Lessons learned from my own unplanned pivot, and how to make the same leap for yourself
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!
I never set out to leave bedside nursing. I didn’t wake up one day with a perfect plan for transitioning into a non-traditional nursing career. Instead, opportunities found me — often when I wasn’t even looking for them. My journey is proof that you don’t need a perfect plan to figure out how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career.
What no one tells you is that you don’t need to have a roadmap. You just need to take action, be visible, and say yes when the right opportunities come along. Looking back, my career was shaped by a combination of small steps, chance encounters, and decisions that, at the time, didn’t feel monumental — but ended up opening doors I never even knew existed.
If you’re wondering how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career, let me show you how my own journey unfolded, often in ways I never expected. Many nurses don’t realize that the skills they already have can translate into roles outside of direct patient care, allowing them to make a significant impact in healthcare in a different way.
Credibility opens doors — even when you don’t realize it
I got certified as an obstetrical nurse in 1984. At the time, certification was uncommon, and I was the only certified nurse in my hospital. I didn’t think of it as a career move — I just wanted recognition. But looking back, it gave me instant credibility. People took me seriously because I had the credentials to back up my knowledge.
After I earned a graduate degree as a clinical nurse specialist, I started seeking a position, but there were very few openings in the city where I lived. So, I approached my boss at the medical center where I already worked and proposed creating a job as a clinical nurse specialist. It took some persuasion, but she did — and I wrote my own job description. That role became a launchpad for so many unexpected opportunities.
In that position, I got to do all sorts of interesting work: writing policies and procedures, interacting with the local media for unusual cases, solving complex patient problems, and developing ways to track disposable pieces of equipment that were being used for purposes they weren’t designed for, thus cutting costs.
I also acted as a liaison between the obstetrics and pediatrics departments. In this role, I designed a competency-based orientation program for new labor and delivery nurses, then created a poster presentation and published three articles in a professional peer-reviewed journal about the project.
I sat on interdepartmental committees such as the Capital Spending Committee, where I helped guide decisions on resource allocation, and I established an interdisciplinary perinatal committee to improve maternal and infant outcomes. I also created continuing education courses and acted as a liaison between the obstetrics and pediatrics.
I wrote a learning module for the March of Dimes after they originally asked a physician to do it. When she didn’t have the time or inclination, she recommended me. The same thing happened when she was scheduled to speak at a national conference and a fellow speaker canceled just three days before the event. The conference director asked her for a recommendation, and she suggested me. At the time, I had never spoken at a national conference, and I had no lecture prepared. But I stepped in despite how unprepared I felt.
An attorney and I had become casually acquainted when we worked together on a small church project. Later, when she became involved in a wrongful infant death case, she reached out to me for information. That single request showed me how my nursing knowledge could be valuable outside of a hospital or university setting.
All these opportunities came to me because of my credibility and visibility. For anyone considering how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career, those are key factors. Whether through certification, advanced education, or years of experience, establishing yourself as an expert in your field can open unexpected doors.
Small moments can turn into big career shifts
Many of my biggest career moves started with something small — a conversation, a complaint to a producer or letter to the editor, or a willingness to step up.
Consider my first continuing education course. I never planned to go into education. But one day, the medical ICU called me to assess fetal heart rates (FHR) for a pregnant patient who had been admitted there. The ICU staff didn’t know how to auscultate FHRs, so I did the assessment myself for the first few days. Then I thought, Why not teach them how to do it?
I developed a quick 30-minute course for those nurses. That should have been the end of it — but soon after, my own labor and delivery unit needed fetal monitoring training, so I developed a 2-day course. Eventually, when staff education of any kind was needed, someone would say, “Oh, ask Marie. She does that kind of thing.” That one short session turned into a full-blown, multi-decade career in continuing education.
These small steps are often the first move for nurses figuring out how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career. You don’t need a full roadmap — just the willingness to step into new roles when opportunities arise.
Writing skills create visibility and credibility
Writing has been a major key to getting visibility and credibility in my career. At first, I didn’t set out to write professionally — I just saw problems that needed solutions.
I wrote a letter to the editor of Glamour magazine to correct false information in an article, and after that, they reached out to me. Later, sitting at a conference, I mumbled under my breath about the incorrect information the speaker had given. To my astonishment, the woman sitting next to me, who was an editor for a peer-reviewed journal, heard my comment. She asked me to elaborate on my thoughts, and the next thing I knew, she asked me to write an article for that journal. Fast forward a few years, I met a magazine editor at a convention. She asked me to become a columnist, and I wrote there for several years. When the magazine went out of business, I started my own newsletter, which later became a blog.
If you’re wondering how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career, one of the most effective ways to establish yourself is through writing, speaking, or engaging in thought leadership within your area of expertise.
Opportunities often come through connections
So many of my career opportunities came through people I already knew — or people who saw my work.
I complained to a medical media company about their learning materials. They asked me to become a consultant.
When my association’s publication was looking for its first editor, I had already served on an education committee in the organization and had experience on a different editorial board, so my colleagues reached out.
I also found opportunities in medical device companies:
- Medical device company #1: A colleague referred them to me.
- Medical device company #2: Another referral.
- Medical device company #3: They saw my LinkedIn posts.
Not one of these opportunities came from me filling out a job application. They came from me engaging with my profession, speaking up, and staying connected.
For nurses trying to determine how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career, building connections and maintaining relationships in professional spaces can be just as important as formal job applications.
Sometimes, luck plays a role — but visibility helps
One of the biggest accomplishments of my career was being selected for the NCLEX panel. It’s an honor that very few nurses receive.
I wasn’t actively seeking that opportunity. I didn’t even know about it. My boss got a letter inviting the university medical center to nominate someone, and she thought of me. That nomination led to one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career — something I never would have thought to pursue on my own.
Another example: When I moved to the greater Washington, D.C. area, I accepted a faculty position at Georgetown University. It wasn’t my dream job, but I needed a job on short notice. That experience, while not thrilling at the time, later gave me credibility for future roles.
That’s why being visible in your work matters. You don’t always control who will think of you for an opportunity — but you can control how you show up and engage with your profession. For those exploring how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career, visibility can be just as critical — perhaps more critical — as credentials.
Final thoughts
I didn’t go looking for a career beyond the bedside — it found me.
If you’re thinking about how to transition from bedside nursing to a non-clinical career, don’t stress about having it all figured out. Just start putting yourself in spaces where opportunities can find you. Speak up. Connect with others. Take a small step. You never know where it might lead.
Because if my career has taught me anything, it’s this: Sometimes, the best opportunities are the ones you never saw coming.
This post was first published on my Medium blog—follow me there for the most up-to-date entries!