11 nursing jobs that aren't in a hospital

One of the most appealing aspects of a nursing career is the countless job possibilities. Even after you narrow down your specialty, you aren’t limited to the hospital or clinic setting. It turns out, nurses practice in all kinds of settings—some quiet and cozy, some so intense they even make a hospital seem chill. Basically, think of the kind of work environment you want, and there are nursing jobs that can fulfill it.

“This is the beauty of nursing: The possibilities are abundant and you can create your own career path!” says Trissa Lyman, FNP-S, Brigham Young University.

We compiled a list of nursing jobs where you could take your skills out of that all-too-familiar hospital setting. To land any of these jobs, you’ll need an LPN or RN license, and your salary will likely be similar to the median pay for all LPN and RN positions—$26.26 per hour for LPNs and $39.05 per hour for RNs, according to Monster data. But, because these positions can be highly specialized, your pay structure may be too.

Aesthetic Nurse

Where you’ll work: Aesthetic nurses, sometimes called cosmetic nurses, work in dermatology or plastic surgery practices, or in medical spas.

What you’ll do: Aesthetic nurses typically assist with and perform non-surgical cosmetic treatments. Tasks may include giving Botox injections and performing laser hair removal treatments and cellulite sculpting treatments. A successful aesthetic nurse excels in helping patients feel comfortable and confident. These nurses also educate patients about procedures—process, potential side effects, as well as after care.

What you’d need: Most practices are looking for RNs with additional cosmetic training. Some offer on-the-job training in this specialty, and they will teach you to give different types of injections or to use lasers.

Find aesthetic nurse jobs on Monster.

Ambulatory Care Nurse

Where you’ll work: Ambulatory care nursing is a diverse—and growing—field. With their focus on outpatient care, ambulatory care nurses work just about anywhere. You’ll find them in outpatient surgery centers, patients’ homes, schools, and telehealth centers, to name a few.

“One of the single biggest opportunities in ambulatory care nursing today is in care coordination and transition management (CCTM). It’s a role that protects patients from getting lost in the health care system,” says Kristene Grayem, MSN, CNS, PPCNP-BC, RN-BC, President of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing. “Many ambulatory care nurses have the opportunity to work from home, thanks to many technological advances today. This kind of flexibility does not exist in inpatient nursing.”

What you’ll do: “Ambulatory care nurses promote wellness, help patients manage acute illness, perform procedures, and provide patient education,” explains Grayem. “The specialty is also rewarding because the work itself is so varied and because ambulatory care nurses witness the positive impact they have on patients.”

What you’d need: To become a certified ambulatory care nurse, you must take the certification exam administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Find ambulatory care nurse jobs on Monster.

Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)

Where you’ll work: Nurse midwives frequently work in specialized birthing and women’s health centers. They may also opt to work in public health clinics or private practices, or provide care in patients’ homes. Because they can deliver babies, they also practice at hospitals.

What you’ll do: As an Advance Practice Registered Nurse, a certified nurse midwife has received specialty training in childbirth and women’s health care. You’ll provide clinical prenatal care for women and assist before, during, and after childbirth.

What you’d need: You’ll need an RN degree with significant experience in women’s health, and most facilities prefer candidates with a master’s degree. You’ll also need a certified midwifery license in addition to other typical nursing licensure requirements.

Find certified nurse midwife jobs on Monster.

Correctional Care Nurse

Where you’ll work: Correctional nurses care for inmates in correctional facilities, including prisons.

What you’ll do: As a correctional nurse, you’ll care for prisoners who have ongoing medical conditions and treat injuries, illnesses, and acute conditions.

“Responsibilities vary depending on the type of correctional facility, but generally, correctional nurses are responsible for patient intake and triage, medication administration, wound care, mental health support, reproductive health management, general health promotion, emergency response within the facility,” says Sarah K. Wells, MSN, RN, CEN, CNL, and member of the Emergency Nurses Association.

What you’d need: While not mandatory, experience in emergency care is helpful. Beyond an LPN or RN degree, most facilities will require that you take safety training once you’re hired.

Find correctional care nurse jobs on Monster.

Flight Nurse

Where you’ll work: Flight nurses may technically work for a hospital, but much of their time is spent in the air, either on planes or helicopters.

What you’ll do: Flight nurses provide care in the air. You may work in a hospital’s helicopter, delivering critical emergency care to ill or wounded people who need to get to the hospital faster than an ambulance allows. You could also accompany sick patients on long flights to specialty clinics, or transport organs that need to be transplanted as quickly as possible.

