Everyone knows nursing is hard. Right?
Nurse jobs often involve four 10-hour shifts or three 12-hour shifts per week. Maybe they’re all in a row or spread out over seven days—it isn’t up to you; it’s up to the scheduler. Perhaps you have to work mornings, nights, weekends, or holidays. Workplace politics, stressful settings, and high-pressure environments can be a lot for a nurse to balance day in and day out. But what if nursing didn’t have to be hard?
Have you heard about soft nursing? Not everyone who has a passion for providing care for others thrives in high-pressure situations, but that doesn’t mean they have to eschew the nursing profession entirely. Soft nursing may be a great option for these nurses. Stick around to explore this new trend, which is gaining momentum as nurses all over find ways to alter their career trajectory for different gains.
What Is “Soft Nursing” or “Soft-Life Nursing?”
Soft nursing describes nursing jobs that offer a less stressful work environment and a better work-life balance compared to traditional bedside nursing roles. These positions often have more flexible working schedules, fewer physical demands, and may include perks such as predictable work hours and holidays off.
Soft nursing recently gained popularity on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, to categorize a working lifestyle that is less stressful than the traditional bedside nursing positions that carry a more labor-intensive reputation.
It’s no secret that nurse burnout exacerbates the nation’s nursing shortage. While advocates, researchers, administrators, and educators explore strategies and solutions for mitigating nurse burnout, soft-life nursing is gaining momentum.
Soft-life nursing jobs aren’t new. Many of them simply don’t garner much attention. Perhaps this is because many don’t fall in the category of the highest-paying nurse specialties. Overlooking these job opportunities is understandable because nurses invest so much time, energy, and money into their education. It only makes sense for nurses to consider salary projections when determining their path.
There is also a certain allure to working in a setting, unit, or specialty that is dynamic and high-intensity; the phrase “high risk equals high reward” comes to mind. These settings tell nurses every moment that they are needed, and for some, that validation drives a sense of purpose that motivates and inspires. Nevertheless, not every nurse thrives in these environments.
What Jobs Count as Soft-Life Nursing?
The soft-life nursing trend calls for nurses to consider what they value in a career, and those values often reflect a desire for more balance. Some key characteristics of a soft-life nurse job include the following:
- A traditional Monday through Friday schedule
- Autonomy and flexibility in scheduling
- Holidays off
- Time for lunch breaks
- Lower stress environments
- Predictability
- Getting paid well
- Healthy work-life balance
When you think about soft-life nursing, what comes to mind? One of the great characteristics of this label is that it’s not terribly restrictive and can encompass a broad range of nursing jobs.
Here is a look at six excellent soft nursing jobs.
1. School Nurse
Remember the nurse who bandaged your scruffed knees after recess and checked your temperature when you felt sick in elementary school? School nurses typically operate alone and are responsible for all the students in the school. School nurse salaries are modest but paid throughout the year, which means many pick up other jobs, like per diem shifts during the summer months, to supplement their income.
School Nurse “Soft-Life Nursing” Advantages
School nursing embodies the soft nurse trend in many agreeable ways, such as the following:
- Monday through Friday work week schedule, typically 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Weekends and holidays off
- Summer months off
- Establishing positive relationships with kids over the years
- Low physicality at work
- Less time on your feet
2. Nursing Educator
Nurse educators are in very high demand. Every year, thousands of qualified nursing student candidates are denied entry to nursing programs because schools don’t have the staff or sufficient clinical placements to accommodate them all.
A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is usually a requirement for nurse educator positions, although state boards of nursing occasionally issue exceptions for BSN nurses. Unfortunately, the moderate salary for these positions is one of the factors contributing to the shortage of nurse educators, as MSN nurses working in direct practice can earn far more.
Are you passionate about learning and mentoring? How do you feel about public speaking? Nurse educators’ salaries are admittedly a drawback for the role, but the job has other advantages that may balance that out enough for you.
Nurse Educator “Soft-Life Nursing” Advantages
Take into consideration the soft-life nursing advantages offered in this job:
- Work hours often align with a Monday-through-Friday schedule—unless you agree to teach an evening or weekend class; exact hours will depend upon your class schedules.
- You have summers off unless you agree to teach a summer class.
- You have weekends and holidays off unless you need to grade or plan assignments. You determine the appropriate turnaround time.
