7 High-Paying Career-Change Options for Nurses

As an RN, you know all about nursing. With a little extra training, you could become a nurse educator and manage continuing education at your healthcare organization. Your BSN degree, combined with a few years of nursing experience, may be enough.

That said, you can increase your chances of getting a job as a nurse educator by earning an MSN or a graduate certificate with a specialization in nurse education. These professionals must also maintain a valid nursing license.

Nurse educators ensure that nursing staff and caregivers get the continuing education they need. They may work with hospital administrators to develop evaluations and continuing education programs for staff.

Many nurse educators also work in nursing schools, teaching in the classroom or lab, or as clinical instructors.

Social workers can work with the elderly, people with substance use disorders, low-income individuals, people with severe illnesses, and formerly incarcerated people. You’ll give your clients advice and help them connect with the services they need to improve their lives.

Social workers often work closely with healthcare providers, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, and general care practitioners. They may need to communicate with doctors, nurses, and employers on a client’s behalf.

Many social work jobs only require a bachelor’s degree, though clinical social workers must hold a master of social work.

Clinical managers work in medical offices and clinics, overseeing day-to-day treatment strategies and scheduling to ensure the clinic or department runs smoothly. In larger healthcare organizations, clinical managers may be referred to as departmental managers.

These professionals coordinate with doctors and try to accommodate patients’ needs. They also arrange for the purchase of necessary supplies and equipment.

Clinical managers typically work during regular business hours, which might be a nice change for nurses who’ve grown tired of working long 12-hour shifts.

Directors of case management typically have a bachelor’s degree or higher and are either licensed social workers or RNs. The similarity in educational requirements for this role may appeal to nurses aiming to change careers without having to go back to school.

Directors of case management ensure that patients at hospitals and healthcare organizations receive quality care. These professionals manage other case managers and provide guidance and feedback on the care they offer.

They also develop policies and procedures for the staff they manage and may oversee budgets.

Clinical documentation specialists help hospitals and other healthcare facilities maintain good recordkeeping. They ensure that primary healthcare providers have access to the information they need to treat patients. Clinical documentation specialists often work for organizations that house a large number of records.

These specialists must be familiar with HIPAA and other regulations regarding the privacy of medical records. They must also have strong computer skills, particularly skills related to handling database queries.

A background in information technology is helpful, but a healthcare background is also important, making this a suitable position for a nurse.

Typically working in hospitals, nursing quality improvement coordinators perform quality audits and make sure nurses adhere to standards related to tasks like medical recordkeeping. They also respond to complaints about quality and perform periodic reviews to ensure standards are met.

Other tasks include documenting and investigating complaints, compiling quality improvement reports, and developing corrective action plans.

To become a nursing quality improvement coordinator, you’ll typically need an RN license, a BSN, and five or more years of nursing experience. Note you may have to work odd hours.

Clinical informatics specialists work in healthcare facilities that have a lot of medical records to manage. These healthcare professionals create user interfaces to facilitate access to records and train staff to use information databases. They may also design plans to improve processes.

This job typically requires an RN license and several years of nursing experience in an environment certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

In addition to nursing skills, you must have a background in information technology, as you need to be able to understand database technology, especially whatever system your employer uses.