This document discusses various career pathways and specializations in nursing. It begins with an overview of the speaker's background and qualifications. It then outlines 10 common nursing specialties, including neonatal intensive care nursing, intensive/critical care nursing, nurse management, nurse education, and others. For each specialty, it provides a brief overview of the role and typical path to specialization, including educational requirements. It notes that there is no single normal nursing career path, as nurses can specialize in different areas and have long, varied careers. The document aims to provide nursing students and professionals with information on potential specialties to consider.

1. Healthcare
Career Pathways
in Nursing
PSSG SHAN DAVE T TUPAS, RN
TRAINING OFFICER- MANILA POLICE DISTRICT

3. 2008 – Graduated on College BSN and
Passed Nursing Licensure Exam,
Red Cross Volunteer Instructor
2008-2010- Clinical Instructor/Professor
At Universidad De Manila
2011 – Entered PNP Service, Conducted
Various Lecture and Seminars local
and International
Current – Training PNCO, ICITAP
Graduate, PNP Instructor
Developmental Course, Tesda
Registered EMS-NCII (Occupational
First Aid & BLS with AED)

7. Learning Objectives: At the end of the sharing,
the participants will be able to:
Understand Career Orientation and
Career Path
Identify what are the Roles of a Nurse
Enumerate Different Nursing Career
Identify (Why Nursing ???) Philosophy of
a Nurse Police

8. Career Orientation
 Career orientation tests are frequently given in
high school to assist students in preparing for
their future, and to begin deciding what career
paths they want to pursue in college. Of
course, adults who want to change course, or
who feel dissatisfied in their jobs, are free to
take career orientation tests as well.

9. Career Path
 is a sequence of jobs that leads to your short- and long-
term career goals. Some follow a linear career path
within one field, while others change fields periodically to
achieve career or personal goals.
 career path is a series of jobs that help you progress
towards your goals and objectives.
 Your career path includes the jobs you’ll need to hit your
ultimate career goal, but it doesn’t need to follow a
straight line. There’s no blueprint or timetable for
climbing the career ladder.
 Career paths traditionally imply vertical growth or
advancement to higher-level positions, but they can also
include lateral (sideways) movement within or across
industries.

10. What does a “Normal” Nursing Career Path look like?
 For many professions, a “normal” career path is relatively simple: Start in a
junior-level specialized role, then advance to either a senior specialized role or
a management position; from there, it’s a climb to higher-level management
positions.
 Nursing career paths, however, aren’t quite as tidy. There are several
educational levels for nurses, which translates to several entry points into the
field. Add to that the fact that many nurses are perfectly happy to spend their
careers working in a specific, specialized role, and it becomes clear that there’s
really no such thing as a normal nursing career path—normal is what you make
it.
 Whether your sights are set on a management role or on finding your groove in
a specialized care unit, it certainly helps to know the path ahead. That’s why we
compiled 10 of the more common nursing specialties to provide you with a
sampling of the various different ways you can break into a fulfilling career as a
nurse.

12. 10 Common Nursing Career Specialties to Consider
1. Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses
2. Intensive/Critical Care Unit Nurse
3. Nurse Manager/ Head Nurses/Nurse Supervisor
4. Nurse educator/Clinical Instructor
5. Case management nurse
6. Medical-surgical nurse
7. Perioperative (OR) nurse
8. Labor & Delivery nurse
9. Emergency Nurse
10. Home Health Care Nurse/Private Duty Nurse

13. 1. Overview: NICU work with very ill or prematurely born babies.
These babies are often in need of immediate critical care due to
birth defects or underdevelopment. As you may imagine, this
specialization can be simultaneously very rewarding and quite
emotionally taxing. No family wants to see their newborn in the
NICU, but helping families by fighting for their infants’ full recovery
can be incredibly fulfilling work.
 Path to specialization: To specialize as a neonatal intensive care
nurse, you’ll first need to become a registered nurse by earning
either an Associate’s degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of
Science in Nursing (BSN) and passing the NCLEX-RN exam.
From there, you will need to build experience as a registered nurse
in a neonatal setting. After earning experience, you may want to try
your hand at earning the Critical Care Registered Nurse
(CCRN)® Neonatal certification
1. Neonatal intensive care nurses

