, the employment of nurse educators is expected to rise significantly in the next few years.
Furthermore, reports from the American Association of Nursing Colleges show that nursing schools lack nursing educators, and those already working do not meet the needs of nursing schools.
Nurse educator salary
Nurse educators receive annual salaries of up to $78,075 on average.
The annual salary of a nurse educator depends on their experience as a clinical nurse and as a teacher. As educators, they are paid during the academic year and receive compensation during the summer months.
The annual salary of an educator nurse also depends on the geographical region where they work. Nurse educators in New York earn significantly more than those working in other cities/states. In addition, those nurse educators that possess significantly more experience earn $108,419 annually, compared to the less experienced ones that earn up to $95,823.
9. Nursing Informatics Specialist
Nursing informatics specialists deal with technical and technological issues, combining their nursing knowledge with computer skills to analyze various data.
Technology is progressing every day and even more across all industries, including healthcare. Therefore, the work of a nursing informatics specialist is highly needed and useful, enabling the combination of two areas of knowledge to improve the work in hospitals and monitor the condition of patients.
Nursing informatics specialist job outlook
BLS has emphasized that the employment of nursing informatics specialists is projected to increase significantly in the coming years, which is more than evident as we witness the ever-increasing advance of technology.
This field is expected to grow by 9% from 2020 to 2030, which is considered a rapid growth.
Nursing informatics specialist salary
On average, a nursing informatics specialist can earn up to about $83,666 annually.
The annual wage of nursing informatics specialists depends significantly on the geographical region; for example, the yearly wage for nursing informatics specialists in California is $63,910, $59,240 in Florida, $51,360 in Georgia, $61,590 in Texas, and so on. Needless to say that the experience and job performance play a major role in how much you can earn as a nurse informatics specialist.
10. Nurse Recruiter
A nurse recruiter is a specialized person in charge of recruiting nurses for the medical staff of a health institution, selecting the suitable candidates for the job. Similar to human resource managers in different companies, a nurse recruiter has the task of researching the nurses' market, interviewing them, and selecting the appropriate candidates for a particular position.
Overall, nurse recruiters help hospitals and health institutions avoid spending too much time finding new nurses for their staff, making the job run more smoothly.
Nurse recruiter job outlook
Like human resources managers, nurse recruiters’ jobs are expected to increase significantly in the coming years, as health insurance companies and institutions do not want to waste time in the recruitment process and want to select professional candidates for specific job positions.
BLS does not give any precise data regarding the job outlook for nurse recruiters. However, according to their data, employment for both human resources specialists and nurses will experience growth till 2030, 10% for HR and 9% for nurses.
Nurse recruiter salary
The annual salary for this position is $83,863, location being an important factor to this figure. For example, the highest annual salary for nurse recruiters is in New York, where it goes up to $100,887.
It is important to note that in addition to the financial aspect, working as a recruiter contains other benefits and advantages offered by the employer, such as dental insurance, work from home, paid leave, etc.
11. Nurse Researcher
Nurse researchers are trained professionals who deal with the study of various diseases and other health aspects, producing useful information and content for doctors and patients alike.
They engage in scientific research, compiling research questions, extracting data, and analyzing facts. They often write scientific articles and reports related to their studies that are quite useful for the academic community. Researchers can conduct their research individually or in collaboration with other scientists/researchers.
Nurse researcher job outlook
Nurse researchers’ jobs are expected to increase because research is being used every day and more in all fields of knowledge. The results are always accurate; hence the demands are high.
A 6% growth rate is projected between 2019 and 2029. This is partly due to their increased collaboration with scholars and experts from other fields, such as pharmacists, engineers, and nutritionists. Their work improves many aspects of health, making this type of nursing high in demand.
Nurse researcher salary
The work of a researcher nurse is financially and academically profitable. The annual salary of a researcher depends on factors such as education and qualifications, the institutions the researcher works in, whether they work individually or in a group, the funds they can benefit from, bonuses, and the geographical location. In general, a nurse researcher can earn anywhere over $95,000 per year.
12. Certified Life Care Planner
A certified life planner is not the typical type of nurse. While other nurses take care of the current condition of patients or their condition during a short period, a certified life planner takes care of patients for the rest of their lives. That is because some patients require lifelong care due to their health conditions.
