To be clear, no nursing job is stress-free. Dealing with the safety, health and well-being of patients can be inherently stressful, and nursing may not be the ideal career path for people who struggle with those responsibilities.
While highly rewarding, nursing is a demanding profession with long hours and high pressure situations, some of which a nurse may have very little control over. That said, some specialties are objectively more draining than others. Primarily, ICU, NICU and emergency room nurses are among the most strenuous positions in the field. Those workplaces require nurses to deal with rapidly occurring, high-stakes situations and physically exhausting work over the course of a 12-hour shift. While these positions have their benefits, including the opportunity to perform meaningful, hands-on and potentially life-saving work, there are other, less fraught positions nurses can fill.
If you’re thinking of pursuing a career in nursing but want to maintain an adequate work/life balance, or you’re a nurse looking to switch to a less stressful specialization, you have options:
- School Nurse: School nurses enjoy stable and predictable working hours within a school setting and extensive vacation time over the summer. Work is typically low stress, usually consisting of administering medical and first aid when necessary. The drawbacks are that it can also be slow, and since most schools only hire one nurse, you may be working alone most of the time.
- Home Health Nurse: While other nurses usually have to juggle multiple patients at once, home health nurses have the benefit of only working with one patient at a time, giving them the opportunity to focus solely on providing high-quality care. Instead of being in a hospital, which is often a tense environment with ringing pagers and anxious patients, families and coworkers, home health nurses operate in quiet home environments, which can make the job significantly more peaceful. That said, they also tend to work alone most of the time, which could be detrimental if you want to work in a team-based setting.
- Public Health Nurse: If you want to care for multiple patients but struggle in a hospital setting, you may enjoy a career as a public health nurse. Public health nurses care for communities rather than individual patients. You’ll be paramount in providing communal, comprehensive education on diseases and assisting in large-scale health measures in contrast to most other nurses, who care for individual patients.
- Occupational Health Nurse: Occupational health nursing is a unique position in the field, as instead of operating in a hospital or a home, individuals work in a corporate setting. They focus on developing health and safety protocols for companies and watch over employee health, helping when someone suffers a workplace injury. Individuals in this position enjoy a low-pressure environment and predictable hours with weekends and holidays off, although the corporate setting isn’t for everyone.
- Nurse Educator: If you have a passion for education, nurse educator may be the nursing position you’ve been looking for. Nursing educators train aspiring nurses, working with them in school and hospital settings to give them the skills they need to succeed. While the position can be stressful, the hours are manageable and the work is low-pressure while still being high-paying. The downside is some positions may require higher educational attainment (like a master’s degree or even a doctorate in nursing science or practice) as well as significant past real-world experience.
- Nurse Administrator: As a supervisory position, nurse administrators have the benefit of being independent and having a flexible schedule. They manage nurse protocols, schedules and record-keeping and are typically not directly involved in patient care. Being a nurse administrator is a high-paying leadership position, but it requires further schooling to acquire. Moreover, if you’re someone who enjoys interacting with patients, you may not enjoy this position.
- Case Management Nurse: If you want a leadership position that still involves patient care, a case management nurse position may be the less-demanding compromise you need. A case management nurse oversees the long-term care of patients with serious injuries or chronic conditions, managing their care and providing educational resources when necessary. Nurses in this position enjoy a predictable schedule and patient interaction on a larger scale, although you may need a degree in health administration to qualify for some positions.
The experienced staff at St. Louis College of Health Careers will prepare you thoroughly for your desired position. Providing accredited associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s programs, including some with fully online options, we’ll give you the rigorous education you need to start your career with confidence.
Develop Your Nursing Career at an Esteemed Healthcare College
At St. Louis College of Health Careers, we thoroughly prepare our students to become LPNs, RNs, healthcare administrators and more. With reputable staff, challenging courses and hands-on clinical training, you can trust that you’ll receive the skills and confidence you need to perform optimally in any nursing profession you choose.
Take the first step toward your dream nursing career. Call 866-529-2070 to learn more about our programs and apply today.