Have you been curious about what are the best jobs for nurses over 50?
We truly did our homework here at Midlife Nursing. We know that our older adult nurses are ready to bring their knowledge, and experience, to the forefront of their careers. And we need them in these types of roles that usually require more experience.
In addition, we also paid attention to making sure that there is a good amount of jobs listed for these roles in the job search engines.
This is a very popular search that is typed into Google. Nursing is a tough job, and naturally, we have to plan to accommodate our aging bodies. The older adult nurse population is extremely valuable. Sadly, many are retiring early due to burnout, and the hospital environments are only getting more chaotic. Many nurses fear for their licenses working in these stressful environments.
Wisdom, experience, and years of dedication can be hard to find in any field these days, and we want to keep our nurses working for as long as possible. This is also a great list for younger nurses to read as well though because these are super cool specialties. It’s definitely a good idea to keep these interesting positions in mind for the future.
Wherever your situation falls, we feel confident that these are great nursing specialties for the older adult and experienced nurses.
1. PACU Plastic Surgery Nurse
PACU stands for post-anesthesia care unit. A nurse working in this role is responsible for taking care of patients who are coming off of anesthesia. While a PACU nurse can work in many different surgical environments, we chose plastic surgery as one of our best jobs for nurses over 50. This is because they would be taking care of patients who are there electively, and are who are required to be healthy, and stable before they receive their elective surgery.
The PACU nurse will treat the patient’s pain, nausea, monitor vital signs, and communicate all concerns with the doctor. This nurse will generally be involved in all the perioperative care of the patient. This means caring for the patient before, during, and after their surgery. This can be a highly rewarding position with interesting and different types of cases daily.
Benefits for the older adult nurse:
- Generally a full-time M-F, “9-5” style of schedule.
- You get to focus on just one patient for most of your shifts.
- Does not require a master’s degree.
- Most establishments offer competitive pay and benefits.
- This schedule would allow the nurse to maintain a PRN position at the hospital if they choose to.
Average requirements: Licensed RN, ADN, and sometimes BSN.
Average salary: 74K national average.
2. Public Health Nurse
Public health nurses play a very important role in their communities. They are also sometimes known as a “community health nurse”. Some of the different specialties this nurse can go into are community health, education, environmental health, epidemiology, global health, and health policy.
The main priority for nurses in this role is to improve health outcomes in their local communities. As you can see, there are many different facets you can focus on when working in public health. This is not a bedside nursing role, but your license is used to directly impact health outcomes for the local population. You will also work with government agencies such as WIC, schools, and Children’s Protective Services to name a few. This is a great opportunity for the older adult nurse to bring their much-needed knowledge and experience to the table.
Benefits for the older adult nurse:
- Generally a full-time M-F, “9-5” style of schedule.
- Working in an office environment.
- Does not require a master’s degree in most instances.
- Most establishments offer competitive pay and benefits.
- This schedule would allow the nurse to maintain a PRN position at the hospital if they choose to.
Average requirements: Licensed RN, ADN, and sometimes BSN.
Average salary: 61K national average.
3. Aesthetic Nurse
This is one of our favorites on our list of best jobs for nurses over 50.
The aesthetic nurse will work in plastic surgery offices, laser centers, dermatology offices, and medical spas. This nurse will perform advanced anti-aging skin techniques, for example, deep peels, which require their RN license. The aesthetic nurse will also give injections (ex: Botox, and Juvederm), cool sculpting, microneedling, etc., under a doctor’s supervision. Some nurses may even be trained in how to give facials, depending on the facility. Working in this environment, there are often opportunities to make commissions depending on the facility.
There are a lot of opportunities for advanced education in this specialty. There are many exciting conventions in the beauty world and many offices take a yearly trip to see what is new and innovative in the industry. This is a role that requires great care, safety, and a soothing and experienced presence. We believe our older adult nurses would thrive in this environment.
Benefits for the older adult nurse:
- Generally a full-time M-F, “9-5” style of schedule.
- Working in a busy, fun, and sometimes peaceful environment.
- Does not require a master’s degree in most instances.
- Most establishments offer competitive pay and benefits.
- The schedule would allow the nurse to maintain a PRN position at the hospital if they choose to.
Average requirements: Licensed RN, ADN, BSN.
Average salary: 85K national average.
4. Occupational Health Nurse
If you are a current nurse and have worked in the hospital, you are probably pretty familiar with what an occupational health nurse does.
Pre-employment, and new hospital employees, will deal a lot with occupational health at the beginning of their employment. Occupational health nurses will give the new, and prospective employees a physical. They will also give them their needed vaccines, draw titers, give drug screens, and fit certain employees for N95 masks, etc. Essentially, you get to be the employees’ nurse.
When employees are feeling under the weather at work, they will often be sent to occupational health to get an assessment done. The occupational health nurse will determine if the employee needs to stay home for a few days etc. In this position, you will also be a part of identifying hazard risks in the workplace. You will also more than likely work case management for employee injuries. You will work closely with human resources and other safety teams in the organization.
This is a great position for the older adult nurse who wants to step away from the bedside, but still loves working in the hospital environment.
