Throughout the ages, healthcare has always been a reliable sector – nurses and doctors are in demand everywhere. That won’t be changing any time soon. With such a diversity of careers available within the industry, it never hurts to consider an online MSN FNP or similar training to be sure you’re on the path that best suits you.
Under Pressure
Not everyone is well suited to a career in medicine – especially if it involves working in a hospital. Many nurses working in hospitals learn this the hard way, with 20% of nurses dropping out of the industry at some point during training. So if you’ve made it far enough to get certified, you must be pretty tough. However, a further 22% of fully qualified nurses leave their jobs at a hospital every year.
Nurses are the first line of defense between people in poor health. That means nurses witness serious injuries, people with chronic health issues, and fatalities on a regular basis. Furthermore, they’re tasked with averting or preventing illness, a mission that some people can’t help but take personally. So it’s no exaggeration to say working in this field can be challenging and not surprising roughly 32% of doctors and 47% of nurses report suffering from burnout.
A Whole New World
And you know what? That’s ok. There’s no shame in admitting that a career in nursing isn’t right for you, even if you feel like you’ve already committed. Luckily there are a plethora of alternative career paths that are available to a qualified nurse, which don’t necessarily involve working at a hospital. After all, the world needs plenty of nurse practitioners, mental health nurses, forensic nurses, telemedicine nurses, health coaches…the list goes on. So if you’re working in a hospital, and feel like it’s not a good fit, but are feeling a bit trapped due to your degree, you should know that there are a wide range of options available to you. And please remember, there are resources for help, and you should never feel ashamed to reach out or take some time away from the chaos.
Doctors have a similar breadth of options: telemedicine, sports medicine, a plethora of specialties to receive further education in – there’s no shortage of alternatives. If you don’t want to live on the front lines, you have options. And even if you just need some support, there are people waiting to help you out there.
Reaching the Next Level
Becoming a nurse practitioner is a great option for a nurse seeking continuing education that will open up new doors for their career path. Nurse practitioners rank second only to doctors in terms of medical knowledge, diagnostic authority, and prescribing power. They can perform most of the regular medical duties of a general practitioner, and often work closely with, or even as primary care providers, and can help other doctors to fill some of the same roles and reduce the workload of the doctor.
So, what is a nurse practitioner? Nurse practitioners, often referred to as NPs, have a broad understanding of the human body and a wide range of health conditions. Compared to a nurse, an NP receives additional medical training in the form of an MSN – a Masters of Nursing degree. This provides NPs with more in depth knowledge of the basic principles of biology, how they apply to the human body, and how medications can interact with each other and the body’s many processes.
While all nurses have basic knowledge of human anatomy, an NP’s knowledge is more deeply rooted in a first-principles biological understanding of how the human body maintains its homeostatic stability. They receive training in genetics, epigenetics, how the human body interacts with its environment, and pathophysiology. While their knowledge of human anatomy and the breadth of diseases that can affect it are not as in depth as that of doctors, they do receive specific training in the pathology of common diseases, how they are diagnosed, and how they can be treated.
As a result, NPs have the authority to diagnose, treat, and prescribe for many conditions. Depending on the laws where they operate, this authority may be more or less regulated; in some states, NPs have very similar prescribing power to doctors and can exercise that power independently, while in other states their prescribing power is more limited, or must be supervised by doctors.
In many States, NPs can actually be responsible for the long-term care of a patient, just like a doctor. Depending on local regulations, NPs can sometimes even operate their own medical practices and employ other nurses and medical staff to help them fulfill their duties. Other NPs may choose to work in hospitals, but there is no shortage of different work environments: NPs are needed at skilled nursing facilities, like aged care homes or mental health facilities, as well as private specialist practices, surgical facilities, urgent care sites, and schools.
NPs can receive training and certifications to pursue more specialized career paths. They can specialize in family medicine, or pursue more technical specialties like psychiatric, pediatric, neonatal, acute care, gerontology, women’s health, orthopedics, aesthetics, oncology, and many more.
Doctor Who?
Like NPs, doctors have a wide range of options available to them. While many doctors are passionate about working in hospitals and emergency rooms, that fast-paced, high-pressure environment isn’t for everyone. A doctor seeking a quieter life may want to consider opening their own practice, or working in a lower intensity field, like sports medicine, general practice, public health, physical medicine, or rehabilitation.
For those who want to pursue a more specialized field, the options are nearly endless – and the bump in compensation is often substantial. While the highest paid fields like plastic surgery, neurosurgery, cardiology, or oncology require substantial additional training, education, and certification, it’s not for nothing. The financial rewards can entail upwards of a doubling or even tripling of pay, as compared to the salaries of doctors working in a hospital, depending on the role in question.
As you can see, there is no shortage of options for alternative career paths for those working in medicine. With some determination, planning, and a bit of extra training, a whole new career path can be made available to you. If you’re thinking about branching out, maybe the time is now!
