Top 10 Jobs for Retired Nurses

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Written by Kathleen Walder Content Writer, IntelyCare
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Reviewed by Ayana Dunn, BSN, RN Content Writer, IntelyCare
Retired nurse on a shift

Retirement: It’s a huge accomplishment that you’ve probably been looking forward to for years. It’s finally up to you how to spend your time, whether that’s with your grandkids, in the garden, or traveling around the world.

But maybe you’ve also thought about keeping busy with work just a bit — this time on your terms. Those retirement gifts you received might make you miss being around fellow nurses. You might want a bit of spending money. If you haven’t thought about jobs for retired nurses until now, we have some ideas for you.

10 Best Jobs for Retired Nurses

If you’re considering working after retiring from nursing but aren’t sure what you could do, think about what fits best with your new lifestyle. You can work remote jobs, part-time jobs, or seasonal jobs that use your nursing skills. You could also make yourself available for on-call or temporary assignments. You might even think about starting a business. Here are our picks for the top 10 best jobs for retired nurses.

10. Care Clinic Nurse

Communities, local pharmacies, and urgent care facilities have onsite clinics to administer flu shots or to check patients with minor health concerns or questions. You’ll also find telehealth services where you can consult with patients via phone or video conferencing. You can help them directly or be a triage source to ensure they go to an ER if necessary.

Check out the latest urgent care nurse jobs.

9. Consultant

Companies that manufacture medical products often hire nurses to consult about marketing, product management, and other components of their businesses. Consultant work can be for full-time jobs for retired nurses or gig work where you are called in to help on a case-by-case basis.

8. First Aid/CPR Instructor

The community health centers in your area may hold classes to teach first aid or CPR. If they do, you can volunteer to help. If they don’t have these classes on their calendar, consult or volunteer to get classes going.

7. Freelance Health Writer or Reviewer

Websites, magazines, and other media producers that work with medical topics must ensure that content is medically accurate. You could write articles and other content, or edit writing from non-medical writers to check it for accuracy. Reach out to publications and inquire about their needs.

6. Health Coach/Nutritionist

If you want to hang out a shingle and start a business, health coaching may be your ideal job. Much like a personal trainer, a health coach works one on one with a client to help them identify their health issues and work to improve their quality of life. You could work with clients who need better nutrition, want to lose weight, or need help managing a condition like diabetes. Learn more about how to become a nutritionist nurse or a fitness nurse.

5. Legal Nurse Consultant

As a legal consultant, you work with lawyers, insurance companies, and healthcare organizations to provide background or expert witness in legal cases about worker’s compensation, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Nurse consultants usually work on an as-needed basis. Learn more about how to become a legal nurse consultant.

4. Medical Missions Groups

Another volunteer activity is in the area of missions to underprivileged countries. You might find opportunities at a local house of worship or with international organizations like Doctors Without Borders. Medical missions can involve setting up clinics for health exams and vaccinations or larger projects like helping build a healthcare center.

3. Healthcare Exam Proctor

Medical exam sessions need proctors to sit in on tests for nurses and other healthcare professionals. You monitor the room and enforce testing rules. You can work part-time on a gig basis for a local school or exam center.

2. Tutor Nursing Students for the NCLEX Exam

You’ve been there — preparing to take the test to begin your nursing career. You can market your tutoring service at local colleges and universities to work one-on-one with students or hold study groups.

1. Work as a Nurse on Your Own Schedule

If you’re really missing nursing, the best jobs for retired nurses might just be those where you have complete control of how much, where, and when you want to work. Working per diem with IntelyCare is a great option for current or retired nurses who want to customize their schedules. What are you waiting for? Check out all the per diem jobs available right now!