Benefits for the older adult nurse:
- Generally a full-time M-F, “9-5” style of schedule.
- More of an office/clinic-style environment.
- Does not require a master’s degree typically.
- Most establishments offer competitive pay and benefits.
- This schedule would allow the nurse to maintain a PRN position at the hospital if they choose to.
Average requirements: Licensed RN, ADN, BSN.
Average Salary: 74K national average.
5. Diabetes Educator Nurse
Sometimes called a Diabetes Nurse Educator; this nurse not only educates adult patients with type 2 diabetes but also educates pediatric patients, and their families, usually regarding type 1 diabetes.
This nurse will develop and implement educational programs for patients, families, and the staff who also works with these patients. There is a lot of patient advocacy in this role, and community education is also involved.
Providing patients with a high-quality education that results in the patients, and their families, being able to successfully self-manage their care, is huge. As nurses know well, unmanaged diabetes is detrimental to human health. There is a lot of work to be done in this role in making sure patients know how to take care of their health at home.
Working closely with the American Diabetes Association is likely in this role. Successfully working with multidisciplinary teams, and being a part of establishing the plan of care for the patient, will be a requirement in most establishments. Working with federal, state, and local agencies in order to maximize resources, is typical.
This is a great role for the older adult nurse who has a passion for educating patients and in being a part of the solution to them living longer and healthier lives.
Benefits for the older adult nurse:
- Generally a full-time M-F, “9-5” style of schedule. *Travel likely will be required.
- Will work in different environments throughout the day, ex: clinic, office, patient’s home, different agencies, etc.
- Does not require a master’s degree typically.
- Most establishments offer competitive pay and benefits.
- This schedule would allow the nurse to maintain a PRN position at the hospital if they choose to.
Average requirements: Licensed RN, ADN, BSN.
Average salary: 80K national average.
6. Clinical Nurse Educator
The nurse who works in this role will be promoting best practices through staff development and education for their organization. This is an important part of the overall safety plan and for safe patient outcomes. The nurse in this role is a key resource for staff. You will play a heavy role in orientation, continuing education, and in-services. Policies and guidelines will be your main focus in this position.
This position is great for an older adult nurse with a lot of experience because this role requires a high level of understanding and knowledge in the medical field. A nurse in this role may implement and conduct critical skill competencies and check-offs. Managing the training schedules for new and existing staff will also be a part of this role. Your goal is to get the staff working at a competent and safe level of performance.
Many older adult nurses step into this role who enjoy teaching but don’t want to teach in nursing schools.
Benefits for the older adult nurse:
- Hours can vary due to classes, but generally, a daytime shift M-F “9-5” style schedule. *Travel may be required.
- Will work in different environments during the day ex: going to new employee orientations, running new employee orientation clinical skill check-offs, and conference rooms etc.
- Does not require a master’s degree typically.
- Most establishments offer competitive pay and benefits.
Average requirements: Licensed RN, ADN, BSN (usually preferred).
Average salary: 94K national average.
7. School Nurse
School nurses are definitely unsung heroes in our society.
They are our children’s first responders when we send them to school. Parents can breathe a little easier knowing that there is a medical professional on campus at all times. This would be a great position for an older adult nurse who would like to be in an administrative setting and work with children. The school nurse helps children who are in school who feel ill and those who may get hurt. The school nurse is also there to aid teachers and administrative staff as well.
The nurse who works in this position is also working on administrative tasks in addition to medical care, and they play an active role in the school. You definitely wouldn’t be sitting around all day waiting for a child to come through the door with a headache. These nurses coordinate vision and scoliosis checks and can also teach proper hygiene. School nurses also have to keep on top of the students’ vaccination records. Some children need medications administered during the school day, and only the school nurse can do this.
This is a great position for the nurse who is feeling burnt out on bedside care and who wants to make a difference in their community.
Benefits for the older adult nurse:
- A full-time, M-F position during school hours, with holidays and breaks off.
- Working in an administrative school building setting.
- Does not require a master’s degree typically.
- Most establishments offer full benefits and competitive pay.
- The schedule would allow the nurse to maintain a PRN position at the hospital if they choose to.
Average requirements: Licensed RN, ADN, BSN.
Average salary: 52K national average.
Best jobs for nurses over 50 Table
| Clinical Nurse Educator | 94,000K yearly avg. | Monday-Friday (usually yes) |
| Aesthetic Nurse | 85,000K yearly avg. | Monday-Friday (usually yes) |
| Diabetes Educator Nurse | 80,000K yearly avg. | Monday-Friday (usually yes) |
| PACU Plastic Surg. Nurse | 74,000K yearly avg. | Monday-Friday (usually yes) |
| Occupational Health Nurse | 74,000K yearly avg. | Monday-Friday (usually yes) |
| Public Health Nurse | 61,000K yearly avg. | Monday-Friday (usually yes) |
| School Nurse | 52,000K yearly avg. | Monday-Friday (yes) |
We hope you enjoyed learning about these interesting positions for nurses over 50. Do you agree? Do you have additional suggestions?
Feel free to let us know if you have applied to any of these positions recently. Thank you for stopping by our nursing blog!
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