If you’re not satisfied with your current situation, tired of clinical nursing or wondering what’s next for you. There are other opportunities awaiting nurses, apart from hospital nursing.

If you’re one of these nurses, you need to establish your goals, set priorities, and then go for what you think is best.

There are other opportunities awaiting you, should you decide to work away from hospitals. Although other professionals may take up these positions, your being a nurse gives you a definite edge.
These career opportunities are great for nurses who have not found satisfaction in hospital employment, or are tired with clinical nursing, and would love to practice their profession in a different setting.

Clinical Research Associate (CRA)

This position is usually offered by pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CRO’s). In Singapore, this position is starting to be popular, as clinical research is a growing industry in the country at present. In the United States and Europe, where clinical research is widespread and drug companies and CRO’s abound, there are great opportunities for this position.

A CRA job involves a certain amount of travel as it requires you to coordinate, facilitate and monitor the progress of a clinical trial which is conducted in a certain medical facility. Although it can be very exhausting, this job can also pay much higher and comes with several other perks aside from travel opportunities.

Coding Specialist

This does not refer to the billing or coding clerk tasked to code medical records for billing or insurance purposes. This position is also partial to nurses as it involves coding of adverse events observed, and concomitant/prior medications used within a clinical trial.

To be hired as a coding specialist, you may or may not have a background in it, if you’re a nurse. But a training certificate would naturally enhance your chances. Demand is high in countries with lots of CRO’s and drug companies conducting clinical trials.

Clinical Project Manager (CPM)

An experienced CRA can qualify for this managerial position, although even if you haven’t worked in clinical research before but have a supervisory stint, you could also be considered. This is usually not occupied by nurses, but more and more nurses have recently found their way to this position, particularly those who have been with CRO’s and pharmaceutical companies for some time.

Clinical Research Assistant

As the name suggests, this position involves rendering support to the clinical research team. Tasks may revolve around administrative, technical and clinical functions of the research team. This position is usually the initial step to take should you wish to become a CPM.

Medical Representative

Most commonly known as med rep, this position involves a great deal of selling and marketing of medical products and supplies. Thus, to qualify, you need to have an outgoing personality, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a strong drive to succeed and be on top, as competition is quite stiff.

Although marketing graduates are also hired, many drug companies prefer to hire and train nurses as they are more familiar with the ins and outs of the health field such as various medical conditions and drug mechanisms. Also, nurses are more familiar with the hospital setting and are more used to dealing with doctors.

Lecturer

This position is highly in demand. You could teach nursing subjects or be a clinical instructor who trains student nurses in the clinical setting. However, competition is quite rigid and nursing schools generally require their instructors to have a master’s degree or a field of specialization. But you can always try to convince them that you can pursue a master’s degree while teaching at the same time.

Freelance Writer

Who says nurses can’t do freelance work while having full-time jobs? As a nurse, you have a specialized knowledge and understanding of the various facets of the health niche such as wellness and physical fitness, disease mechanisms, pharmacology, medical procedures, and the like. Therefore, bank on that knowledge and be a health article writer.

The internet provides a wide array of freelance writing opportunities that you could explore; and health-related articles are always in demand. By becoming a freelance writer, you don’t only augment your income, but also enhance your knowledge, as you get to do a lot of research.

These are just a few alternative career paths for nurses to take, should they find themselves wanting a change, or simply tired of hospital or clinical nursing.

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