Career scope: Midwest

♦ informatics. Nurses have a unique opportu- The road less traveled: nity to develop and use clinical information systems to better formulate care plans, perform interventions, and Nontraditional nursing develop improvement in patient care using evidence- based data.3 careers ♦ legal nursing. Legal nurse consultants review cases that involve injury and provide the attorney with By John Olmstead, RN, CNOR, MBA, FACHE hands-on insight into the medical and patient-care as- pects of the case.4 s a nursing advocate, I routinely recommend a ca- ♦ . These nurses are involved with the reer in nursing. One of the primary statements I investigation of criminal acts and the treatment of vic- Aoften make is, “Nursing is a great career because tims. For more information, visit the International Asso- of the many different career options, there are so many ciation of Forensic Nurses at http://www.iafn.org.4 things you can do in nursing.” Just recently, a high ♦ school nursing. Although this role isn’t new to nurs- school senior respectfully countered my statement with ing, it has vastly outgrown its antiquated name. The the follow-up question, “Like what?” role of the school nurse has expanded beyond sore Perhaps you’ve been asked this same question and are throats to include health promotion, education, policy wondering about the nontraditional positions that are avail- advocacy, and counseling.5 able for someone who’s interested in a career in nursing. ♦ cruise ship nursing. Even on the Love Boat, nurses Or perhaps you’re interested in veering off the traditional are needed. path yourself as you pursue your own nursing career. If the aforementioned career options aren’t enticing enough, a background in nursing can also be used to So many choices, so little time obtain positions not otherwise open to nonnursing col- The following is a list of just some of the careers open lege graduates, such as specialized pharmaceutical, to individuals who have a background in nursing: supply, and equipment sales and research positions.6 ♦ occupational and environmental health nursing. This field focuses on promotion and restoration of An ever-growing, ever-changing field health and protection from illness and environmental These careers are by far not the only ones open to in- hazards. These nurses implement occupational health dividuals with a background in nursing. The list of programs, develop and implement safety policies, and nontraditional nursing careers is ever growing and improve environmental safety protection. They may ever changing. A candidate looking for a true growth also provide worker compensation case management, industry that will continually provide challenges and employee counseling/crisis intervention, and advise opportunities would do well to strongly consider a employers in legal and regulatory compliance.1 career in nursing. NM ♦ travel health nursing. This is a growing branch of occupational health nursing that focuses on the health needs of the long-distance travelers. Due to the aging REFERENCES 1. American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. workforce, the global economy, and the sky-high costs http://www.aaohn.org. of out-of-network healthcare interventions, the need 2. Rosselot G. Travel health nursing: expanding horizons for planned healthcare accommodations during travel for occupational health nurses. AAOHN J. 2004;52(1): has been identified.2 For more information about 28-41. this lesser known but rapidly growing field, visit 3. Simpson R. Mapping an IT career: the future of nursing. Nurs Adm Q. 2001;25(2):80-85. the American Travel Health Nurses Association at 4. Bemis PA. Career options in legal nursing. http://rn. http://www.athna.org/ or the International Society modernmedicine.com/rnweb/Professional/Career-options- of Travel Medicine at http://www.istm.org. in-legal-nursing/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/523373. ♦ . Sometimes called teletriage, this blend of 5. Broussard L. School nursing: not just band-aids any more! nursing knowledge and technology has grown to fill an J Spec Pediatr Nurs. 2004;9(3):77-81. 6. Duffield C, Aitken L, O’Brien-Pallas L, Wise WJ. Nursing: a step- important gap between healthcare delivery supply and ping stone to future careers. J Nurs Adm. 2004;34(5):238-245. patient demand. The ability to field a telephoned ques- tion and direct appropriate avenues for treatment can John Olmstead is the surgical services director at The Community greatly facilitate the relief of patient suffering.3 Hospital in Munster, Ind.

52 September 2009 www.nursingmanagement.com