You've earned your nursing degree, passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN®) and received your state license as a registered nurse—congratulations! You may be asking yourself...Now what? How do I make the most of my nursing education and choose the right career?
"When it comes to finding a career as an RN, you must first figure out what your passion is in nursing," says Rasmussen University Instructor and Psychiatry Resident Physician, Alex Sher, DO, MSN, APRN.
"Does the hospital intrigue you?” Sher asks. “What floor do you seem to be most engaged in and see yourself happy to step foot in?”
“Or if the hospital is not your thing—don’t fret!” Sher laughs. “A career in nursing goes way beyond the inpatient side of things.”
If you’d like a vision of what lies beyond your registered nursing license, here are some examples!
1. Step back and think about what you most want
When you consider any next step in your career, it’s important to start with your goals.
This is especially true in nursing, where your options increase exponentially as you gain experience and/or education.
So, ask yourself some clarifying questions.
- What excites me most about being a nurse? You may be passionate about direct patient care, being a nurse educator or driving health care policy and patient outcomes. Your area of interest will help guide you to the right nursing profession.
- What haven’t I tried yet? If you are only just starting nursing school, keep your mind open to different types of experiences and try to get a bit of experience in as many areas of nursing as possible. You never know what you might love.
- What kind of schedule do I want? Nursing careers exist in all kinds of places. Are you looking for a more traditional 9-5 schedule? Would you prefer 3 days on, 4 days off kind of arrangement? Are you cool with working nights? Would you prefer to work hard for 6 months, then take a month off? Nurses have a dizzying number of options for scheduling. If you are open about the kind of nursing you’ll do—you can target a schedule you might prefer.
Check out Where Do Registered Nurses Work? 11 Places You Didn't Know About for more!
- What type of nursing practice do I want to focus on? If you're looking to be involved with direct patient care, you may work as a registered nurse, monitoring patients' symptoms, administering medication and contributing to their medical plan. If you envision yourself in a leadership or educator role, you're likely to need a master's degree in nursing so you can become an advanced practice registered nurse.
2. Lean on your nursing network
Many nursing students begin their registered nursing programs ready to study hard. And that’s amazing! Sometimes, that’s all you can handle for the moment. But by the end of the program, you’ll likely realize that you’ve been laying the groundwork for potential career opportunities as well!
“The job hunt starts as soon as you enter nursing school,” Sher says. “Your professors can advise you, inform you of job openings, and help direct you to networking events and human resource managers.” These are all important resources.
“When you start clinicals at local hospitals or skilled nursing facilities, the staff takes notice of who they would like to work with,” Sher adds. So go into those clinicals prepared to make a good impression!
“Upon graduation, you can apply to these facilities,” Sher says. “And if you performed well during your time there, a job most likely will be waiting."
3. Browse job postings and association websites for ideas
There are many ways to start your search for the right nursing career for you. Whether you have already been working as an RN or not—career resources can help you see what’s out there. A few ideas...
- Visit sites like LinkedIn and Indeed.com
- Check out specialized sites like Health eCareers and the American Nurses Association Career Center
- Attend nursing conferences to network and meet potential employers
- Join nursing associations like the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses®, Oncology Nursing Society®, the National Black Nurses Association® or the American Nurses Association® chapter in your state
- Access career services through your university
- Look for job postings through specific types of employers like hospitals or doctor's offices
4. Look into different nursing specialties
As a registered nurse, you have so many choices ahead of you. Today's nursing practice offers many divergent opportunities. There are numerous nursing specialties available, from pediatric nursing to oncology nursing!
"I learned about the various specialties once I began working as a registered nurse," Sher says. "When you are on the hospital floor working, you interact with the nurses on your unit—and you also meet other nurses.”
During your shifts, you will likely meet float nurses who have experience on a different floor. You might meet travel nurses or just run into nurses of other specialties when you transfer patients or meet people in the cafeteria, according to Sher.
