Where To Find Unconventional RN Jobs
Because of the nursing shortage, the salary of the registered nurse is expected to rise. In addition to employment opportunities in the hospital, more unconventional jobs for RN"s have also become plentiful. A very popular career choice for the RN is that of the travel nurse. When the travel nurse job opportunity arose many years ago, travel nurses chose employment in warm weather states such as Florida, California and Arizona. This provided the RN with lucrative salary and benefit packages, as well as a vacation like environment in which to live and work.The travel nurse is able to reap the benefits of a lucrative salary, performing patient care and seeing the world. Many health care and medical staffing agencies specialize in the placement of travel nurses, and can offer the prospective travel nurse many options in their career endeavor.
Other unconventional RN jobs that the nurse may be interested in is that of an MDS Coordinator. MDS stands for Minimum Data Set, and is exclusive to the long term care industry. The MDS Coordinator position is an administrative one that involves the completion of resident assessments and developing care plans based on the findings of these assessments. This position involves training and computer skills, however, the nurse that has clinical experience and great assessment skills might fare well as an MDS Coordinator. Nursing homes and hospitals with extended care skilled units are where the need for the coordinators exists.
Insurance companies are always looking for the skilled registered nurse as are utilization review departments at most hospitals. Dentists sometimes employ RN"s as well. These positions are commonly offered at oral surgeon"s offices as opposed to the general family practice dentist. The registered nurse at at the oral surgeon"s office assists with monitoring the patient who is receiving anesthesia for a dental procedure and other clinical skills.
With many unconventional jobs available to the registered nurse, the RN need not be limited to the hospital or bedside nursing if they choose not to. The nursing shortage will continue to increase, thus providing many new and exciting opportunities for the RN. Most new nurses will want to get some hospital experience before venturing into a more unconventional area of nursing in order to gain valuable clinical skills. However, with some good clinical experience, the possibilities of gaining employment in other areas of nursing are endless.