If you have recently graduated with your Bachelor of Science in Nursing or have been a registered nurse for a while now, you may be wondering what your next step should be. There are so many branches within nursing that it can be difficult to identify which ones you might be interested in and find opportunities to gain relevant experience. This short list intends to provide inspiration about where you could specialize as you progress in your career.
Midwifery
If you are someone who adores infants, becoming a midwife might be the right nursing career path for you. You will be responsible for guiding expectant parents through the stages of pregnancy and preparing them for the big day. You will need to be skilled with many procedures that take place before, during, and after labor, as well as teaching new parents the basics of how to care for their infant. This involves checking in with the family for a short time after the baby is born.
Family Nurse Practitioner
A family nurse practitioner helps families and patients of all ages by keeping track of their medical histories and preventing illness through the use of this knowledge. These types of nurses must be excellent communicators and skilled at various procedures, including physical examinations and screening for illness. If you are looking to progress your career in this direction, you can find an online FNP DNP program for a more flexible and accessible study option.
Psychiatric Nurse
Psychiatric nurses help people with mental health issues, usually on a consistent basis with regular patients rather than many different patients within a day. It is about being a trustworthy presence in the lives of vulnerable people and helping them manage their treatment, whether that involves medication or therapy.
Geriatric Nurse
Now that medical science has led to people living for longer, the demand for certified geriatric nurses continues to grow. If you are looking for job security and the opportunity to meet many interesting people, this particular field might be for you. Geriatric nurses are often responsible for assisting seniors with medications, managing any chronic illnesses, and coordinating care plans with other medical professionals.
Critical Care Nurse
Since critical care is one of the most intense and demanding areas of nursing, it requires an experienced and confident individual to fulfill the role successfully. You will need to be capable of quick thinking, wise decision-making, listening and following precise instructions under pressure.
Surgical Nurse
Another high-stakes and demanding role, the surgical nurse must assist with preparing a patient for surgery, helping with anesthetic, following the instructions of the surgeons, and supporting the patient through recovery. This type of nursing can be both rewarding and challenging and certainly isn’t for the faint of heart.
Hopefully, this short list has provided you with inspiration to research possible nursing specializations that might capture your professional interest. Though the best way to find out if you truly want to stay in a particular role is to get some experience there, once you have qualified as a nurse, start networking and seeing what opportunities to gain experience are available to you.
