If you’ve ever been interested in getting into nursing, you may see yourself working in a hospital or a doctor’s surgery. However, did you know that nurses are needed beyond traditional healthcare settings? The work of a nurse can be a varied one, making it a fantastic career channel for anyone looking for a variety of different challenges day in, day out.
Let’s take a look at some of the lesser-known nursing jobs that millions of people rely on from day to day, which may interest you, if you qualify.
Yacht nursing
If you have the stomach for the high seas and would love nothing more than to set sail, learning to become a yacht nurse may be a viable career route for you. This is an on-demand role where you’ll provide care for luxury yacht owners and their guests 365 days a year or whenever their vessels are in use.
As such, this is a live-in role, and it can take you to some really exciting places! Along similar lines, you can also explore the world and the oceans as a cruise nurse. You’ll provide on-demand care to vacationers, whereas you’d have one or two specific people to attend to if you’re a live-in yacht nurse.
Becoming a yacht nurse requires more than simple first-aid training. You’ll need to prove that you are among the best at what you do, and you’ll likely need a few years of provable experience to get started.
Health policy nursing
Health policy nursing is amazingly rewarding for people who really want to change the medical world for the better. While many nurses study to provide physical care to people who need it the most, health policy nurses aim to change policies so that they can better support medical staff and people who receive assistance.
This means that, in this role, you’ll largely work with people working in government offices and directly with people running hospitals and other healthcare facilities. This type of nursing role is much more administrative but will still require genuine passion and caring for people on a grand scale.
As such, if you prefer working behind the scenes to taking on the fast-paced hospital demands that face most nurses from day to day, working on health policies may just be the route you’re looking for.
Flight nurses
Just as cruise and yacht nursing takes specialists to the water, flight nursing roles take medical professionals into the air! Nurses working in the air will traditionally support airline staff in emergencies and may also help to mount helicopter missions alongside other emergency response personnel.
Flight nurses require specific qualifications to safely work and travel at altitude. For example, a qualified nurse may also need to take air transportation courses to fully accredit themselves to performing their duties in airlines and helicopter rescues.
Flight nurses will need to think on their feet and supply care to people in need while vehicles are in motion in the air. Therefore, steady nerves are an absolute must.
This side of nursing proves to be some of the most intense, as well as the most exciting, though anyone working up in the air must be cool in a crisis. You’ll also need to maintain a calm bedside manner and a caring attitude no matter where you are — on the ground or in the sky! If you’re happiest above ground, consider taking this route into nursing.
Navigator nurses
Back in hospital and general healthcare settings, navigator nurses specifically help patients understand the routes they’re taking through healthcare. While they may not supply care directly, these nurses communicate with patients to assure them of action that’s going to take place.
For example, a navigator nurse may help a cancer patient understand difficult choices ahead, such as those of chemotherapy and respite care. Or other navigator nurses may work alongside midwives to help pregnant women understand the choices ahead of them before they give birth.
Crucially, navigator nurses are those who thrive on creating plans, outlines and communicating them to others. This applies to talking with patients as well as other hospital staff. Therefore, this type of nursing role could appeal to you if you prefer making plans to actively working on the hospital floor.
Motor racing nurses
Yes, believe it or not, many motor racing teams and organizations have nurses working directly with their drivers and liaison departments. The reasons for this should be fairly obvious — motor racing can be extremely hazardous at any speed!
Therefore, motor racing nurses need to be on hand to support drivers before races, throughout qualifying sessions and to ensure they are working at their healthiest and fittest before heading on the racetrack. An example of an organization offering specialist nursing positions is NASCAR, where medical staff are crucial additions to teams racing in the league.
What’s more, you’ll find nursing is important to both F1 and Superbike racing teams. Wherever there is a risk of vehicular injury, there will be a need for on-demand nursing and medical assistance — and often, there will be a need for more than just simple first aid.
Will a basic nursing degree get me into any of these roles?
Getting a BSN or MSN is an ideal foundation for any nursing role in the US. So, too, is studying for a DNP online, which, through institutions, such as Baylor University, will help you ascend the medical ranks quicker than you may typically expect.
However, it’s worth remembering that some specific nursing roles may require additional training and education on your part. For example, high-intensity roles, such as those in motor racing or on board airlines, will require additional safety certifications.
Regardless, training in nursing at base level will put you in a fantastic position to start researching niche areas that you’d like to explore. If you want to go beyond the hospital and doctors’ surgery settings, you can; as you can see, there are plenty of exciting options out there than you may not have heard of before!