14.  2. Overview: Critical care nurses—also known as intensive care nurses—are
devoted to caring for patients whose ailments are life-threatening. In this role,
you’ll need to be keenly aware of fluctuations in patient status and able to think
on your feet when determining the best course of action. This position typically
has a smaller patient load, but because of their serious conditions, you’ll still
have your hands full in caring for them.
 Path to specialization: To work as a critical care nurse, you will need at least
an Associate’s degree in Nursing (ADN); however, some employers may
prefer candidates to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). You will
also need to pass the NCLEX-RN examination. Experience requirements may
vary, but in many cases, you’ll need some general nursing experience in order
to be considered. After you’ve built up some experience, you can choose to
earn your Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)® Adult certification.
2. Intensive / Critical Care Nurse

15. 3. Nurse Manager
 Overview: Nurse managers are tasked with many of the administrative and
managerial duties related to overseeing a nursing unit. This leadership position
requires an expertise in the unit they’re in charge of, as well as an ability to collaborate
with physicians and healthcare facility administrators. This role will require you to lean
on years of accumulated experience, but it will also allow you to pass on some of your
practical wisdom to up-and-coming nurses.
 Path to specialization: As a senior role in nursing, the road to becoming a nurse
manager is relatively lengthy. To start, you’ll most likely want to earn a Bachelor of
Science in Nursing (BSN) and pass the NCLEX-RN licensure exam. Your next step
will be building nursing experience in a specialized area. Some employers may prefer
candidates to have a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree as well, but
practical experience can act as a counterbalance for those with less formal education.
Management roles are typically based on education, experience and ability—you’ll
need to prove you’re up to par in all three, so be sure to seek out leadership
opportunities and ways to show you are management material.

16. 4. Nurse Educator / Clinical Instructor
 Overview: A perfect role for a natural mentor, nurse educators are responsible
for educating and training would-be nurses. In addition to the hands-on
instruction of students, nurse educators may also conduct research that can
help improve nursing standards and the effectiveness of treatment. This
position could be done in a classroom setting or in a clinicalsetting where they
train and supervise new nurses and nursing students.
 Path to specialization: To become a nurse educator, you’ll need to earn your
stripes. You’ll likely want to start out by earning a Bachelor of Science in
Nursing degree, passing the NCLEX-RN exam and gaining clinical experience.
Many nurse educator positions will require a post-graduate degree like
a Master of Science in Nursing or even a Doctorate degree. If you’d like to
work as a nurse educator in a clinical setting, the educational requirements
may be offset by proven work experience.

17. 5. Case Management
 Overview: Case management nurses work with patients who are
dealing with long-term chronic illnesses like cancer or multiple
sclerosis. As a case manager, you’ll help patients with treatment
options and work with insurance providers to verify your patients
receive efficient and effective care.
 Path to specialization: To become a case management nurse,
you’ll need to earn at least an Associate’s degree in
Nursing (ADN) and pass the NCLEX-RN exam. After building some
nursing experience, you may want to start working toward
a Nursing Case Management certification from the American
Nurses Credentialing Center.

18. 6. Medical Surgical Nurse
 Overview: Working as a medical-surgical nurse is a common entry point into
the field for new nurses. These nurses work in nearly any healthcare facility,
providing direct care to patients—sort of as a nursing jack-of-all-trades. In this
role, you’ll care for patients dealing with a variety of ailments—you’ll check
them in, administer medications, monitor their vital signs and perform
physician-ordered tests, and that’s just a sampling of the work these nurses do
every day.
 Path to specialization: There are a few paths to working as a medical-surgical
nurse, you’ll need to first earn either a Licensed Practical Nursing Diploma,
an Associate’s degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in
Nursing (BSN) as well as pass the NCLEX exam. If you’d like to focus your
nursing career in a medical-surgical setting long term, you may want to earn
the Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse® credential from the
Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification Board.

