10 Non-Bedside Nursing Jobs

When many people think about nursing jobs, they envision a nurse in a hospital. You can’t blame them for thinking that. There’s a good chance that every night there’s at least one television show that features a hospital and busy nurses. But bedside nursing jobs aren’t the only option for nurses.

There are a lot of different jobs you can have if you enter the field of nursing that have nothing to do with working in a hospital or visiting patients’ bedsides.

Your education as a nurse qualifies you for many different positions that might not be top-of-mind. If you’re currently a nurse or still considering nursing as a field, these non-bedside nursing jobs might appeal to you.

10 Non-Bedside Nursing Jobs

Cruise Ship or Resort Nurse

Average Yearly Salary: N/A

Now, this is the life — You get to be a nurse and do what you want to do and what you were trained to do but do it while on vacation – sort of. Working for a cruise ship or a resort is definitely not the same as working in a hospital, and you’ll rarely have bedside visits.

It’s all about keeping the guests happy and comfortable and, ever so often, dealing with an occasional injury or some illness that crops up.

Nurses who work on cruise ships or resorts rarely have to deal with ongoing illness, and their patient care is typically short in duration. That means that their skills need to focus on immediate issues and not long-term care.

If the patient is in a dire situation, they may be transported to a hospital where they will receive the specialized care they need. If they have ongoing issues, it’s likely that the nurse will only have to help them overcome roadblocks along the way. Most of your cases will be quick and not very serious, meaning you can get back to enjoying the scenery.
Nurse Case Manager

Average Yearly Salary: $73,000

Hospitals and insurance companies are realizing that the process of treating a patient in a hospital and then sending them home isn’t the most efficient or the most beneficial way to care for people. Readmission rates account for a huge percentage of the time, resources, and money, and sometimes the readmission itself could be avoided.

Healthcare facilities that hire nurse case managers are looking at these trained individuals to take the patient beyond their immediate care needs and put them on the road to long-term health. For someone with an injury, that might mean training them in how to manage and care for their wound and how to avoid that injury in the first place.

Patients with chronic illnesses can meet with a nurse case manager to learn what to expect from their illness and how to manage those symptoms. Then they won’t run to the hospital or the doctor when a symptom flares up again.

Case managers can find many different places to work and different specialties. They can be in hospitals or healthcare facilities like we detailed above, but they can also find work in addiction clinics, pediatrics, social services, child welfare, working with the aging, long-term care facilities, immigration, occupational services, weight loss clinics, and more.

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Nurse Educator

Average Yearly Salary: $62,000

If your love of nursing is more about your love of learning, then a nursing educator might be the position for you. Nursing educators train future nurses on how to do their job; everything a nurse does can be taught to them by a nursing educator.

Of course, you’re going to have to go beyond just learning about nursing when you’re in school. Most nursing educators have a Master of Science in Nursing Degree, and some have a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree. It’s not uncommon for an individual who has decided that this is the path for them to pick up teaching classes and certificates along the way also.

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Risk and Insurance Manager

Average Yearly Salary: $74,000

Healthcare risk managers typically work in a hospital or health care facility, but they’re not in charge of patients. Instead, these nursing professionals are there to ensure staff safety. They evaluate procedures, investigate patient complaints, look out for clinical malpractice issues, and stay on top of federal and state regulations.

The risk managers will be in charge of a lot in a hospital, and it may seem like they’re cracking down on the other nurses, but they’re actually looking out for their best interests. They’re also looking out for the interests of the patients.

If there is a problem in a hospital that could harm patients, they’ll be one of the first people to hear about it or spot it. They might come up with the solution or look to outside experts for the remedy, but they’ll ensure that something is done to put the patients and the hospital staff in the best position for success.

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School Nurse

Average Yearly Salary: $50,000

If you love little ones, then being a school nurse might be a great way to take your nursing skills out of a healthcare facility and into an educational facility. But, of course, it’s not just grade schools that have school nurses. Most high schools and even universities have some sort of medical staff available to manage immediate healthcare problems.

In some schools, you’ll find that the nursing staff does some double duty and may help out in the office, or they may be asked to teach a few lessons throughout the year on topics like healthcare, cleanliness, nutrition, etc. Pairing your nursing skills with a few teaching credentials can make you a very valuable and sought-after employee, especially for underfunded schools.

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Legal Nurse Consultant

Average Yearly Salary: $75,000

Often, law firms that specialize in medical malpractice and tort cases find it useful to have expert nurses on hand for reviews and even testimony. But it’s not just law firms that want a nurse’s expertise.

You might find employment with insurance companies, forensic departments, pharmaceutical companies, medical records companies, government agencies, and law enforcement.

There is a training available if this is the field that interests you. You can become certified in legal nurse consulting, but that’s not necessary to get into the field. This can be a very interesting profession that requires ongoing education and training but never requires you to do bedside care for patients.

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Informatics Nurse

Average Yearly Salary: $65,000

Nursing informatics is a specialty that doesn’t focus on healthcare given to patients; it’s primarily concerned with the financial and logistical aspects of nursing in a facility.

Rather than treating patients, nursing informatics professionals take an overall look at the facility or the procedures of running the facility and determine if it’s being done effectively, if the costs are in-line with what they should be, and if there is appropriate staffing.