"You will also meet other allied health professionals, who will open your eyes beyond your current realm,” Sher adds. All of these people see different parts of nursing and healthcare than you do, and they can all open your eyes to other interesting opportunities.
For example, you could seek a career as a...
- Holistic nurse - Considering the whole person in providing patient care
- Critical care transport nurse - Stabilizing patients and administering treatment while they're being transported to a hospital
- Mental health nurse - Supporting patients as they deal with behavioral health issues
- Research nurse - Helping conduct clinical trials to advance healthcare
- Clinical informatics nurse - Analyzing nursing informatics / technology to help improve healthcare processes and patient care12
5. Ask about incentives or tuition reimbursement programs
Sometimes the type of nursing you want to specialize in (or advance into) requires new certification or even another degree. If that’s the case, ask your healthcare employer what they offer to help you reach your goal!
“Reach out to your nursing educator at your hospital,” Sher advises, explaining that they might already offer free courses or discounted classes for employees. They might also support you through a new degree program.
“This will give you ideas on how to advance your nursing knowledge and at less cost to you,” Sher says.
"Your additional knowledge and certification does not go unnoticed,” Sher says. “Several hospitals I worked at would increase your pay when you advanced your nursing education.”
For example, Sher says nurses at his hospitals would receive a pay increase if they earned their bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN) degree. “This was true for nurses who obtained nursing specialty certifications or who earned their master's in nursing (MSN) as well."
6. Pay attention to your continuing education (CE) requirements
Registered nurses need to complete a certain number of continuing education hours per year to retain their RN license. The specifics vary by state.
A state-by-state guide of continuing education requirements for RNs is a helpful starting point!4 But be sure to double check this with your state board of nursing’s website to verify that everything is correct and up to date. They are the final authority on CE requirements.
"Keeping up with continuing education is very important," Sher says. "As a nurse in Florida, I had to renew my license every two years.”
“In Florida, nurses need 24 approved continuing education hours every biennium,” Sher explains. “It is important to remember that a course in domestic violence is required every third biennium, and the hours are in addition to the 24 hours required for renewal.”
Become familiar with those small nuances, as otherwise this may cause your license to become delinquent and you will incur fines, according to Sher.
“If you do not rectify this, you may end up with a license that is revoked,” Sher says. “And when this happens, the board of nursing will decide your fate, with some situations involving retaking the NCLEX®."
If you have the chance to choose some of your continuing education hours—take advantage of that and look into an aspect of nursing you haven’t tried before.
The American Nurses Association® offers education on topics such as infection prevention, gestational diabetes and primary care nursing.6 Professional development nursing programs may also include:
- Learning new technologies through nursing informatics
- Gaining certifications in topics of nursing specialties such as gerontological nursing, nurse executive, and pediatric nursing7
- Enhancing core skills such as critical thinking, communication and risk management
7. Try a new work setting
As you embark on your nursing career, you'll discover that nurses work in many varied settings, including:
- Magnet hospitals (if you have a BSN degree)
- Emergency rooms
- Clinics
- Nursing homes
- Residential care facilities
- Mental health settings
- Schools
- Substance abuse / recovery centers
- Hospice centers
- Prisons
You can also choose to be a home health aide, where you're providing care in patients' homes.
“There are so many avenues to explore,” Sher says. “You could go into informatics, community nursing, academics, research, military and outpatient, to name a few.”
8. Try a change of location with travel nursing
The nursing shortage has led to an increase in opportunities for travel nurses.1 Registered nurses may choose to work for a nursing staffing agency that dispatches them to areas where there is a high demand for their skills. If you're interested in travel and trying different experiences—and have a lifestyle where this mobility is possible—travel nursing could be for you.
Being a travel nurse is an exciting way to learn firsthand about what it's like to work in different environments. One time you may work in a neonatal unit and the next you'd be in a busy emergency room. Most nursing staffing agencies require travel nurses to have completed at least two years of work, so it's not a nursing career you can usually start right after college.
