Soft nursing is a term coined by social media that refers to the kind of nursing that is less physically and mentally demanding than working bedside. Generally, the roles involve working in a less stressful environment. Soft nursing jobs also have other perks (that are usually standard in corporate careers) such as not working weekends or holidays, a set schedule, and getting to take a lunch. Soft nursing jobs can still involve using your nursing skills and have challenging aspects to them, but in general, compared to traditional hospital nursing offers a much better work-life balance. Generally, the patients are also non-acute and require less medically.

Previously, I’ve posted non-bedside nursing jobs for new grads. I consider all of the nursing jobs in that post to be soft nursing jobs. In this post, I’m following up with an additional 10 soft nursing jobs for the nurses who don’t want to work bedside or are looking for a transition to a better work-life balance!

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10 Soft Nursing Jobs

1. Newborn Night Nurses

A newborn night nurse is a nurse who provides care to healthy newborns in their homes. This is also sometimes known as a “newborn night nurse.” Families can hire nurses to help care for their babies during the nighttime shift so that they can get some much-needed rest.

Since most of the newborns when you’re working as a newborn care specialist are healthy and just require routine care, this can lower the stress of the job. Additionally, the scope of the job is generally less than working bedside and your role is to focus on infant care and sometimes light housework (cleaning infant bottles, folding the baby clothes, etc.). It’s also a predictable schedule with few emergencies making it a great soft nursing job.

2. Outpatient Procedure

Examples of outpatient procedure nursing would include endoscopy nurses, and ambulatory surgery centers with various procedures such as gynecology, plastic surgery, and orthopedics. Typically when you’re an outpatient procedure nurse, you are going to have a guaranteed lunch, a set schedule (3x8s, 4x10s, or 3x12s), and you get to work with the same team.

Some of the roles in the position would include:

• Patient preparation: Obtaining patient history, explaining the procedure, and ensuring proper fasting.
• Procedure assistance: Assisting the physician during the procedure by monitoring vital signs, handling equipment, documenting, and providing comfort to the patient.
• Post-procedure care: Monitoring the patient for any complications, providing pain relief, and educating the patient on post-procedure care.

Outpatient procedures nurses get to enjoy the benefits of soft nursing, but also still use their technical skills and clinical judgment making it a great career to transition out of bedside into.

3. Clinical Research

As a clinical research nurse, you generally have less direct patient care than working at the bedside. In this role, you still do interact with patients, but it is in a much different capacity than traditional nursing.

Some examples of the responsibilities of a clinical research nurse include:

• Recruiting and enrolling patients into clinical trials
• Obtaining informed consent from patients
• Monitoring patients for adverse events and collecting data
• Managing study supplies and ensuring compliance with protocols
• Preparing and submitting regulatory documents

Much of the time, you will have a set schedule, work with the same team, get lunch/breaks, and experience much less of a physical and mental toll than bedside nursing. If you enjoy academics or research, this is a great role to transition into if you want a soft nursing job.

4. Informatics

Informatics is another soft nursing job that requires much less direct patient care. Instead when you’re working in informatics, you are dealing with technology and data. Informatics nurses will use nursing knowledge and skills to develop, implement, and evaluate information systems that support healthcare delivery.

Some of the roles of an informatics nurse include:

• Designing and implementing electronic health records (EHRs)
• Developing and maintaining databases to store patient information
• Analyzing data to identify trends and improve patient outcomes
• Providing training and support to healthcare providers on the use of information systems

To find jobs working in informatics, you can look directly at hospitals in your area or companies that support healthcare such as Epic. In this role, you may have the opportunity to work from home. You would also have a set schedule, work both independently and with a team, and get to take lunch/breaks.

5. Telehealth

Telehealth is the next frontier when it comes to healthcare delivery. I think it has become even more apparent how big of a tool telehealth can be following the pandemic. Teleheath provides patients to remotely access care whether it’s through telephone triage or video conferencing.

Some of the benefits of telehealth nursing include:

• Reduced physical demands: Telehealth nurses can work from home or other comfortable settings, avoiding the physical strain of traveling and working in demanding environments.
• Flexible schedule: Telehealth nurses often have more flexibility in their schedules, allowing them to balance their work with other responsibilities.
• Increased access to care: Telehealth can improve access to healthcare for patients who live in remote areas or have mobility limitations.

