10 Unique Jobs for Nurse Practitioners

Locum Tenens

Latin for “holding one’s place,” locum tenens refers to both short and long term temporary work assignments. Locum nurse practitioners fill needed positions at medical facilities across the country. Do you love to visit new places? Many nurse practitioners choose locum jobs for their ability to travel, highly competitive pay, flexibility, and breadth of opportunities. Consider looking at the Barton Associates website. Side note: received an email from a Barton Associates recruiter last week with a job opening offering $80/hour. Not. Too. Shabby.

Telemedicine

With the goal of improving patient health, telemedicine uses electronic communication to exchange medical information. Many times, this technology connects healthcare providers via two-way video with their patients to provide care when a face-to-face meeting isn’t feasible. This allows providers to work from a home office at hours convenient for them. As one of the fastest growing fields in medicine, this offers a unique and flexible option for nurse practitioners.  Check out Insight for telepsychiatry positions, Talkspace for counseling positions, and PointNurse for telehealth positions. In the past, I have received offers for $65/hour for telemedicine positions (not to mention you get to work from home).

Clinical Editor

Scholarly journals, databases, and publishers hire advanced practice nurses to write, edit, and peer-review their content. As an expert in his or her specialty, the nurse practitioner editor is responsible for developing and maintaining proprietary clinical content as well as critically appraising the work of others. Generally these positions require a doctorate degree such as the Doctor of Nursing Practice or Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. Consider looking at companies like Wolters Kluwer, EBSCO, Springer Publishing, and Jones & Bartlet.

CME & CNE Writer

Continuing education companies and scholarly journals hire nurse practitioners to write education modules. This can be an especially rewarding experience that certainly pays off in the long run. Nurse practitioners can work from their home office, generating education material and receiving compensation hourly, per module, or as a percentage of final sales.  Check out Nurse.com and Pearls Review.

Education Consultant

Nurse practitioner education consultants are hired privately or by universities. Sometimes they are compensated hourly to act as a career coach for novice or seasoned nurses. These nurse practitioners provide expert advice on navigating the field of nursing. Education consultants hired by universities usually conduct department-wide needs assessments or provide expert opinion on curriculum development. Um, this sounds like a dream job…

Online Professor

Many schools now offer distance education. These colleges hire nurse practitioners who have a doctorate degree to teach online foundational courses like epidemiology, anatomy & physiology, statistics, chemistry, evidence-based practice, and so on. This is an excellent way to gain teaching experience and make money on the side while maintaining a full-time clinical job. Consider looking into University of Pheonix, Capella, Excelsior College, and Walden University. Maybe consider teaching an NCLEX prep course for Kaplan?

Tech Start-up Advisor

There are many startup tech companies looking to creatively disrupt the practice of medicine. These innovative startups look for expertise from healthcare providers. Nurse practitioners are perfectly positioned to answer questions about assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, and they are educated to think critically about the healthcare system and current policy.

Legal NP Consultant

These nurse practitioners serve as the medical part of a legal team. They provide their expert opinion by reviewing records and testifying in court proceedings regarding worker’s compensation, abuse, fraud, and malpractice.  This is an exciting and dynamic role with good compensation. These nurse practitioners may work privately or be hired by insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, or hospitals.

Medical Aesthetics

Although some additional training is required, this hasn’t stopped the explosion of aesthetic nurse practitioners. There is an increased demand for this specialty, likely due to the aging population. These providers specialize in cosmetic procedures such as botox, dermal fillers, sclerotherapy, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, mesotherapy, and laser hair removal. Frequently, these providers work in a dermatology office or in a medical spa.

Foreign Health Practitioner

Do you have an adventurous heart? Consider working internationally as a foreign service health provider. After passing a top secret security clearance, these nurse practitioners are hired by the U.S. Department of State to provide patient care around the world. They are also responsible for evaluating and proposing solutions to overseas healthcare problems. While the working conditions are commonly described as harsh and hostile, this offers a one-of-a-kind experience, and an opportunity to help those in dire need. Check out the U.S. Department of State website for job openings.