Requirements for travel nurses
In addition to holding an associate degree in nursing or a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), travel nurses must be licensed in the state where they live. Thanks to the Nurse Licensure Compact, licensed registered nurses from most states can practice in 39 other states without having to get a separate license.2
If you'll be working in a state that isn't part of the compact, however, you'll need to look into getting a temporary license in that state.
Like all other registered nurses, travel nurses must maintain regular certifications such as Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support.
9. Advance your nursing education
Often nursing professionals wonder which level of degree they should pursue. Many RNs start begin with an associate degree in nursing and then return to school to earn their BSN degree to enhance their career prospects.
The BSN degree
For example, nurses with a bachelor's degree can apply to work at magnet hospitals and receive specialty certifications.3
At magnet hospitals, nurses can have greater input over the medical decisions of patients. Magnet hospitals often offer better nurse-to-patient ratios as well.
Learn what it takes to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing.
The MSN degree
If you already have your BSN degree and are considering becoming a nurse practitioner, you may want to pursue your graduate education with a specialized MSN-NP degree.13
If you'd like to have a leadership role and/or be responsible for overseeing direct patient care, becoming an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) may be right for you. If this is the next step in your nursing career, you'll be able to:
- Diagnose and treat illnesses
- Prescribe medications (depending on state laws)
- Provide medical interventions
- Weigh in on public health issues
Advanced practice registered nurses may choose to become nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives or clinical nurse specialists.
In terms of nursing career advancement, advanced practice registered nurses may go on to become nurse educators, nurse managers or directors of nursing.
In these roles, you can have an impact on healthcare at a higher level. For example, a director of nursing manages nursing staff, oversees quality control and makes decisions that impact large populations of patients.
Requirements for advanced practice registered nurses
Becoming an advanced practice registered nurse requires:
- A registered nurse license and at least one year working as a registered nurse
- A master's degree in nursing
- Possibly additional certifications to gain licensure
Make your nursing career what you need it to be
In an industry as amazing as nursing, there’s no reason any nurse should work a job they dislike.
You have so many different routes you can try! "Do not rule out any career options in nursing until you have learned or experienced them,” Sher says. “Sometimes, the highest paying job is not the best one for you.”
If you are ready to try something new after becoming an RN, check out 17 Nursing Specialty Certifications, and What It Takes to Earn Them.
1How to Become a Travel Nurse, American Nurses Enterprise website (Accessed 6/17/25) https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-resources/how-to-become-travel-nurse/
2Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact web page, American Nurses Association website (Accessed 6/17/25) https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/advocacy/state/interstate-nurse-compact2/
3Magnet hospital web page, Springer Publishing Nursing Showcase (Accessed 6/17/25) https://www.acadiate.com/ee/SpringerPassport/Magnet_Hospitals
4State Continuing Education Requirements for Nursing, National Academies Press (Accessed 6/17/25) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594473/
5Continuing education web page, American Nurses Association website (Accessed 6/17/25) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594473/
6Professional Development: Why Your Nursing Career Is a Never Ending Story, ANA Nursing Resource Hub (Accessed 6/17/25) https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-resources/why-your-nursing-career-is-a-never-ending/
7NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc.
8American Nurses Association® is a registered trademark of American Nurses Association
9National Black Nurses Association, Inc.® is a registered trademark of National Black Nurses' Association, Inc.
10Oncology Nursing Society® is a registered trademark of Oncology Nursing Society
11American Association of Critical-Care Nurses® is a registered trademark of American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
12Additional/advanced education and/or work experience may be required to work as a Holistic Nurse, Critical Care Transport Nurse, Mental Health Nurse, Research Nurse or Clinical Informatics Nurse. It is important to check professional licensing/certification requirements with the appropriate board or agency in your state of residence.
13Rasmussen University’s Master of Science in Nursing Nurse Practitioner Specializations degree programs are not available to residents of all states. Please speak with an Admissions Representative to determine your eligibility for enrollment.