What you’d need: Flight nurse positions are for RNs with some level of emergency care experience, since they see people in life-or-death situations. You may be required to get additional advanced life-support and transport certifications. Oh, and a love of flying certainly helps!

Find flight nurse jobs on Monster.

Home Health Nurse

Where you’ll work: Home health nurses travel to patients’ homes, so they spend much of their day in others’ houses or on the road in between destinations.

What you’ll do: “Homecare nursing incorporates social work and case management elements of nursing, as well as community resourcing and public health advocacy,” explains Lillian Robarge BSN, RN.

Responsibilities range from assessing your patient’s treatment plan and administering IV therapy to helping with day-to-day duties like bathing and wound care. “Entering people's homes allows nurses to meet the unique needs of each patient and meet them where they are—to optimize outcomes and empower our patients,” says Robarge.

What you’d need: An LPN or RN degree, and possibly additional certification as a home health care provider.

Find home health nurse jobs on Monster.

Hospice Nurse

Where you’ll work: Many patients undergoing hospice treatment prefer to do so at home. So as a hospice nurse, you may work in the homes of clients or their families. Working in a hospice clinic is also a possibility.

What you’ll do: Hospice nurses assist in the care and comfort of patients who are dying. These patients are no longer receiving curative treatments, but still may require pain and symptom management and assistance in remaining comfortable in their final days. Hospice nurses also provide emotional and spiritual comfort to patients and grieving loved ones.

What you’d need: You’ll need a strong heart—it takes a special person to care for terminally ill patients. Most hospice nurses have RN degrees, hospice or palliative certification, and additional training in pain management and the principles of death and dying.

Find hospice nurse jobs on Monster.

Nurse Navigator

Where you’ll work: Nurse navigator, also known as a care coordinator or patient advocate, is a role that’s becoming more common in the outpatient care setting. Nurse navigators are most often seen in specialty health clinics—oncology or women’s health, for example.

What you’ll do: “Nurse navigators educate and advocate for patients throughout their care journey—from testing and diagnosis through treatment,” explains Diane Young, RN, a breast health nurse navigator.

“Sometimes, the best way I can do my job is by simply listening to a patient and counseling her through what may feel like the worst day of her life,” Young says. “Or I might be coordinating with other departments to make appointments on behalf of my patient, helping prep a patient for a scan, or following up with a patient after a procedure.”

Unlike many other nursing jobs, nurse navigators can develop long-term relationships with patients, often seeing them through months, even years, of care. “That’s really the most rewarding part of my job. I have friendships with patients going back 10 years,” says Young.

What you’d need: Depending on the facility and specialty, you may need certification beyond RN. Communication skills are a must for this job.

Find nurse navigator jobs on Monster.

Occupational Health Nurse

Where you’ll work: As an occupational health nurse, you’ll bring health care into the workplace. They are focused on safety and wellness issues in a variety of settings.

What you’ll do: Depending on your employer’s industry and needs, job responsibilities may include administering drug screenings, conducting safety training, and leading employee wellness programs. You’ll frequently handle worker’s compensation issues, also.

What you’d need: Most companies require an RN degree with additional Certified Occupational Health Nurse Specialist credentials.

Find occupational health nurse jobs on Monster.

Public Health Nurse

Where you’ll work: Public health nurses work in public health clinics or in communities primarily doing outreach.

What you’ll do: As a public health nurse, you’ll help people who need care but who often don’t receive it. Public health nurses often provide care to underserved populations in low-income communities. And while they may see individual patients, often they are running outreach events where they educate groups of people on resources available to them and the need for routine medical care.

What you’d need: An RN degree, at minimum. Many public health positions require graduate level work, as well.

Find public health nurse jobs on Monster.

School Nurse

Where you’ll work: School nurses work in schools, from elementary to college level.

What you’ll do: As a school nurse, you’ll be the face of health care in or near the classroom. School nurses are responsible for keeping students healthy and ready to learn.

You’ll assess illnesses and injuries that take place during school hours, give basic medical treatment or recommend further intervention, perform hearing and vision tests, and may also teach health or nutrition courses. In many school districts one nurse covers multiple schools, so you may travel between facilities.

What you’d need: Most communities require school nurses to have an RN degree.

Find school nurse jobs on Monster.

Find Your Nursing Niche

Seeing as how there are nursing jobs in just about every type of work environment imaginable, it makes sense that your job search will need to be customized to your needs and wants. Need some help putting a strategy in place? Monster has a bunch of free resources that can help you find your nursing niche as well as the employers that would be the best fit for you.