A home nurse is also called a "private nurse" in some areas. These nurses provide expert care for people who do not need to stay in the hospital but who are confined to the home as a result of an injury or illness.

An in-home nurse is not only needed for older folks though the elderly comprise the largest group of people needing home nursing care. Often a young person recovering from an operation or other disabling problems also need home nurses. The duration of time for home care can vary from just a few days to months or longer.

Private nurses will be expected to have a thorough knowledge of checking the patient's blood pressure, changing bandages, dispensing medications, keeping records of patient activities and reporting the results to the attending physician.

In addition to standard nursing services, private nurses must be ready to serve in activities such as cooking and preparing meals, cleaning the bedroom, bathing the patient.

Prison Nursing
(Picture) Hallway at Acastadero State Nursing Hospital in California

Prisons in the US are overflowing. Some
prisons are large enough to have their own zip codes. The need for prison nurses is growing as the prison population rises since medical
care is important for prisoners as well.

Do you watch CSI and wonder how you can get involved in such an exciting career? Then forensic nursing may be the right choice for you. Forensic nurses are specialized nurses that help collect evidence and work within the legal system. While it sounds glamorous, forensic nursing is a challenging field that requires special training.

Forensic nurses can work in a variety of settings. Most forensic nurses specialize in collecting evidence from victims of sexual assault or other violent crimes. They sometimes take part in investigations of deaths. In addition, they may work in education or work with the prison population. While you don't

need a special certificate to work as a forensic nurse, it's not a bad idea to get one. This is a relatively new field and having a certification means that you've proven you have certain knowledge and that you're participating in current training.

The International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) offers the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) certification. In order to become certified you must be at least an RN in good standing and have practiced for at least 2 years as an RN. In addition you must have completed 40 hours of continuing education or 3 semester hours of education in sexual assault nursing from an accredited school or organization.

In addition, you must also complete a SANE clinical practice that allows you to practice skills in a supervised capacity. Finally, once you meet those requirements you'll be eligible to take an exam and become SANE certified.

The IAFN has gathered together a list of education programs that offer training in forensic nursing. It can be found at: http://www.iafn.org/cmpublic/education/list.cfm. In addition, once you're certified you can take continuing education online with the IAFN or attend workshops and seminars across the country.

Working in forensic nursing may be the right career for you if you're very detail oriented and enjoy working in the legal system. It does take a special kind of person to work in this field, however. Not only will you be dealing with collecting evidence from the dead, you'll also work with living victims most of the time.

Someone investigating a career in forensic nursing needs to be very professional and also compassionate when dealing with someone who has been recently sexually assaulted or been the victim of another violent crime.

The pay range for forensic nurses is wide. Your salary will vary greatly depending on what you do with your certificate.

Community health nurses work for cities, towns and counties. They will travel in their area to educate the public about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and how to avoid
health risks. These nurses need presentation and speaking skills because they work in schools and churches as well as other community groups.

Managed Nursing Care

HMO's and insurance companies employ nurses to work for them. They educate people in the insured companies about disease prevention, nutrition and healthy lifestyles. This keeps the cost down for the insurance companies and the companies.

Nursing Educator

The booming nursing industry is always on the lookout for qualified nurse teachers. If you love teaching this would be a great job for you. A Master's degree is required and some nursing experience as well.

Administrative Nursing

If you have the talent to manage people and you enjoy working in an office environment, the job as a nursing administrator may appeal to you. You would
work for hospitals, medical clinics, nursing staffing, and health care providers.

Occupational Nursing

Your job as an occupational nurse will be in the business sector working for larger companies, especially factories. You will design health and safety programs for the company. You will also be
giving speeches about healtcare and heading up clinics within the company you work for.

Pain Management Nursing
This is a fast growing area of nursing. As a full time pain management nurse you
will work in hospitals, patient's homes, and hospices. The majority of patiens
needing pain care will have cancer. You will need a Master's degree for this
job.

School Nursing

As the population increases so does the school population. Special needs
children require attention in regular schools. You may work full time for a
single school or you may be hired by a school district and travel between
schools in that district. If you love working with children this may be just the
job for you!

(Picture)
California nurses march to support Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko"


Substance Abuse Nursing

In this position you will work directly with people who have addiction to drugs.
You may be a private counselor or work in detox clinics. Your job is to get
patients off the drugs and to keep them off drugs when they leave your care.
That is no small task so you need a stiff upper lip.


Certified Nurse Midwife

This is a rapidly growing profession in the US and other countries. You will
need a Master's degree for this job. You will work with expecting mothers for
their prenatal care. If you work in a health center you may even be the catcher
of the babies. ("delivery" is a term that should be relegated to
mothers, not health care providers)

Temp Nursing

This position is useful for nurses who want to "test the water" in a particular nursing environment. You will be sent to hospitals and other
healthcare facilities. You could work for a day, week, or longer depending on the need of the provider. This position give you a lot of flexibility in your life.

Other nursing jobs

Some nurses work for law firms that specialize in medical malpractice. Others work writing grants for non-profit companies and organizations. Maybe you would like to work as a military nurse. Perhaps you would like to write for a magazine or for owners of websites who are always looking for good and fresh content.

Author Bio
Greg Cryns is the owner of Nursing Programs Online.com
http://www.nursingprogramsonline.com
Greg's blog: http://nursingprogramsonline.blogspot.com