Working in telehealth, you can choose from a variety of different set schedules (3x8s, 4x10s, 3x12s, weekends, or weekdays). You will also get to take lunch/breaks. The stress of work is also much less than many other nursing jobs.

6. Private Duty

Private duty nursing is similar to home health, but another soft nursing job. Private duty nursing involves providing care to a 1:1 basis in a setting such as a home, school, or long-term care facility. Since you’re caring for just one patient in a non-acute setting, the physical and emotional demands of this job are much less than working a traditional bedside nursing job.

Other benefits of working as a private duty nurse include a flexible schedule allowing better work-life balance, a stable environment (same patient, same environment daily), and getting to foster a closer relationship with your patient. There are opportunities to be a private duty nurse with patients of all ages.

7. Case Management

Case management is a soft nursing job that typically requires a few years of experience. As a case management nurse, your job is to coordinate care for patients with complex health needs rather than providing direct patient care. Case managers will work with patients, their families, and healthcare providers to develop and implement care plans to address all aspects of a patient’s needs. This includes the physical, emotional, and social needs of the patient.

As a case management nurse, you can often work at home, or work flexible hours. It is also much less physically and emotionally taxing. Case management can be a good fit for nurses who enjoy working with people, coordinating care, and making a difference in patient’s lives. 

8. Public Health

A public health nurse works in the community to promote health and prevent disease rather than providing direct patient care in the hospital setting. As a public health nurse, you often work with individuals, families, and communities to address health disparities and improve the overall health of the population.

As a public health nurse, you are often not providing hands-on care to patients which reduces the physical and emotional demands of the job compared to bedside nursing. Additionally, in this role, you are often focusing on the prevention of disease through education, outreach, and community programs. As a public health nurse, you will typically work with the same team, have a set schedule, and get your lunch/breaks. This job will also require problem-solving skills, communication, and organizational skills.

9. Dialysis

Dialysis is done in a controlled environment (typically in an outpatient setting), which can make this a soft nursing job. Dialysis nurses often see the same patients allowing them to build relationships, but are not providing the same hands-on care that bedside nurses are. Instead, dialysis nurses are primarily monitoring the patients during treatments, ensuring the dialysis machine is functioning properly, and making sure the patient is comfortable. The care is not as acute as in the hospital, and due to the controlled environment, there are fewer emergencies than in bedside nursing.

Like other soft nursing jobs, dialysis nurses often work predictable schedules with set shifts and often work with the same team. It is generally a collaborative environment and great for nurses who still want a nursing job that interacts with patients (but is less physically and emotionally demanding than inpatients). 

10. Hospice

Hospice nursing focuses on providing comfort and support to patients who are nearing the end of their lives. Instead of providing treatments to “cure,” hospice nurses focus on improving the quality of life for patients and their families. While this nursing job can be emotionally tolling, it can be considered soft nursing because the environment is calm and supportive which reduces the level of stress and urgency compared to traditional nursing in the hospital. Additionally, hospice nurses often have smaller caseloads than bedside nurses allowing them to spend more time with patients and families.

Like other soft nursing jobs, you can work outpatient making the schedule set (5x8s, 4x10s, 3x12s. You can also work in a home hospice or as a hospice case manager adding increased flexibility to the job. If you’re looking to transition out of bedside and are compassionate, empathetic, and interested in end-of-life care, this might be a good fit. 

Soft Nursing Jobs

I have been a nurse for just over two years and I have only worked soft nursing jobs. I started out working in a Family Medicine Clinic and now have transitioned to being a middle school nurse. I could not imagine working bedside myself and love working soft nursing jobs! If you’re a new grad looking to go into nursing but don’t want to work in the hospital, it is completely possible to go straight into soft nursing.

I hope this post helped give you ideas on different options if you’re looking to transition out of bedside nursing. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my previous post on non-bedside nursing jobs for even more options.

Looking for more new-grad nursing-related posts? Check out one of my other posts below:

• What to Expect During Your Final Quarter of Nursing School + Nursing Senior Practicum
• How I Studied to Pass the NCLEX in 75 Questions
• QUITTING my First Registered Nurse Position

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