Career Opportunities for Majors in Nursing

Introduction

The College of Nursing awards a Bachelor of Science degree that is offered on the Newark and New Brunswick campuses. This degree prepares students to provide preventive, acute, and chronic health care services to people in a variety of settings. The professional registered nurse plans, gives and supervises bedside nursing care; teaches nursing personnel and assists in teaching patients and their families; plans, implements, and evaluates community health services; and administers various programs inside and outside

Within nursing there are separate specialties of registered nurses. These include, but are not limited to: hospital nurses who provide care to patients in hospitals and health institutions; private duty nurses who contract to provide nursing care for patients in the patient's home or health care agencies; community health nurses who work for town and city government and instruct families on good health techniques; physician's office nurses who help doctors with the examination and treatment of patients in an office setting; and school nurses who plan, implement, and evaluate a school's health program in cooperation with medical authorities and school administrators. Graduate nursing specialties include the nurse anesthetist who receives special training to administer anesthesia to patients undergoing surgery; nurse midwife who practices the independent management and care of normal newborns and women; nurse practitioner who functions in an expanding nursing role, usually in the ambulatory patient care setting, working closely with physicians, and the clinical nurse specialist who works with patient groups in a specialized area, such as pediatrics, diabetes, or infectious disease control.

As our life expectancy and population rates increase, the demand for health care has grown. Increase your marketability through internships, work experience, good grades, and college/community service activities.

A Sample of Related Occupations

Ambulatory Care Nurse	IV Therapy Nurse	Oncology Nurse
Acute Care Nurse	Maternity Nurse	Operating Room Nurse
Camp Nurse	Midwife	Pediatric Nurse
Clinical Nurse Specialist	Nurse Administrator	Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse
Critical Care Nurse	Nurse Geneticist	Public Health Nurse
Dialysis Nurse	Nurse Practitioner	Quality Assurance Nurse
Emergency Room Nurse	Nurse Researcher	Rehabilitation Nurse
Geriatric & Long Term Care Nurse	Nursing Educator	School Nurse
Home Health Nurse	Occupational Health Nurse	Traveling Nurse

Types of Employers

Private & Nonprofit Organizations
Clinics	HMO's	Physician's offices
Colleges and universities	Hospices	Psychiatric hospitals
Corporate health services	Hospitals	Public health agencies
Educational settings	Laboratories	Rehabilitation centers
Health care agencies	Nursing homes	Senior centers
Home health agencies	Pharmaceutical companies	World Health Organization

Government Agencies
Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality	Department of Veterans Affairs	National Institute of Health
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry	Food and Drug Administration	NJ Department of Health and Senior Services
Bureau of Prisons	Food and Nutrition Service	NJ Department of Human Services
Center for Disease Control & Prevention	Indian Health Service	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Department of Health & Human Services	Maternal & Child Health Bureau	US Armed Services
		US Public Health Service

Jobs Obtained by Rutgers Graduates

First Jobs of Recent Graduates
Cardiac Care Unit Nurse, RWJ Univ. Hospital	OR Nurse, NYU Medical Center
Community Health Nurse, VNA of Central Jersey	Rehabilitation Nurse, Kessler Institute
Critical Care Nurse, St. Michael's Medical Center	School Nurse, Glenridge Board of Education
Labor Room Nurse, St. Peter's Medical Center	Staff Nurse, Hackensack Medical Center
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Morristown Hosp.

Jobs of Experienced Alumni	Nurse Case Manager, Overlook Hospital
Adult Nurse Practitioner, Dept. of Veterans Affairs (MSN)	Nursing Instructor, Concord Institutes
Assistant Director, Quality Assurance, UMDNJ (MBA)	Nursing Supervisor, Bayada Nurses
Chief Health Analyst, New York State Senate (MPA Health Administration)	Occupational Health Nurse, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
Clinical Scientist, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.	Patient Advocate, St. Joseph's Medical Center (PhD Nursing)
Clinical Supervisor Home Infusion, Medishare	Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, CAMcare Health Corp. (MSN)
Director LEAP Project/Nurse, Dept. of Veterans Affairs	Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (MSN)
Director of Clinical Services, Care Givers Placement Agency (MPA Health Policy)	Project Manager, NYS Dept. of Health (MPA Health Administration)
Education Coordinator, Mountainside Hospital	Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Center for Family Guidance (MSN)
Elder Care Counselor, Elder Care Referral Services (MSW)	Registered Nurse, Children’s Seashore House
General Manager, Odyssey Health Care of NJ	Registered Nurse, Children's Specialized Hospital
Head Nurse, RWJ University Hospital	Senior Research Coordinator, Cardiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Health Care Consultant, CNA Insurance Companies (MPA Health Policy)	Staff Surgical Nurse, Morristown Memorial Hospital
Manager, Case Management, HealthNet Federal Services	Vice President, H.P.A.E. (Nurse's union)
Manager, Medical Writing, Aventis Pharmaceuticals (PhD Neuroscience)

Graduate Schools Attended

Columbia University, M.Ed, Health Education	Rutgers University, MS, Nursing
Columbia University, MS, Health Services Admin.	Rutgers University, MSW, Social Work
Fairleigh Dickinson University, MBA, Management	Rutgers University, PhD Nursing
	University of Pennsylvania, MSN, Nursing

Additionally, you may:

Explore the career paths of RU Alumni Career Network mentors.
Go to the Rutgers Online Career Planning Site to explore your interests, skills and values. Use the program for either: High School Students | College Students.
Explore Rutgers University academic department information related to this major.
See the Occupational Outlook Handbook for additional career information.
Pick up your "Career Opportunities" handouts at any New Brunswick Career Services office.

Still Have Questions? Ask a Career Counselor.