The day will come in the career of almost every GP or clinic nurse that will be devastating. If you work as a practical nurse, chances are it will happen to you too. It’s the day you realize you can’t work as a practical nurse anymore. This possible termination of your nursing career can happen suddenly or over a period of time, and for many reasons. It can be the result of injury, burnout, downsizing, old age, or a physical inability to handle demanding work. When this happens, how will you continue to find income? Finding another job can be an arduous process. If you have a family to support, this is a serious problem. The smartest thing is to start preparing for this eminent situation. The question is: what can you do to prepare?
First, you need to realize that your nursing career will eventually come to this point. You must make the decision that something needs to be done to prepare. Once you make this choice, the rest is not too difficult. The key to preparing for this crossroads is having a backup career option. When choosing the backup option, there are some criteria that you need to consider. This option should pay equal to or better than your current job, may be one you’re qualified for or one that requires some additional training, and should offer you the flexibility to access it at your own pace. The option is even more ideal if you can use it on the side while still working at your regular job, allowing you to earn extra income when needed. Unfortunately, many nurses don’t realize that this type of option exists.
Faced with this life-changing decision, a nurse’s common reaction is to start looking for another job that meets her new requirements. Although the job application process can be very slow, sometimes it works as a good option. When available jobs are in the same facility, the hiring process can be much faster. Many nurses tend to seek administrative jobs when they can no longer or do not want to withstand the physical demands of practical nursing. However, manager jobs often have stiff competition for a limited number of positions. There are many other jobs where your nursing experience will be relevant, such as case management, insurance, pharmaceutical sales, recruiting, or teaching. But what if your best option isn’t a typical job at all? If you’re approaching this point in your career, it might be time for you to think outside the box.
Luckily, there is a career option that meets each and every one of the conditions explained above. It allows you to use your existing medical experience, offers great flexibility, introduces exciting new challenges, gives you the option to find a job or work independently, and can pay much better than a typical regular nursing job. In addition to all of these benefits, it offers you the opportunity to pursue the main reason you probably went into nursing in the first place; allows you to continue your patient advocacy. The nursing career option we are referring to is Legal Nurse Consulting. It is important to remember that one day you will need an option like Legal Nurse Consulting, so you should familiarize yourself with it. If you have already heard about this option, you most likely do not understand its real benefits and what it implies. As a legal nurse consultant, you can learn how to use your medical expertise in the legal field or in the legal aspect of health care. Any case involving medical records needs your expertise to interpret and analyze medical information. If you prefer to avoid working with attorneys and insurance companies, hospitals and managed care facilities often hire legal nurse consultants to help with areas such as risk management, insurance issues, and case management.
Do you have to make an important decision. Whether you decide now or after you’re forced to, this kind of career-altering decision is tough to face. You can be like the many other nurses who just hope that nothing happens, or you can start preparing for the future.