19. 7. Perioperative (OR) Nurse
 Overview: Perioperative—also known as operating room (OR)—nurses are
responsible for the care of patients before, during and after surgical
procedures. In this role, you’ll spend a large portion of your time assisting
surgeons during procedures. You’ll need a strong stomach and an ability to
think quickly in high-pressure situations, as the procedures you’ll assist with
can be a matter of life and death. This sometimes-high-pressure specialization,
however, benefits from smaller patient loads and a great deal of variety in your
work.
 Path to specialization: There are a few paths to working in a perioperative
setting. You’ll need to earn either a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN)
Diploma, an Associate’s degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science
in Nursing (BSN) and pass the NCLEX exam. From there, you can begin
building experience in emergency or critical care units. You may also want to
consider earning the Certified Nurse Operating Room certification.

20. 8. Labor and Delivery Nurse
 Overview: As a labor and delivery nurse, you’ll focus on bringing
new lives into the world—and, in turn, changing the lives of their
parents. These nurses assist patients during labor and childbirth,
keeping a close eye on vital signs for both mother and infant while
assisting physicians along the way. You’ll play a special role in
patients’ lives, but, as with nearly any nursing job, there can be
some emotional moments should complications arise. That being
said, if you enjoy the rush of quickly making critical-care decisions,
and the joys that come with welcoming a baby to the world, then
this may be a perfect specialization for you.

21. Con’t
 Path to specialization: To become a labor and delivery nurse,
you’ll need to first earn either an Associate’s degree in
Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). After
completing your college coursework, you’ll need to pass the
NCLEX-RN exam. From there, you’ll want to gain experience in a
labor and delivery unit and consider potentially earning a
certification. It is worth noting that there are labor and delivery
nursing positions available to licensed practical nurses (LPNs)
as well, which may be appealing for nurses looking to get started
in this field in a shorter amount of time.

22. 9. Emergency Nurse
 Overview: As an emergency nurse, you’ll spend your time caring for patients
in dire need of immediate care. The work can be intense—you never know
when some unexpected disaster could result in an overflowing emergency
room—but that’s part of the appeal for many. The patients and ailments you
treat in the ER will vary substantially from day to day, which means you’ll have
to stay sharp and rely on teamwork to manage it all. It’s also true that many
emergency nurses get the opportunity to administer treatments that nurses in
other specializations may not—this is because patient situations in the ER can
escalate quickly and require immediate attention, so medical personnel must
act quickly.

23. Con’t
 Path to specialization: There are multiple paths to
working as an emergency nurse, you’ll need to first
earn either a Licensed Practical Nursing Diploma,
an Associate’s degree in Nursing (ADN) or
a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) as well as
pass the NCLEX exam. Your next step will be to earn
experience in an emergency nursing role. After you’ve
gained some experience, you may choose to earn
an Emergency Nursing certification.

24. 10. Home Health Care Nurse/ Private Duty Nurse
 Overview: Home healthcare nurses focus on providing
long-term care for patients—typically, the elderly, young
children with developmental struggles and those who have
limited mobility. This nursing specialization is typically met
with a smaller patient load, so you’ll have plenty of
opportunity to build strong connections with the patients in
your care. You’ll need to be a strong, independent worker in
this role, but that independence is often part of the
appeal—home healthcare nurses get to avoid some of the
hustle and bustle of a busy hospital or clinic.

25. con’t..
 Path to specialization: To become a home healthcare nurse
you have a few options—first, you’ll need to earn either
a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Diploma, an Associate’s
degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in
Nursing (BSN). After completing your schooling, you’ll need to
pass the NCLEX exam. Depending on employer preference,
you may need to build general nursing experience, but many
home healthcare nurse positions are available to recent
graduates

26. Other Career Non-Hospital Setting
1. Military Nurse
2. Police Nurse
3. Fire Nurse
4. Nurse Lawyer
5. Nurse Entrepreneur/ Business

27. ”Success without a
Successor is Not a
Success”