The goal is usually to streamline the process and save money for the hospital or medical facility, but there can be other benefits from a nursing informatics review. Insurance claims processes can be improved, time to see patients can be advanced, the care that’s given to patients can be evaluated, and even the training that’s provided to the nursing staff may be reviewed.

If you love organizing and structure, then going into nursing informatics might be a great step for you. You get to do what you’re good at, and others have to follow your advice.

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Forensic Nurse

Average Yearly Salary: $69,000

If you’ve always wanted to be a sleuth and solve crimes, then the idea of being a forensic nurse might be particularly appealing. You won’t be out in the field tracking down the bad guys, but you’ll have a very important role to play. Forensic nurses help the victims of crime recover and guide them through the initial steps of gathering evidence.

This job requires a very understanding and caring individual who is interested in psychology, crisis intervention, evidence gathering techniques, and showing compassion to people who are experiencing the very worst moment of their lives.

Forensic nurses can work in emergency rooms in hospitals, but they may also be assigned to work with law enforcement, in correctional facilities, the medical examiner’s office, on the road at natural disasters, in psychiatric institutions, in colleges, and other locations.

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Health Coach

Average Yearly Salary: $39,000

Whether you have diabetes, you’re overweight, you have other health concerns, or you simply want to learn to be healthier, a nurse health coach might be who you turn to. This can be a very rewarding career for a nurse who’d rather see people become healthy than manage illness and injury all the time.

There’s specific accreditation that a nurse who’s interested in this field needs to get, but it can open the door to a lot of options. While managing patients and becoming a mentor of sorts to them is one option, there are others.

Nurse health coaches can also find work in insurance companies, gyms, or large corporations who are looking to help injured people ease back into a life that’s even healthier than it was before.

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Corporate Nursing

Average Yearly Salary: N/A

As companies grow ever bigger with huge campuses that are larger than small towns, they often like to have a nurse or some sort of a medical professional on staff. It depends on the company, but you may have many different hats to wear if you become a corporate nurse.

Some companies are large enough that the corporate nurse is truly only doing clinical functions. This might include doing some routine health and fitness exams, assisting people who are not feeling well, and dispensing basic medical supplies. But other companies might have their nurse more involved with the staff.

Some corporate nurses give patient education classes to employees to teach them about fitness, nutrition and sometimes to help them with their insurance questions. Other nurses are charged with reviewing the corporate facilities on an ongoing basis to make sure there are no safety or health concerns.

Non-Bedside Nursing Jobs FAQs

Why are so many nurses leaving the bedside?

Many nurses are leaving the bedside due to the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout, and understaffed workplaces. Believe it or not, there are expected to be at least 500,000 seasoned nurses leaving by the end of 2022, creating a shortage of 1.1 million nurses.
- Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on nurses all over the country. To stay safe, nurses have had to wear protective equipment like N95 masks for several hours and work with far more patients. Discomfort, stress, and the potential of getting sick have caused many problems in the nursing field.
- Understaffing: A huge problem exacerbated by the pandemic, as more nurses leave the field, more nurses find their workloads increase. In this way, understaffing creates a vicious cycle that causes more bedside nurses to leave.
- Burnout: Overall, the pandemic and understaffing have led to huge levels of burnout amongst nurses. Nurses are simply overworked and put in hazardous situations, causing them to lose passion. Today, as many as 33% leave the bedside due to burnout.
What is non-bedside nursing?

Non-bedside nursing jobs provide nurses with the opportunity to put their specialized skills to use without needing to do direct bedside patient care. These jobs are typically less stressful than bedside jobs because the number of patients is lower, and the potential for understaffing is reduced.

For instance, if a nurse has experience treating children, they may become a school nurse rather than a bedside nurse. That way, nurses can use their medical and interpersonal skills while avoiding the heavy burdens of bedside care.

Overall, non-bedside nursing jobs allow nurses more freedom in their schedule, education, and interests.
What else is there besides bedside nursing?

There are many jobs out there besides bedside nursing. This list names the top 10, but there are well over 25 career options you can choose from. Here is a comprehensive list of options:
- Cruise Ship or Resort Nurse
- Nurse Case Manager
- Nurse Educator
- Risk and Insurance Manager
- School Nurse
- Legal Nurse Consultant
- Informatics Nurse
- Forensic Nurse
- Health Coach
- Corporate Nursing
- Flight Nurse
- Health Writer
- Mental Health Nurse
- Nutritionist
- Occupational Nurse
- Research Nurse
- Holistic Nurse
- Medical Chart Reviewer
- Nurse Ethicist
- Procurement Nurse
- Telemetry Nurse
Do I have to start as a bedside nurse?

Yes, you may have to start as a bedside nurse. Though many bedside nurses end up switching careers due to burnout, mistreatment, or other issues, the job does provide crucial experience. Not only is bedside work readily available (due to understaffing and high demand), but it also pays well.

Overall, we recommend gaining your acute care experience through two years of bedside work right after you graduate. After all, it’s vital for nurses to land a job immediately after graduating so that it’s easier to be hired.

After a few years, you can open up many doors for your future and have the luxury of changing careers.

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.

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