Your skills as a nurse are more in demand than ever, with a 2022 Health Foundation report finding a ‘persisting’ and increasing shortfall of nurses in the UK. Although there’s no disputing nurses are the backbone of hospitals, they’re not the only place in need of your specialist knowledge and professionalism.
The versatility of your nursing qualification can be combined with other passions in exciting and surprising ways. A desire for the freedom to see new places might lead you to become a travel nurse, or perhaps you’d like your name on the credits of the next Marvel film and will choose to pursue set nursing!
From prisons to movie sets, we’ve compiled a list of four nursing jobs in unexpected places.
1. Travel Nurse
Fancy the chance to experience new cities and towns, all the while having a positive influence on the healthcare system? Travel nursing, which involves working with specialist agencies on a temporary basis in various locations, may be an attractive option for you.
You’ll play an essential role in filling gaps and shortages to help keep hospitals and other care facilities running. No day as a Travel Nurse will be the same, so a desire for change and new challenges would be beneficial.
Requirements to become a Travel Nurse may vary, but a degree and subsequent nursing registration are usually the minimum. Some roles require a certain amount of experience (i.e. six months) working unsupervised with the NHS. Flexibility and the ability to learn quickly are also bonuses!
2. Prison Nurse
While travel nursing can be demanding, prison nursing provides its own unique challenges and rewards. Above and beyond the usual support provided by nurses, an interest in helping prisoners through a diverse range of medical issues such as mental health and substance misuse problems may lead you down this path.
Like Travel Nurses, Prison Nurses must be qualified and have current NMC registrations. Additional training is also provided to acclimatise nurses to the prison environment. Employment as a Prison Nurse may occur directly through the NHS or through a private healthcare provider – you’ll have the opportunity to work in a variety of different workplaces, such as high security, youth and women’s prisons.
Resilience, communication and problem-solving skills are a must, and a curiosity about the criminal justice system will also help. If you’re interested in pursuing prison nursing, you could consider a paid trial day in a prison to decide if it suits you!
3. Set Nurse
Fancy finding out what goes on behind the scenes of your favourite films and TV shows? Film sets often hire Nurses to have on stand-by in case of injury or illness. The likelihood of nurses on set increases proportionally to the size of the production – as bigger films/shows often have crews in the hundreds.
Some productions choose to employ a Nurse for the entire length of the production, whereas others may only require extra medical expertise on set for particularly risky filming like stunts. Most set Nurses/Medics in the UK are qualified RGNs. Being a Set Nurse suits someone with an ability to think on their feet when needed, but it’s also important to be okay with waiting around on standby! Whilst knowledge of the film industry may be beneficial, it’s not required.
Bonus: if you ever find yourself shouting at the inaccuracies in your favourite medical shows,there’s also work in consultation. Your expertise could help screenwriters develop more realistic stories or assist actors to accurately portray medical roles!
Keep in mind, film industry work typically isn’t full-time, so being a Set Nurse or Medic could instead make for a great ‘side hustle’.
4. Public Health Nurse
If you’re enthusiastic about community outreach and public health, you could combine your nursing qualification with further experience/training to become a Public Health Nurse. They play a vital role in the promotion of public health and can have a widespread positive impact.
There are many types of public health nurses, including Infection Control and Health Promotion Nurses. Health Promotion Nurses, for example, work with community groups and organisations to identify public health needs and possible interventions to meet them. These can include promoting physical activity and tackling obesity. They also have managerial responsibilities, such as responding to complaints and maintaining partner organisation relationships.
Because Public Health Nurses often have administrative and business responsibilities such as these, significant experience in management is a huge plus! A desire to make a positive impact on the community, along with great people skills, will make you a successful Public Health Nurse.
Summary
Your skills as a Nurse make you a hot commodity, meaning there’s a multitude of exciting nursing opportunities before you. Almost any interest you have whether it be movies, crime or travel – can be pursued in your career.
As specialists in healthcare recruitment, we have the tools, resources and connections to offer advice to Nurses. With expertise in all sorts of open nursing positions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for career support. We’d love to help!
