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Nurses face gruelling hours and high levels of stress - which is why they may look for new challenges as they become older. Have you considered changing career paths to accommodate an aching back? Or are you seeking to share your knowledge with other nurses?
Non-hospital settings allow nurses to work more traditional hours and pursue opportunities in different workplaces. Following the burnout experienced from the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses, especially ageing nurses are searching for lower stress job opportunities other than bedside nursing.
Running around for 12-hours in a high-stress environment can become pretty challenging the older you get. But thankfully a nursing degree is very flexible and there are other job options out there.
There are less-stressful nursing positions to explore outside the hospital setting which do not require as intense, medically urgent responsibilities. Though each nursing path has its own challenges, working as a school nurse, researcher, or educator allows individuals to apply their healthcare knowledge in non-bedside environments - limiting the stress that can come with bedside nursing.
Becoming a school nurse could be a practical alternative to the hospital environment for nurses who are ready to wind down in their careers. Being a school nurse requires great expertise and experience to ensure that they make the correct decisions when it come to sick children. School nursing also offers new fulfilment as the nurses are surrounded by young enthusiastic children. This role allows nurses to make a difference in the lives of children while also maintaining an appealing work schedule.
Clinic nurses operate during normal office times meaning 9 to 5. This could relieve a lot of the stress that nurses my face in the hospital as hours are shorter and patients only come for a quick medical appointment.
Nurse health coaches work one-on-one to help clients achieve wellness goals, maintain healthy lifestyles, and prevent future health conditions. These nurse work in healthcare facilities, insurance companies, and social service agencies which offer a more suitable and less stressful schedule. They develop diet plans, establish safe exercise routines, and monitor and motivate their clients.
At the end of a nurse’s career, they could go into nurse education as over the years they have gained expertise and knowledge that can be passed down. Nurse educators are responsible for the next generation of competent nurses and play a key roll in passing knowledge down.
Telephone Triage Nurse
Due to their experience and knowledge gained over the years, older nurses make ideal candidates for a telephone triage nurse. If this is a path you wish to consider, you'll be able to assess patients over the phone and provide recommendations as needed. This keeps you off your feet – avoiding back/body ache, and removes the daily stressors normally encountered on hospital settings.
Among the many alternative jobs for nurses outside of patient care, academic nurse writing can be an enjoyable and rewarding career opportunity. Nurse writers are able to create content in a variety of fields, allowing them to write on their specialty or area of interest. This can be used for websites, training manuals, scholarly articles and textbooks to help educate future nurses.
These are nurses who are hired by companies to be on site in case of an injury or potential health concerns. The job operates from 9 to 5 and eliminates the stress of being in a hospital with sick patients. Occupational nurses help management develop safety policies and provide workshops for employees on healthcare issues and prevention.
Are you an older nurse who is ready to move into a more accommodating position? Remember, you're never too old to be a nurse. It's all about finding the right nursing specialty or job you feel you're able to do.
Sources:
https://nursejournal.org/articles/non-hospital-jobs-for-nurses/
https://nursemoneytalk.com/blog/best-jobs-for-older-nurses
https://www.freshrn.com/best-jobs-for-older-nurses/
