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Top Five Nursing Specialties


It's no secret that the pending Baby Boom generation's retirement is going to put enormous strain on the health care industry, but the importance of having an educated nursing workforce is more critical than simply filling jobs. Studies at the University of Alberta and the University of Toronto have found correlations between baccalaureate-educated nurses and lower patient mortality rates. Published results from University of Pennsylvania's Dr. Linda Aiken and her colleagues in the September 24, 2003 Journal of the American Medical Association found that patients have a "substantial survival advantage" when treated at hospitals with higher proportions of nurses with bachelor's degrees or higher.

With government and social impetus behind nursing and education, nursing career opportunities are on the increase. Here are five nursing specialties that may offer a satisfying career and an avenue to help fill a vital social need.

Home Health Care Services Nursing Aides

Working as a home health care nursing aide in private homes, you prepare meals and offer basic bedside care. You monitor vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, and respiration, and even help family members learn basic nursing tasks. Average annual earnings are around $39,000 for this nursing position.

Where Do I Start? A licensed practical nurse (LPN) program lasts about a year, and should give you access to good job prospects. Demands for geriatric care are projected to drive up LPN job creation in the home health care services sector.

Staff Nurse

Staff nurses work in hospitals, nursing facilities, clinics, and other health care centers. You can work alongside physicians, surgeons, and other health care providers. You treat and educate patients, as well as record medical histories and patients' symptoms. You can help perform tests and analyze results, and you may administer treatments and medications. Average annual salary for a hospital staff nurse is $58,550 per year.

Where Do I Start? A registered nurse (RN) certification opens the door to staff nursing jobs and numerous other nursing tracks. Additionally, bachelor's degree, associate's degree, or diploma programs can prepare you for a successful career as a registered nurse.

School Nurse

School nursing in the U.S. dates back to 1902, although duties have greatly expanded since then. Today's school nurses provide health assessment, intervention, and follow-up with children. You help maintain school compliance with health care policies and assure the health and safety of staff and students. You could also refer students for additional medical help when hearing, vision, body mass index, and other issues become inhibitors to successful learning.

Where Do I Start? You should already have your RN, and ideally, you have a bachelor's degree. A master's degree in nursing can give you career mobility to get into policy-level decisions. Many school nurses not only have a Nurse Practitioner (NP) certification, but an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) certification.

Forensic Nurse

With your RN certification in hand, you could help solve crimes as a forensic nurse. A forensic nurse assists in investigations around sexual assault, child abuse, accidental death, and other traumatic accidents cases. Forensic nurses also testify about their findings in court. As nursing specialties go, this career path involves the least amount of patient contact.

Where Do I Start? Along with an RN certification and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a degree program or course work in criminal justice or law enforcement can give you an added edge for forensic nurse job openings. Specialized forensic nursing certifications are available online.

Legal Nurse Consultant

Registered nurses can merge their interests in health care with interests in the law as legal nurse consultants. Legal nurse consulting involves analysis of nursing practices and health care issues. Acting as a liaison with attorneys, physicians, and other clients, you can work in law firms, government offices, hospital risk management departments, and other health care or legal-related places of business.

Where Do I Start? If you haven't already gotten a bachelor's in nursing, now is a good time to do it with an accelerated RN-to-BSN program. Taking course work or double majoring in criminal justice can balance out your legal knowledge with your nursing know-how. The best of all worlds is a legal nurse consulting certificate program.

Education Looms Larger in the Future of Nursing

With growing health care demands, new nurse licensing and types of education are being created to address these concerns, and it appears that continuing education is a necessity for nursing careers. If you're interested in management and policy decisions, a Master of Science in Nursing should be your next step.

These five nursing career paths are just the tip of the iceberg in nursing specialties, and while you explore all the different nursing careers available, remember that education is the cornerstone of this occupation. With a solid nursing education, you can enjoy good career prospects and ensure that patients and clients receive the proper care and help.

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