10 Best Nursing Jobs

When you think of nursing jobs the first things that spring to mind are going to work in a doctor’s surgery, hospital or medical clinic. But if the thought of putting your nursing degree to work for you in a more interesting and exciting environment sounds appealing, we have some great suggestions.

Here are some of the most interesting and exciting fields to go into after your have finished your nursing school program and are ready to get out into the world of patient and healthcare. You might not even have heard of these nursing career paths but they are definitely worth considering as an alternative to normal hospital care.

Oil Rig Nurse

Oil rigs are typically located many miles offshore. For men working the rigs, the job is dirty and often dangerous despite the stringent safety requirements of the industry. Working with heavy machinery in testing weather conditions can lead to all sorts of injuries from simple cuts, bruises and scrapes to broken and crushed limbs and general illnesses.

It is essential for expert medical care to be right on hand and oil rig nurses are in great demand. But the financial rewards are well worth it if you are the type of person who is happy working in an isolated environment a long way from home. Today’s oil rigs are like luxury hotels on the inside so you will enjoy all the mod cons and home comforts. You’ll be paid well and the job can take you around the world. You will even have more opportunities if you are bilingual and have extensive emergency medicine training.

Cruise Ship Nurse

Every year, millions of people take a cruise ship vacation. In fact, while cruise ships were mainly popular with elderly retirees wanting to see a bit more of the world, today people of all ages have embraced them. Families, couples and singles alike are today taking to the seas like never before. There are even rock concert cruises where you can spend 5 days listening to your favorite rock bank play while cruising to the Bahamas.

Of course, plenty of people need medical care too on these cruises too and today there is a huge demand for cruise ship nurses. You’ll treat everything from simple strains, cuts, bruises and over-indulgence from alcohol to more serious cases of food poisoning, heart problems and dehydration. The health of thousands of people will be in your hands until they can get the patient back to land. Cruise ship nursing can be surprisingly demanding. But it is always interesting and no two days are ever the same. Best of all, you get to travel to some of the most beautiful locations on earth and can spend your days off relaxing as you cruise through warm tropical waters.

Forensic Nurse

With the popularity of television shows like CSI Miami, CSI New York and Bones, there has been growing public interest in forensic science. This has also seen a rise in the popularity of forensic nursing as a career path. Forensic nursing bridges the gap between health care and law enforcement.

You’ll be trained to not only treat injuries but also recognize and collect vital pieces of evidence while performing your nursing duties. From documenting injuries to collecting valuable DNA evidence, forensic nurses really are at the forefront of criminal justice. Part of your role will be to consult and assist assault victims, conduct physical examinations and collect evidence. Often employed in large hospitals, forensic nurses combine law, health care and criminal justice into one cutting-edge, challenging career.

Nursing Informatics

This is a relatively new field of nursing and it’s big appeal is that it combines cutting-edge technology with life-saving healthcare. As such, nursing informatics is highly appealing to today’s tech-savvy youngsters who have grown up with the Internet, Facebook and Twitter. At its core, nursing informatics is about collating patient and healthcare information and then using computer technology to process the information and provide the best possible healthcare. With a degree in Nursing Informatics, you’ll find plenty of opportunities in large medical facilities and private consulting firms as you help to bring cutting-edge technology into standard health care practice.

Flight Nurse

If you’re a person who likes the excitement of never knowing what the next day will bring, then a career as aflight nurse might just be the ticket. Both hospitals and the military employ flight nurses to accompany patients while they are being transported from one facility to another. Often in a different city, state or even a new country. You will be trained to work on board helicopters and aircraft, often in very stressful situations. Sometimes supplies will be limited so you will need to call on all your nursing skills to get the patient alive until you reach a proper medical facility. Flight nurses must work well with other people as good teamwork is essential. But the rewards are good along with the excitement that everyday brings a new challenge. Often in a new city or country.

Holistic Nurse

Holistic nursing is medical care in its purest form. Your job focuses on healing the patient as a whole, not just curing a particular illness they might have at that moment. The emphasis on holistic nursing is to improve the health of their bodies, minds, emotions, relationships – even their environment. Additionally, many holistic practitioners blend traditional Western treatments with alternative medicine.

This is the perfect career choice for nurses who want to practice medicine but also want a more spiritual and closely connected experience with their patients. Holistic nursing is receiving a lot of interest from the general public who are beginning to understand that modern technology, drugs and the over-use of antibiotics can sometimes cause more problems than they cure. Patients are looking at alternative ways to get and stay healthy. Holistic nursing provides many of the answers that they want.

Parish Nurse

Parish nursing is a small but growing field of nursing. It’s an area of healthcare that appeals to any nurse who is particularly spiritual or are driven by their religious beliefs and faith. You will work within a small community of like-minded people such as a church, temple or other religious institution. There you will work closely with the different church members to look after both their physical well-being and their spiritual health as well. The two are closely interrelated and contribute to the full health of people in these groups. Parish nursing programs are very popular in the US and Canada but the word is spreading quickly to other parts of the world too. While most parish nurses belong to Christian denominations, the principles of this spiritual branch of nursing can be applied to almost any belief system.

Hyperbaric Nurse

Anyone who has undertaken a scuba dive is well aware of the danger of coming to the surface too quickly. Oxygen and nitrogen bubbles can be floating in the bloodstream and lead to a condition commonly referred to as the bends. It’s excruciatingly painful for the diver and if untreated can lead to a stroke and even death. The diver must quickly be placed into a hyperbaric or decompression chamber and monitored closely for days and even weeks. Hyperbaric nurses – also known as baromedical nurses – focuses on treating patients within a hyperbaric chamber.

Hyperbaric chambers are used to relieve the symptoms of a number of different conditions from anemia to decompression sickness from diving. This field is in high demand despite the relatively small number of medical decompression chambers around the world. Nurses in this field will get to work with cutting-edge technology and treatment and with a wide range of patients globally.

Medical Aesthetics Nurse

In today’s youth obsessed world, beauty treatments are no longer the prerogative of movie stars and models. More and more men and women are having plastic surgery, chemical peels, botox, collegen injections, laser therapy and spider vein treatments. This has lead to a huge demand for nurses in medical aesthetics to help take care of patients and also perform many of the minor procedures themselves. There are plenty of jobs available in everything from a plastic surgeon’s office to health resorts and spas. This is an exciting career choice in a growing industry. And who knows, you might even get to bump into your favorite movie star one day too.

Insurance Nurse

OK, we admit that the insurance industry is probably not the most exciting career choice in the world. But it is a growing field and there will always be work available. As an insurance nurse, you will use your nursing skills in everything from evaluating patient claims to running classes for insurance sale staff. If you have an eye for business this could be the nursing job for you. We agree that it is a little unusual but you will be well-paid and assured of plenty of ongoing work. This is a very specialized field and there are great opportunities here to go far.