Nursing Careers: Different types (source: Buzzle.com)

Nurses are healthcare professionals who take care of sick people. Though doctors diagnose patients and recommend effective treatment options, it is the nurses who look after the patients till they regain their health. Nursing is always considered to be a limited field where nurses work as assistants to the doctors. However, even in nursing there are many career options and specialisations. There are different courses for each specialisation and the salary of nurses depend on the career that they opt for. Every country or state has different nursing courses. Before starting a career in nursing, one has to research well about the different types of nursing careers.

Different Types of Nursing Careers

Registered Nurse
Registered nurse is the most popular career option in nursing. Registered nurses work in hospitals, clinics, schools, etc., and assist doctors in treating patients. They have a bachelor's degree or diploma in nursing. The advantage of becoming a registered nurse is that one can choose from a variety of specialisations in the field of nursing.

Licensed Practical Nurses
These nurses provide the basic care to the patients and work under the supervision of registered nurses and physicians. They take the basic details of the patients like blood pressure, temperature, perform CPR, give basic care and medications, before the doctor does the main examination.

Advanced Practice Nurses
These are registered nurses with a master's degree and advanced knowledge and skills. These nurses work in critical health care sectors like mental health care, or they may work as nurse practitioners and specialists.

Types of Specialisation

In the table below, I have tried to give you a broad overview of specialities that the nurses can undertake. This list, however, is not comprehensive as there are a lot of branches in these specialities as well.

Nursing Specialisation	Description
Agency Nurse	Here the nurse joins a agency and according to their availability and type of work, they are sent to work on shifts.
Anaesthesia	These nurses work with different health care practitioners to provide anaesthesia during surgeries or when needed by the patient.
Ambulatory Care	These are the OPD nurses that tend to patients who are in hospital for a day or less.
Cardiac Care	These nurses work for the cardiac patients specially.
Emergency Nursing	Registered nurses can specialise in emergency nursing where they have to work with emergency cases. To become an emergency nurse, along with a certificate in emergency nursing, a person also needs to be a quick thinker and possess the ability to diagnose the problems of patients in emergency situations.
Forensic Nurse	These nurses provide care to crime victims, help to collect evidences and even administer care to patients in prison.
Geriatric Nursing	Geriatric nurses have to work with old people, that includes treating as well as taking care of them. They can work at hospitals or at the patient's home. Nurses who want to specialise in this area should have the patience and capability of dealing with aged people who would have a number of diseases and may be bedridden too.
Oncology Nursing	Oncology nursing is where a nurse is involved with the treatment of cancer patients. An oncology nurse gets an opportunity to work with cancer specialists and needs to be with the patient through each stage of cancer treatment.
Midwife Nursing	Midwife nursing involves dealing with the childbirth process. Midwife nurses are given special training for this job and are also responsible for pre-natal and post-natal care of the mother and child. They help in delivering babies, either at home or in hospitals and should possess the ability to deal with any complications that may arise during childbirth.
Military Nursing	Military nurses are those who treat the injured soldiers during war times. They should have the experience and ability of working in emergency situations without getting panicky. Along with this, military nurses are also expected to work in military hospitals.
Paediatric Nursing	Paediatric nurses are involved with little babies, children and teenagers. They are responsible for the total healthcare of the child. They also have to deal with the family members of the children under their care.
Perioperative Nurse	These nurses help the surgeon during surgical operations. In rural areas, they are responsible for total patient care.
Travel Nurse	These nurses are sent all over the country on assignments where their specialisation is needed. They are given accommodation and travel benefits and also earn a higher salary due to the nature of their job.

The nursing field is a vast arena with different types of nursing careers. Though the field of nursing is very interesting, people thinking about a career in this field should be prepared to endure physical as well as emotional stress. However, it is a job that would give a person the satisfaction of helping fellow human beings.

By Deepa Kartha
Last Updated: 12/9/2011

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