Obtaining a nursing degree opens the doors to many potential career paths. Once you’ve obtained your degree, you have the option to work in a hospital, in patients’ homes, in the community, in a school system, or even in a clinical research setting.
Read on as we discuss what jobs you can get with a nursing degree and how Advanced eClinical Training’s pre-nursing programs can help get you there in less time with our Patient Care Technician Certification.
Hospital Jobs
Many nurses work in a hospital setting, but even within the hospital, there are several different types of nursing jobs.
Med-Surg
The largest percentage of nurses in hospitals are medical-surgical nurses. These are the nurses who care for patients who are recovering from surgery or being treated for acute illnesses. They administer medications, document progress and setbacks, create treatment plans, and provide day-to-day care for patients.
Critical Care
Critical Care nurses work in the ICU, caring for patients with a higher degree of medical needs. ICU patients often have prolonged hospital stays, so this is a good position for nurses who enjoy forming relationships with their patients and their families.
Emergency Room
Emergency Room nursing positions are ideal for individuals who thrive in fast-paced, high-intensity environments. In the ER, you never know what kind of patients you’ll have, so you need to be prepared for anything.
Labor & Delivery
Labor and Delivery nurses have the privilege and responsibility of helping bring new life into the world. This is often a joyful specialty, but complications and losses can be especially difficult when dealing with infants and parents.
Scrub Nurses
Scrub nurses get the chance to assist in surgeries. Not only do they get to be in the operating room, but they’re also responsible for helping their patient through the entire surgical process, from pre-op to recovery.
Other Nursing Jobs
Travel Nurse
Travel nursing is a great way to experience different hospital settings, from urban trauma centers to rural clinics. You’ll be able to see other parts of the country and will be assigned to a new location every few months.
Home Health Nurse
Rather than working in a clinical setting, home health nurses work inside their patients’ homes. Some home health nurses are dispatched to check in on a patient after they’ve had surgery or been released from the hospital. Others work long-term with the same patient, providing nursing support within the patient’s home.
Flight Nurse
Flight nurses are responsible for caring for a patient who is being medically airlifted, either from the scene of an accident or from one medical facility to another. While the patient is on the helicopter or plane, the flight nurse constantly monitors the patient and may place IVs, administer first aid, or provide resuscitation if necessary.
These are just a few of the many career paths available to nurses.
The New Graduate Dilemma
Nursing has become such a popular field of study that, at times, there are more nurses graduating than there are jobs available. This makes the job market for new graduates extremely competitive.
Employers look for something that sets a candidate apart, like prior patient experience or previous work in a hospital setting, but many new nurses lack the field experience necessary to make them a top candidate. Experience as a Certified Patient Care Technician can catch an employer’s eye.
Certified Patient Care Technician
Our certified patient care technician training and certification course allows health science students to gain patient care experience in a variety of settings prior to applying to nursing school.
Once you finish the CPCT training course and pass the NHA certification exam, you will become a Certified Patient Care Technician. With this certification, you can work with patient populations in hospitals, rehab centers, nursing homes, and intensive care units.
Often, hospitals and other clinical settings will hire nursing students who already have their CPCT certification to work while going through school. Once they’ve graduated with their nursing degree, they can then be hired as nurses.
Pre-nursing programs like our CPCT certification course are your way to get your foot in the patient care door early, giving you both a leg up on other nursing school candidates and a better chance at obtaining a job as soon as you graduate with your degree. Enroll now or learn more about our Patient Care Technician Certification and begin your path toward your dream medical career today!
