Jobs in Nursing

The many possibilities for jobs in nursing can be overwhelming to the new graduate as well as the veteran nurse.  I am constantly learning about nursing positions that I never knew existed.  A professor once said “imagine any industry, any business and I’ll bet you can find a way to work a nursing job into the equation.”  And now you can find nursing jobs at Walmart.  Yes, that’s nurses at Walmart.  They have clinics staffed by nursing professionals, handling everything from coughs and colds to immunizations.  These community clinics are simply moving into a more convenient place for the population.  What could be nicer than one stop shopping for medical care, a carton of eggs, a new hammer and a set of radials?

This newer concept in medical care has paved the way once again for the home visit nurse.  These aren’t simply nurses working through the local visiting nurse association, these are independent contractors working under their own set of practice standards and insurance reimbursement.  We’ve returned to the days of old it seems with medical professionals coming to you, instead of you sitting in a germ-filled office just for a check-up.   Another different sort of job in nursing is actually mostly normal during much of the year – a nurse on part of a surgical team in a hospital – and exotic once or twice a year.  Typically run through faith-based hospitals, teams of doctors and nurses arrive in a war-torn country and run a clinic for a few weeks at a time.  These clinics fly in needed specialists to perform difficult, but non-life threatening surgeries as a result of injury from war.  After the dangers of strife has passed, what remains are the citizens of the region who still need medical care, but many of their doctors have fled, been killed or are not trained in surgical specialties.  These teams are supported by donations to their hospital and their religious affiliations.  Once the team’s mission is completed, they return home to await their next assignment.  A nursing job wherein you need a passport?  Sign me up.