Where Do I Go From Here?: Options for Nurses Outside of the Bedside
By: Jamie Marquis
Tags: Registered Nurse, Burnout, Healthcare, Career Change, Nurse

I’ve been there — asking myself, “Where do I go from here?” After about seven years at the bedside as an ER and PACU nurse, I knew that I couldn’t be at the bedside for another 30–40 years. But I also felt stuck. I had a Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a resume with various RN positions, including active duty Army service. As somebody who spent their post undergrad life in the hospital, I had NO IDEA what else I could do with my nursing experience. I was very fortunate though, in that I had a GI Bill that allowed me to pursue my MBA at the University of Virginia and gain career change skills and explore what actually interested me. I ultimately ended up working in the medical device industry in marketing and product innovation functions. However, along the way I’ve learned about other options for nurses that involve both no additional education and advanced degrees. Different companies may have variable titles from what you see below, but the gist of the roles should be relatively consistent.

Clinical Specialist

If you’ve ever worked in an OR or cath lab, you’re probably already familiar with this career option. A clinical specialist usually teams up with a medical device sales rep, and they spend their time supporting cases (suggesting products, collaborating with physicians, being the product expert). A nursing background is super helpful, as you are already familiar with pathophysiology and disease states, and if you come from the OR or lab, already knowing procedures and products used will be even more helpful. This role can help you progress further into a sales role or even a corporate role down the road (sales training, marketing). This is a role that you can obtain without any additional education.

Clinical Educator

Similar to Clinical Specialists, Clinical Educators are typically more focused on training staff on new products. These roles usually travel to go teach staff how to use new products in a department/hospital/office/etc. You know who they are — they bring breakfast tacos or bagels and spend 15 minutes giving you an inservice on the new defibrillators or pumps that your hospital just purchased. They also may stick around for a few days to support product usage or questions. It’s a great option if you like to interact frequently with lots of different people, travel, and teach. This is a role that you can obtain without any additional education.

Marketing/Product Manager

This is what I transitioned to after I left the bedside world and typically not an option for straight from the bedside. But don’t skip this section just yet! I started this role after my MBA, but I’ve seen Clinical Specialists or Educators transition after some time in those roles. My first Product Manager role was more focused on existing products in the market and having the responsibility of the success of that product. I created marketing materials, sales programs, and was the product expert. I traveled often, visiting customers, attending conferences/trade shows, and riding with sales folks. In my current Product Manager role, I am more focused on product innovation. It’s now my job to work with customers, identifying unmet needs in the market, then working with engineers to bring that from an idea to a launched product. My RN experience enables me to understand the customer and has really helped with my success in the role.

Physician Relations Specialist/Clinical Marketing

Educational programs for physicians and medical staff are a way for a medical device company to differentiate themselves from competitors. Sometimes it’s CME or CEU programs, product demonstrations/usage presented by physicians/customers, or a way to share evidence based medicine or clinical study results. These roles will create and facilitate content or programs, maintain relationships with program faculty, promote these programs, and work with marketing/product management to ensure proper program messaging. These roles are great for people that enjoy education and relationship building. I’ve worked with multiple nurses in these roles that came straight from the bedside.

So obviously, these roles are focused on the medical device industry, as that is what I transitioned to. However, there are options outside of medical device. I’ll be happy to discuss those if people are interested. Due to the current state of healthcare, I know a lot of yall are are wondering what you do next. Having been there wondering the same and really not knowing what else was out there, I simply wanted to share some of the options that I’ve learned in the last four years since leaving the bedside. Just know what you can do other things— there are other options for you out there.