What Are You Afraid of?

We all have that voice in our head that can make or break decisions that change our lives for the better. I call it “my fear monger” voice. It’s the one that places doubt on everyday gut choices we nurses make to major decisions that affect a patient’s life. Trust yourself and trust your gut…you wouldn’t have gotten this far without having the sense, smarts, skills or talent.

I’ve had several readers send questions to me on subjects like…. where are these jobs, what if I don’t have all the qualifications, what if I don’t have a BSN, MSN or certifications? These questions are really telling me “I’m not good enough because the fear monger voice is winning.” Shut that thing up…it has never done anyone any good….ever.

Nurses have always had the wonderful luxury of jobs coming to them. Hospitals spend a fortune to recruit nurses from all over the globe. There are very few companies, especially in this economy, that make such an effort. Finding work that doesn’t involve pushing a med cart involves research, persistence and preparation. These jobs are not going to come to you…you have to go to them.

If you search Craigslist or Monster and type in “nurse” under any industry but healthcare…you’d be surprised to see what pops up. What if it comes up with nothing for you? Then what? Try this…next time you’re at work, open your eyes and look around. What equipment do you use, what products do you work with, put on, in, around or under your patients? Everything you touch, hear and see at work is created by a company out there that I will personally guarantee have nurses on their payroll. These companies survive in our industry by the skills of nurses to consult, advise, design, implement, introduce, sell, educate…the list goes on. We are their customers after all and who better to help you with a basic understanding of your demographic and customer needs? It’s survival of the fittest and these companies know it.

So on your next day off, skip Craigslist and Monster and Google the companies of all those products you use at work and see what you get. Oh….and kill that “fear monger” voice…life is too short.

Alternative Nursing Careers: Finding a Nontraditional, Non-clinical Career

Looking for a nontraditional, non-clinical nursing career? They’re right under your nose. All you have to do is know where to look…sound difficult? Not one bit.

Pick an industry that interests you. Is it law, writing, information technology, research..the list goes on because nurses have a multitude of versatile talents. Then read my blog articles. There you’ll find not only invaluable information about interesting careers out there for nurses, there are also resources for you to investigate should something catch your eye.

Once you hone in on what you think will be your dream career, start your journey to a better work life. Contact associations, find members, talk to them, ask to shadow them, go to a conference, investigate additional education or training requirements, polish up your resume and hit the road.

Just make sure it’s the right road. If you look in nursing magazines, healthcare sections of the Sunday classifieds and nursing job sites you will find plenty of nursing jobs. If you were looking for a career in law, would you look in the healthcare section of the Sunday paper? I think not. Find out where prospective candidates in your industry of interest go to find work and look there. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about….

Go to Craigslist.org and click on your city or the one nearest you. Click on the Jobs section and in the search window type in Nurse or RN. Now look at what pops up…tons of jobs in the healthcare section, a few weird/fake jobs and a few golden nuggets. Now in the Jobs section there are a list of industries. Click on the one that interests you and browse the listings. Then go back to the search window and type in nurse….see anything good? You can use this easy technique on any general job board like Monster, Yahoo ect.

In a few months though you won’t have to go through all that to find a nontraditional, non-clinical nursing career. Alternative Nursing Careers is starting a job board….now, has that got your interest?

Alternative Nursing Careers: Working from Home

Working from home is a realistic option for many nurses interested in non-clinical, nontraditional nursing jobs. How often have you dreamed of getting up for work without the worry of commuting or what patient load you’ll have? If you consider yourself to be disciplined, responsible, independent and computer savvy, then a telecommuting career is for you.

Working from home is a growing phenomenon many companies are realizing the benefits of. Telecommuters are rarely out sick, overall are more productive, are less likely to change jobs and have high morale. Happy employees mean happy customers..what more could a company want?

Nurses who work from home are employed in many industries. The most common, besides entrepreneurial adventures, are via Insurance Companies, Telephone Triage Companies, Health Information Technology Companies and Clinical Research. There are opportunities in other industries but these are the most common.

Further education and/or training may not necessarily be required. You can find out by reading my past articles on these careers by clicking on the links in the “Past Articles and Handy Links” section on the right of this page. These companies welcome nurses from all levels of education and experience.

Resources

Great Articles:

Work at Home Options for Nurses by Linda Childers

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-industry-profiles/healthcare/nursing/Work-at-Home-Options-for-Nurses/home.aspx

For Work, There's No Place Like Home
But Telework Success Requires Preparation, Communication
by Rebecca R. Kahlenberg

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64052-2004Aug13.html

There's No Place (to Work) Like Home
By: Jennifer Reingold

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/40/workhome.html/

Who’s Hiring: These are just a few companies…the tip of the iceberg but it will give you an idea of where to look..

BCBS
Intellicare
Fonemed
McKesson Health Solutions
Optum
Aetna
CIGNA
United Healthcare
Quintiles
Siemens
Phillips Healthcare
GE Healthcare
Kaiser Permanente
Chubb Group of Insurance Co.
Coventry Healthcare
Novartis



Interesting Websites:

www.exceptionalnurse.com/

www.work-at-home.org/