Certified life planners monitor and control the condition of patients, making predictions about their health and analyzing their progress. In addition to professional knowledge and skills, a certified life planner must also have good communication skills, empathy, and interpersonal skills in order to communicate effectively with patients and their families.
Certified life care planner job outlook
Employment for life care planners is expected to grow significantly in the near future as they are in demand. Currently, the number of those employed is not that high.
Additionally, this is a new and exciting profession; that is why many students consider pursuing this career. And the good news for them is that the demand for certified life care planners is expected to grow by 17% from 2020 to 2030.
Certified life care planner salary
Working as a certified life care planner is quite rewarding. If you have the willingness and empathy to make life easier for others, as a certified life care planner, you will be able to earn from $46,600 up to $59,000 per year.
The job has additional advantages, such as flexible working hours and the possibility of working from home.
13. Health Coach Consultant
Health coaches help their clients take care of their health by providing valuable medical advice, support, and motivation. They use different programs and methods to motivate and engage their clients in creating a lifestyle that ensures well-being and a healthier life.
The disciplines they include in their programs are psychology, nutrition, and fitness, in addition to nursing. They don’t necessarily work with individuals only; health coaches can also work with groups of people.
Health coach consultant job outlook
Employment for health coach consultants is projected to be good in the near future. With the increase in quality of life, certain individuals and groups want to receive professional advice to improve their health and life. Consequently, the demand for health coach consultants rises and is projected to grow by 17% from 2020 to 2030. Employment in health coaching is expected to increase, particularly as it is considered a $7 billion service market.
Health coach consultant salary
The average salary for a health coach is $37,796 per year, according to Indeed. This job holds additional benefits such as health insurance, the possibility of working from home, a flexible schedule, and similar. The salaries vary according to the experience of the coach. For instance, someone with less than a year of experience will earn $32,529 on average, $41,912 for those with 3-5 years of experience, and $51,686 for those with more than ten years of experience.
14. Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Pharmaceutical sales representatives are salespeople representing certain pharmaceutical companies. Their job is to talk to the doctors and medical staff about the drugs of the company they represent.
Part of their responsibility is to inform the doctors about the impact, side effects, and benefits of different drugs on the patients' health. In this way, they increase the sales of the respective companies. They can also present pharmaceutical products in other institutions at conferences, seminars, and workshops.
Pharmaceutical sales representative job outlook
The pharmaceutical sales representative job is expected to mark above-average growth in the coming years due to the modernization of various industries and the advancement of pharmaceutical products.
The increase in employment in this field can also be explained by the fact that pharmaceutical sales representatives are recruited not only by pharmaceutical companies but also by wholesalers, research institutes, etc. Therefore, the scope of their work is quite broad.
In terms of employment growth, it is projected that by 2022 around 400,000 jobs for pharmaceutical sales representatives will be created.
Pharmaceutical sales representative salary
The profits of a sales representative depend mainly on the pharmaceutical company they represent. The annual salary is around $87,166. However, someone with little experience, at the beginning of their career, will earn up to $68,956 per year, while an experienced representative can earn about $98,543 on an annual basis.
15. Legal Nurse Consultant
Legal nurse consultants are professionals trained to provide valuable information and advice to attorneys on legal issues related to health care, such as malpractice, medical fraud, etc.
Although their job is very different from the job of other nurses, legal nurse consultants do helpful work in improving healthcare for patients and making it run smoothly. By being equipped with knowledge in the field of nursing and the legal system, legal nurse consultants are considered great contributors to society.
Legal nurse consultant job outlook
Employment for legal nurse consultants is high and is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. This is explained by the fact that their work brings benefits in many legal issues related to medicine. In addition, they can be hired in a wide range of offices, such as government agencies, insurance companies, law offices, etc.
Legal nurse consultant salary
The annual salary of legal nurse consultants is $78,805 on average, but it will depend on location, among other factors. A legal nurse in Chicago earns a $75,000 annual salary, while a legal nurse in New York can earn up to $90,000 per year, $92,500 per year in St. Louis, or $85,000 in Houston.
Conclusion
In recent years and decades, the advancement of medicine has opened the way for nurses to practice their profession in more modern and sophisticated methods. Now more than ever, it is possible to practice nursing in the way that suits you best. Ideally, you would have the right qualifications for a particular field within nursing, a sense of empathy, and a willingness to face challenges while helping others.