Alternative Careers For Nurses
Communications
This rapidly expanding area has several components. Some public relations firms offer communication
services solely to the health care industry. Their products include press packages, corporate brochures
and videos, patient education materials, and special events planning. Other firms provide science
information services such as databases, indexing, and abstracting. Also in this category are publishers of
medical and scientific textbooks. This is a great area for people with both science and
English/Communication backgrounds.
Recent positions taken by nursing graduates:
Editor and Corporate Director
Job Titles:
Marketing and sales representative; production or program assistant; editor; talk show host; health care
columnist; health researcher in radio/television; medical illustrator; technical writer/illustrator
Requirements:
Excellent presentation, writing, editing and analytical skills; demonstration of abilities through samples of
work; experience as an unpaid intern and paid work in an area of specialty
Library Resources:
Literary Market Place (Communications/Journalism Section)
O'Dwyers Directory of Public Relations Firms (Communications/Journalism Section)
Opportunities in Television, Cable, Video and Multimedia (Communications/Journalism
Section)
Web Resources:
American Association of Advertising Agencies
(http://www.aaaa.org/eweb/startpage.aspx)
O'Dwyers PR Daily (http://www.odwyerpr.com/)
Riley Guide Communication Links (http://www.rileyguide.com/sales.html#adv)
The Biomedical Writer’s Association (www.amwa.org)
Education
There are teaching and administrative positions available in elementary, secondary and higher education.
Requirements vary depending on the position and the setting. Please see job titles and requirements
below for further information.
Positions taken by recent nursing graduates:
Lecturer; Teaching Assistant; Assistant Professor; Clinical Instructor; Resea