The Numerous Faces of a Nurse: Possible Career Paths in the Field of Nursing
Nurses wear many hats in the average work day. Completing daily rounds, filing paper work, providing outpatient care, assisting in complicated medical procedures -- these are just a few of the daily tasks a nurse may perform. However, the nursing field can offer a greater amount of opportunity than people may credit it with. In fact, the number of career types within nursing is quite diversified and, more importantly, increases with each day. The areas in the field of nursing expected to experience the most growth during the upcoming years include travel nursing, military nursing, forensic nursing, legal nursing and surgical nursing.
For students with a desire to travel, the field of travel nursing allows nurses to pick a location where they would like to work and focus on a short-term medical commitment (generally 8-26 weeks). Nurses in this vocation usually receive considerable compensation for their work, as well as benefits such as free housing and bonuses upon fulfilling the terms of one's contract. Due to an increasing number of insufficiently staffed hospitals and clinics across the country, the opportunities in this field are constantly on the rise.
Graduates with a degree in military nursing will concentrate on addressing the medical needs of the American military. With the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as elsewhere, the military is experiencing a continual need for trained nurses ready to treat battlefield wounds and care for the injured. Nurses in this field would also be eligible for a wide variety of financial assistance, low-cost housing options, excellent training for future careers subsequent to military service and the possibility of traveling worldwide in support of US troops.
Students opting to earn a degree in forensic nursing will be trained in law enforcement procedures, such as counseling assault victims, administering physical examinations, accumulating evidence and even testifying against defendants during criminal proceedings. From the collection of DNA evidence to the documentation of injuries, nurses in this field can help to convict criminals by learning new techniques in forensic science and how to apply them in a medical setting.
A degree in the field of legal nursing would qualify students to assess complex medical documents and records for legal teams across the nation. Graduates in this lucrative field would also be expected to take part in criminal trials by testifying with important evidence and medical knowledge on a variety of different topics, including medical malpractice, product liability and personal injury.
If you enjoy being where the action is, a degree in surgical nursing will prepare you for a career helping surgeons with difficult medical procedures, such as organ transplants, laser-guided surgeries and quadruple heart bypasses. Aside from the actual hands-on assistance provided during surgical procedures, surgical nurses also tackle a variety of situations with their patients, as wide-ranging as preparing an operating room before surgery to monitoring a patient's recovery.