Five Great Career Paths Once You’ve Earned Your Nursing Degree

After you’ve earned your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, you’ll be ready to begin your nursing career. In addition to the traditional nursing role of individual patient care at a hospital or clinic, the field of nursing offers a variety of rewarding career paths. Whether you’re interested in working for a school or working in management, education, mental health or information technology, these exciting nursing career options can lead to a fulfilling future.

1. School Nurse

School nurses play a crucial role in supporting the overall health and well-being of students in their schools. Their responsibilities include offering preventative screenings, administering first aid and medications, and providing ongoing care to students with chronic health conditions or disabilities. As the first line of emergency care, school nurses promptly attend to injuries, allergic reactions and other urgent medical needs. If you enjoy working with children, promoting health education and contributing to the well-being of a specific community, becoming a school nurse could be the right career path for you.

2. Nurse Manager

Nurse managers oversee other nurses and ensure that patients receive efficient, high-quality care. The duties of a nurse manager include staff management, resource allocation and patient care coordination. Nurse managers also implement policies, resolve conflicts and foster a positive work environment. They communicate with healthcare administrators and other healthcare team members, provide mentorship and support to their nursing teams, and manage administrative tasks. Consider choosing a nurse manager career path if you’re a strong leader who enjoys motivating others and contributing to the success of a healthcare organization.

3. Nurse Educator

Nurse educators teach the next generation of nurses. An educator may work in a classroom, at a teaching hospital, at a nursing school or in a clinical setting. Nurse educators working for a healthcare organization provide staff training to nurses. At a nursing school or a college nursing program, educators develop, teach and evaluate nursing curricula. If you enjoy sharing your knowledge, teaching, and communicating, then a nurse educator career might be right for you.

4. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse

Psychiatric-mental health nurses manage every aspect of their patients’ mental health needs. They can care for youth, adolescent, adult and geriatric patients as they address mental health across the lifespan. They may work with individuals, families, groups or entire communities. Psychiatric-mental health nurses conduct inpatient and outpatient assessments, treat mental health disorders and provide substance use disorder treatment. If you are a compassionate nurse with excellent relationship-building skills who wants to help patients thrive mentally and emotionally, you’ll likely find a career in psychiatric-mental health nursing fulfilling.

5. Nursing Informaticist

Nursing informaticists specialize in healthcare technology. Informatics nurses leverage health data and clinical expertise to assess and improve patient outcomes. Their responsibilities may include training nurses to use medical technology, researching and implementing hardware and software, and generating data-based reports. Nurses who specialize in informatics can work in diverse settings, such as hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, research organizations, healthcare consulting firms and government agencies. Consider a career in nursing informatics if you enjoy integrating information technology and patient care.

With a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, you can start on a fulfilling nursing career path. Chamberlain University is an accredited institution that offers online, on-campus and hybrid three-year BSN programs that can empower you to earn your nursing degree in as few as three years. Chamberlain has more than 135 years of nursing education experience and today has the largest pre-licensure BSN program in the nation.

As you continue on your career path, you may discover that earning a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree can open up even more opportunities for you. Chamberlain’s master’s degree in nursing program offers nine specializations so that you can get specific education in the area that most interests you. You can specialize in adult-gerontology nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, healthcare policy, nurse educator, nurse executive, nursing informatics, population health or psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) when earning your MSN at Chamberlain. If you’re ready for an exciting, fulfilling career as a nurse, choose Chamberlain.

Chamberlain University, an accredited institution, offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in nursing and healthcare professions. With a growing network of campuses and robust online programs, Chamberlain continues to build on more than 135 years of excellence in preparing extraordinary healthcare professionals.

Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, (https://www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE).

By Chamberlain University