- Classroom settings mean any physical labor is generally low-level.
- This position is purpose-driven, with a visible impact on raising future generations of nurses.
- The position involves mentoring aspiring nurses and creating positive professional relationships with other faculty members.
- You spend less time on your feet.
3. PACU Nurse
Post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nursing jobs may be found in hospitals or outpatient surgical clinics. Although PACU is a critical care setting, it is typically quieter than other high-acuity units and functions at a slower pace. PACU nurse salaries are on par with general bedside nurse salaries.
PACU Nurse “Soft-Life Nursing” Advantages
Some say PACU nursing is the best-kept secret in the industry due to the following:
- Quiet setting
- Routine tasks
- Limited range of health conditions
- Regular office hours
- Low patient-to-nurse ratios (one nurse to one or two patients at most)
- Limited time with patients (stabilized patients move to another unit or go home)
4. Aesthetic Nurse/Dermatology Nurse
The beauty and personal care market in the US is booming, and aesthetic or dermatology nursing is rising alongside it. Base salaries for aesthetic nurses are modest but typically augmented with commission-based scaling. Depending on the nurse, this is either a drawback or an advantage, as the potential for high earnings is ultimately determined by whether or not nurses can build a robust client base.
Aesthetic Nurse “Soft-Life Nursing” Advantages
Aesthetic nurse jobs are usually in outpatient clinics, a setting that lends itself naturally to the core tenants of soft-life nursing, such as the following:
- Work schedules depend on the clinic's hours, but working Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m., is common.
- Saturdays may or may not be free; some aesthetic nurses prefer a weekday off instead of Saturdays off.
- Holidays are typically off.
- Commissions are a standard pay structure in aesthetic nursing; the more treatments you administer, the more you earn.
- Nurses enjoy the satisfaction of helping patients feel confident in their looks.
- These jobs are typically low-stress.
- Nurses may obtain discounts on treatments at their clinics.
- Nurses typically spend less time standing.
5. Infusion Nurse
Infusion nursing is versatile. You can find infusion nursing jobs in hospitals, outpatient clinics, or with a home infusion company. Infusion nursing requires deft hands and high competency in IV therapy, administering chemotherapy, fluids, electrolyte replacements, and blood components. Infusion nurses typically have extended periods with each patient; whether that is an advantage or disadvantage depends entirely on the personality and character of individual nurses. Infusion nurse salaries are comparable to general med-surg nurse salaries.
Infusion Nurse “Soft-Life Nursing” Advantages
For some, infusion nursing is an excellent use of their hard-earned nursing skills coupled with the advantages of soft nursing, such as the following:
- In outpatient and home infusion settings, nights and weekends are typically free.
- There is predictable scheduling due to the importance of organized, timely IV treatments for patients.
- Nurses can establish rapport with patients during the administration of IV fluids.
- Home infusion jobs mean time alone in the car between patients to decompress.
6. Per Diem Nurse
Per diem or PRN nursing with Nursa means you pick up PRN shifts in healthcare settings appropriate for your experience and on the days and times that align with your preferred schedule. Working as an independent contractor removes you from the politics often accompanying in-house staff jobs. Show up for your contracted shift, work hard, provide a stellar end-of-shift handover report, and clock out.
Per Diem Nurse “Soft-Life Nursing” Advantages
PRN nursing has versatility and multiple advantages that align with the concept of soft-life nursing, such as the following:
- You can select the settings and shifts you want to work.
- You can schedule shifts that don’t interfere with your personal commitments and achieve a healthy work-life balance.
- If you work a shift in a setting that is too stressful, you don’t have to go back; simply do not request PRN shifts in that setting in the future.
- Hourly pay rates are often higher than those of in-house staff jobs.
- With Nursa, you receive quick payouts (twice weekly or immediately after the shift).
- You interact with new patients and healthcare professionals.
What Do You Think? Is Soft Nursing for You?
Soft-life nursing incorporates the old adage, “Work smarter, not harder.” Lower stress, better balance, autonomy, good pay, time off, and preferred scheduling are all elements of soft-life nursing.
What concepts of soft nursing appeal most to you? You don’t have to have it all figured out right away. Try out PRN nursing and experience the soft nursing advantages of autonomy, flexibility, balance, and high pay rates. Sign up today and explore PRN jobs near you.
Sources:
