From clinical to corporate: opportunities for nurses away from the bedside

Knowledge of employment possibilities within the public, private and non-profit sectors can be elusive to the nursing community, with much onus being placed on career opportunities within the NHS. Traditionally, the role of the nurse has been perceived to be by the beside but, as the healthcare industry and policy landscape expands, nurses are becoming a valuable asset due to their knowledge of healthcare infrastructure and patient experience.

Nursing is a vocation whereby one acquires a diverse set of skills within the clinical environment that could easily be applied to roles and opportunities away from the bedside. In recent years, the role of the nurse has been ever-expanding within the NHS, with more nurses taking on more responsibilities, such as prescribing and governance, that were previously allocated to non-clinical or physician staff members. Other sectors are seeing the transferable skills of nurses and, alongside their clinical expertise, they are an attractive addition to these sectors.