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8 careers you can have with a degree in nursing

Blog | 01.04.2021

Answer your call to care by earning a bachelor of science in nursing. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) has one of the best nursing programs in Indiana. At SMWC, it’s important for students to know what they can do with their nursing degree upon graduation. Here are eight jobs you can pursue with a degree in nursing.

1. Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse

Working in the ICU is a career that takes a lot of focus and the ability to work under pressure. The shifts are usually in 12-hour increments and many start out on nights. There can be a wide range of routines in the ICU. Aside from filling out charts, some nights will be busier than others, but many find that to be one of the most exciting things about working in the ICU.

Job tasks can include:

  • Filling out patient charts
  • Checking on patients
  • Keep levels of patients stable

2. Nurse case manager

Being a nurse case manager involves the need to be organized and have knowledge of costs and treatments. While taking care of patients, it will be a constant task for you to ensure that patients are being given the best and most effective care possible.

Job tasks can include:

  • Review results of medical tests and exams
  • Ensure clear communication to patient and family of patient
  • Make decisions on medication recommendations for patients

3. Health coach

Being a health coach requires the ability to motivate others. Evaluating and improving clients’ health will be a constant part of your routine. Having a positive attitude is key in this career, as well as communication. Being personable will only help in this field as you will have to build foundations of trust with clients.

Job tasks can include:

  • Create health care plans
  • Offer support to clients
  • Collaborate with health care providers

4. Home health care nurse

As a home health care nurse, you will have a set number of patients every day. Taking care of patients in their own homes, scheduling mealtimes (if necessary) and giving medications will be a constant part of your routine. You must be a strong communicator and be patient in this career.

Job tasks can include:

  • Setting scheduled activities when present (taking a walk, watching a movie, etc.)
  • Assist in feeding patients (if necessary)
  • Analyze and assess patient’s physical and mental health

5. Emergency room nurse

It’s a chaotic career, but that’s why many people love it. Having skills to work under pressure is important to have in this career. Taking care of a variety of patients with different types of medical needs will be a constant part of your routine. With a different routine every day, many people love the emergency room because of the unpredictability of it.

Job tasks can include:

  • Collaborate with other nurses and doctors regarding patient needs
  • Create and diagnose treatment plans in collaboration with other hospital staff
  • Constantly sanitize and organize work environment

6. Pharmaceutical nurse

As a pharmaceutical nurse, you will be in charge of preparing prescriptions. Communication skills are crucial in this career and having a high focus level. With a wide range of different prescriptions to give, it’s important that you are precise and organized in this career. Having some basic math experience will also help as you will do calculations quickly to finish prescription amounts.

Job tasks can include:

  • Counting and assembling prescriptions
  • Printing medication labels
  • Giving shots to people who come into pharmacy

7. Nurse practitioner

As a nurse practitioner, you will see a variety of patients every day of all ages. You will have the opportunity to build relationships and trust with many of these patients. With a wide variety of patient cases, you’ll be required to assess every patient differently based on their medical history.

Job tasks can include:

  • Assessing patients current and past medical needs
  • Keeping allergies of patients on record
  • Communicate with patients on medications needed along with reasoning

8. Occupational health nurse

Ensuring that all employees follow the right safety precautions and training will be a constant part of your routine. You will often handle times of revising training programs to keep with updated safety codes, as well as receiving documents of employee feedback. Having compassion to keep employees safe will be vital to this career. You must be organized and keep all employee history/cases on file.

Job tasks can include:

  • Handling individual cases (worker’s composition)
  • Annually perform evaluations on training programs
  • Report any safety needs to corporate managers to ensure safety of employees

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