Nursing Is More Than Bedside Care, Explore Where RNs Practice
When most people picture a nurse, they picture a staff nurse, and that's accurate. More than half of all Kansas RNs work as staff nurses, providing direct patient care in hospitals, clinics, and other health care settings. It's the heart of the profession, and for many nurses it's a deeply fulfilling career from start to finish.
But nursing is also a launching pad for dozens of other roles you may not have considered.
Here's a snapshot of where Kansas RNs actually work:
| Primary Practice Setting | 2015 | 2017 | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambulatory Care Setting | 11.8% | 7.7% | 10.3% | 10.4% | 10.4% |
| Assisted Living Facility | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Community Health | 2.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 2.8% | 2.2% |
| Correctional Facility | 0.8% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Dialysis Center | 0.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Home Health | 4.8% | 2.5% | 3.6% | 3.7% | 2.5% |
| Hospice | 0.0% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 2.5% | 1.9% |
| Hospital | 52.3% | 51.2% | 51.3% | 55.6% | 53.2% |
| Insurance Claims/Benefits | 2.8% | 3.6% | 1.8% | 1.9% | 0.9% |
| Nursing Home/Extended Care | 4.7% | 4.1% | 8.0% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Occupational Health | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Policy/Planning/Regulatory/ Licensing Agency | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Public Health | 2.3% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 2.9% |
| School Health Service | 1.9% | 2.8% | 4.4% | 2.8% | 3.5% |
| School of Nursing | 3.5% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 3.2% |
| Other | 11.5% | 18.6% | 10.4% | 9.4% | 11.8% |
And here are the primary titles they hold:
| Position Title | 2015 | 2017 | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Practice Registered Nurse |
9.7% | 10.5% | 2.9% | 9.1% | 9.7% |
| Case Manager | 5.7% | 9.2% | 5.6% | 4.8% | 4.4% |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 4.2% | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Consultant | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.5% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Nurse Executive | 2.7% | 2.1% | 2.0% | 3.4% | 3.7% |
| Nurse Faculty/Educator | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.0% | 3.3% | 4.8% |
| Nurse Manager | 7.0% | 8.1% | 8.6% | 10.5% | 9.4% |
| Nurse Researcher | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Staff Nurse | 59.7% | 54% | 64.9% | 59.0% | 57.4% |
| Other - Health Related | 5.2% | 11.0% | 11.1% | 9.0% | 9.3% |
| Other - Not Health Related | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
Here are the specialties (types of nursing) they practice:
| Specialty | 2015 | 2017 | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute Care/Critical Care | 12.1% | 12.2% | 13.3% | 18.2% | 14.9% |
| Adult Health | 2.2% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 1.4% | 2.0% |
| Anesthesia | 1.8% | 2.4% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Cardiology | 0.0% | 3.9% | 3.0% | 4.0% | 4.6% |
| Community | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Emergency/Trauma | 6.8% | 5.5% | 5.0% | 8.1% | 7.5% |
| Family Health | 0.0% | 3.8% | 3.4% | 2.5% | 4.5% |
| Genetics | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| Geriatric/Gerontology | 5.3% | 6.8% | 8.3% | 5.3% | 6.3% |
| Home Health | 3.4% | 1.7% | 3.2% | 3.4% | 2.1% |
| Informatics | 1.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Information Technology | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Maternal-Child Health/Obstetrics | 4.9% | 5.3% | 2.9% | 5.0% | 5.1% |
| Medical Surgical | 9.8% | 7.7% | 9.4% | 9.0% | 7.3% |
| Neonatal | 3.4% | 0.8% | 2.2% | 1.0% | 2.8% |
| Nephrology | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Neurology/Neurosurgical | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 2.0% |
| Occupational Health | 0.7% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Oncology | 3.4% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 3.8% |
| Orthopedic | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Palliative Care/Hospice | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.1% | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| Pediatrics | 5.0% | 4.8% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 3.7% |
| Perioperative | 6.4% | 5.1% | 4.7% | 6.2% | 5.9% |
| Primary Care | 3.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 3.0% |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health/ Substance Abuse | 3.4% | 1.7% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2.1% |
| Public Health | 1.1% | 1.5% | 1.6% | 2.4% | 2.3% |
| Radiology | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Rehabilitation | 2.5% | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.3% |
| School Health | 2.1% | 2.3% | 3.8% | 1.9% | 1.8% |
| Urologic | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| Women's Health | 1.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Other | 14.4% | 20.3% | 18.6% | 5.7% | 7.0% |
Over half are staff nurses delivering hands-on patient care every day. Nearly 10% have advanced into Advanced Practice roles, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse Midwives, or Nurse Anesthetists, with expanded authority, autonomy, and earning power. About 9% work as nurse managers, leading teams and shaping how care is delivered. Others work as case managers, consultants, nurse executives, and researchers. And a growing number, nearly 5% in Kansas, up from 3% a decade ago, work as faculty or educators, training the next generation of nurses.
That last point matters: as the nursing shortage grows, so does the need for people to teach future nurses. If you love the idea of one day shaping the profession itself, a path from bedside nurse to nurse educator is well-worn and well-supported.
Whatever draws you to nursing, direct patient care, leadership, research, teaching, or something else entirely, there is a role for you in this profession.
