Lesser Known Registered Nursing Specialties

Most of us are at least familiar with registered nursing specialties such as school nursing, medical-surgical nursing (sometimes shortened to “med-surg”) and pediatric nursing. If you watch much television or many movies, you’ve surely also noticed flight nurses in action. Wikipedia lists over 60 nursing specialties, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center offers 27 specialty certifications.

What about the many lesser-known, but often growing, nursing specialties you don’t likely come across as regularly? Let’s summarize some of those.

Informatics Nursing

Informatics nurses are responsible for system implementation and optimization. They incorporate information technology into their workplaces and train other staff on new technology. They may manage and communicate patient and hospital data as well. Many in this field hold an advanced degree. According to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, the average annual salary for a nurse informaticist is $100,717. If you are good at working with technology and data, this is a great specialty with growing opportunities.

Lactation Nursing

The CDC’s 2013 US Breastfeeding Report Card states that 77% of US infants now begin breastfeeding, with 49% still breastfeeding at six months (up from 35% in 2000). As more and more babies are breastfed, the demand for lactation education and support has increased. Lactation nurses generally provide this kind of consultation and education for new mothers and families. You should consider this specialty if you like working with new mothers and newborns.

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