What Are Different Types of Nursing?

Different Types of NursingThere are literally hundreds of different types of nursing specialties in the United States alone. Elderly care nurses work in retirement homes and elderly care homes to provide patients with support when a doctor isn’t available, but other types of nurses may work for hospitals, home health care companies, in medical clinics, at a hospice facility or even in a substance abuse center. When you enter a nursing program at an accredited college, give some thought to some of the specialties available and what you hope to do with your career.

Pediatric Nursing

According to Scrubs Magazine, pediatric nurses are one of the highest paid nursing professions. The magazine found that those nurses bring home an average salary of more than $80,000 a year. Pediatric nurses specialize in helping patients of a younger age. They often work with babies and toddlers, but they may work with kids as old as 17. Most pediatric nurses work for pediatricians and for children’s hospitals, but there are also positions open at regular hospitals with a children’s ward and at camps and schools.

Critical Care Nursing

Many of the different types of nursing practices involve a strong commitment to patients, and critical care nursing requires a strong commitment to both patients and their families and loved ones. These nurses typically work in the intensive care unit of a hospital. They might provide assistance to patients recovering from a stroke, heart attack or a serious care accident. Patients on the ICU floor remain there until doctors view them healthy enough to move to a safer environment. Critical care nurses are on call for long hours at a time and may find themselves working with patients who are near death every day of the week.

Certified Nursing Midwife

With more people interested in living healthy and taking fewer medications, there is an increased need for Certified Nursing Midwives. A CNM is a nurse who functions as a midwife and have the experience needed to deliver babies on their own or with a doctor standing by. They help pregnant women stay healthy, and they function as a doctor during the pregnancy stages. Midwives may take vital statistics, check for medical conditions and other problems and help women understand what they need to do until they go into labor.

Home Health Care Nurse

Traveling nurses make a high salary than other types of nurses. They spend a lot of time going from hospital to hospital and working in different settings. Home health care nursing is one of the different types of nursing that also involves a high level of travel. These nurses often work with more than one patient every week, and some nurses see two of more patients every day. They drive to their homes, check vital statistics, administer medications when needed and keep a log for the doctors and loved ones of their patients. Some home health care nurses spend hours with their patients and perform some of the same tasks as a home health care worker would.

Related Resource: Accelerated Nursing Degree

No matter what your interests are, you can find a field of nursing that works well for you. You can work with kids, the elderly or patients of all types, and you can work in one setting or on the road. A few of the different types of nursing fields today include home health care nursing and critical care nursing.