Unexpected Places You Can Work as a Nurse
Your skills as a nurse are more in demand than ever, with a 2022 Health Foundation report finding a ‘persisting’ and increasing shortfall of nurses in the UK. Although there’s no disputing nurses are the backbone of hospitals, they’re not the only place in need of your specialist knowledge and professionalism.
The versatility of your nursing qualification can be combined with other passions in exciting and surprising ways. A desire for the freedom to see new places might lead you to become a travel nurse, or perhaps you’d like your name on the credits of the next Marvel film and will choose to pursue set nursing!
From prisons to movie sets, we’ve compiled a list of four nursing jobs in unexpected places.
1. Travel Nurse
Fancy the chance to experience new cities and towns, all the while having a positive influence on the healthcare system? Travel nursing, which involves working with specialist agencies on a temporary basis in various locations, may be an attractive option for you.
You’ll play an essential role in filling gaps and shortages to help keep hospitals and other care facilities running. No day as a Travel Nurse will be the same, so a desire for change and new challenges would be beneficial.
Requirements to become a Travel Nurse may vary, but a degree and subsequent nursing registration are usually the minimum. Some roles require a certain amount of experience (i.e. six months) working unsupervised with the NHS. Flexibility and the ability to learn quickly are also bonuses!
2. Prison Nurse
While travel nursing can be demanding, prison nursing provides its own unique challenges and rewards. Above and beyond the usual support provided by nurses, an interest in helping prisoners through a diverse range of medical issues such as mental health and substance misuse problems may lead you down this path.
Like Travel Nurses, Prison Nurses must be qualified and have current NMC registrations. Additional training is also provided to acclimatise nurses to the prison environment. Employment as a Prison Nurse may occur directly through the NHS or through a private healthcare provider – you’ll have the opportunity to work in a variety of different workplaces, such as high security, youth and women’s prisons.
Resilience, communication and problem-solving skills are a must, and a curiosity about the criminal justice system will also help. If you’re interested in pursuing prison nursing, you could consider a paid trial day in a prison to decide if it suits you!
3. Set Nurse
Fancy finding out what goes on behind the scenes of your favourite films and TV shows? Film sets often hire Nurses to have on stand-by in case of injury or illness. The likelihood of nurses on set increases proportionally to the size of the production – as bigger films/shows often have crews in the hundreds.
Some productions choose to employ a Nurse for the entire length of the production, whereas others may only require extra medical expertise on set for particularly risky filming like stunts. Most set Nurses/Medics in the UK are qualified RGNs. Being a Set Nurse suits someone with an ability to think on their feet when needed, but it’s also important to be okay with waiting around on standby! Whilst knowledge of the film industry may be beneficial, it’s not required.
Bonus: if you ever find yourself shouting at the inaccuracies in your favourite medical shows,there’s also work in consultation. Your expertise could help screenwriters develop more realistic stories or assist actors to accurately portray medical roles!
Keep in mind, film industry work typically isn’t full-time, so being a Set Nurse or Medic could instead make for a great ‘side hustle’.
4. Public Health Nurse
If you’re enthusiastic about community outreach and public health, you could combine your nursing qualification with further experience/training to become a Public Health Nurse. They play a vital role in the promotion of public health and can have a widespread positive impact.
There are many types of public health nurses, including Infection Control and Health Promotion Nurses. Health Promotion Nurses, for example, work with community groups and organisations to identify public health needs and possible interventions to meet them. These can include promoting physical activity and tackling obesity. They also have managerial responsibilities, such as responding to complaints and maintaining partner organisation relationships.
Because Public Health Nurses often have administrative and business responsibilities such as these, significant experience in management is a huge plus! A desire to make a positive impact on the community, along with great people skills, will make you a successful Public Health Nurse.
Summary
Your skills as a Nurse make you a hot commodity, meaning there’s a multitude of exciting nursing opportunities before you. Almost any interest you have whether it be movies, crime or travel – can be pursued in your career.
As specialists in healthcare recruitment, we have the tools, resources and connections to offer advice to Nurses. With expertise in all sorts of open nursing positions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch for career support. We’d love to help!
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