Career Change for Nurses: Key Steps and Alternative Careers

Nurses are invaluable to patient care, serving on the front lines as a patient’s primary advocate. Given the demanding nature of the job, it’s no surprise that 91% of nurses suffer from high levels of burnout. If long hours, high stress, and lack of support are causing you to question your future as a nurse, explore our guide on career change for nurses.

Pros and Cons of Nursing

A career change from nursing requires careful consideration. Take time to evaluate your skills, interests, and career goals. To understand whether you’re ready to start a new career, let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of nursing.

PROS

• Make a difference: Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system. A nurse’s superior patient care, compassion, and attention to detail make a difference in people’s lives. Their impact is felt through the well-being of patients in their care and extends to their loved ones. A knowledgeable nurse makes a difference every shift.
• Flexible schedule: Nurses can take advantage of a flexible schedule. In hospital settings, nurses typically work three 12-hour shifts weekly, freeing up the remainder of their time. They can switch from a full-time role to a part-time position relatively quickly, and if you prefer a traditional schedule, working at a clinic is an option.
• High-demand field: Registered nurses are in high demand, with employment expected to grow 9% by 2030. With a median age of 52, nearly 20% of nurses are set to retire in the coming years, creating a wealth of opportunities and strong job security for them.

CONS

• Physical demands: Nurses work long shifts, spend extended periods on their feet, and do strenuous tasks like lifting patients. These physical demands can lead to exhaustion or injury.
• Emotional toll: Nurses often face high-stress situations, witness suffering, and deal with loss, which can be detrimental to their mental health.
• High stress: The combination of the physical and emotional demands on nurses increases stress. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to mental and physical health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.
• Exposure to illness: Because of their role, nurses can be exposed to infectious diseases and hazardous substances. Following stringent safety protocols is crucial.

Opportunities for a Career Change for Nurses

If the cons of traditional nursing outweigh why you chose it as a career, it’s time to redefine your future and learn some of the most common career changes for nurses. There are many healthcare-adjacent roles you can tackle that allow you to use your expertise and reduce bedside responsibilities. Here are our top five career changes for nurses:

1. Healthcare administration: Your nursing background can be an asset for healthcare management roles. Having experience with medical protocols and patient care enables you to make informed administrative decisions that put the patient first.
2. Medical sales or consulting: As a nurse, you can take advantage of built-in credibility with other healthcare professionals. Your ability to explain medical jargon to patients translates to showcasing new products effectively, increasing sales.
3. Health and wellness coaching: Your skill at patient education transfers well to a less demanding role as a health and wellness coach. As people continue to prioritize their well-being, businesses offering these services are thriving. Revenue in the health and wellness coaching market is on track to reach nearly $4.4 billion in 2025.
4. Senior care services: The U.S. population is aging. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of people reaching 100 is projected to quadruple over the next 30 years. Businesses offering senior care services are in high demand as families help their loved ones navigate their twilight years.
5. Franchise owner: Your customer service mindset and organizational skills make you a good candidate for franchise ownership. As a franchisee, you’ll get to be your own boss with a turnkey business, training, and tools you need to be successful. You can create your own schedule and have unlimited earnings potential.

Launch a Senior Care Franchise

Retool your career path with A Place At Home. Our franchise enables you to own a business, combining your passion for patient care with high-demand services. A Place At Home offers comprehensive training and support to give you the tools you need to help seniors in your community age gracefully.

Our senior-focused care model features multiple revenue streams, allowing you to provide ongoing consistent, and reliable services. Taking a holistic approach helps us create personalized care plans for every senior in our care. We meet seniors where they are on their aging journey. Our locations provide in-home senior care, care coordination, and senior living alternatives. We also offer staffing services, which can help assisted living facilities, memory care units, rehab centers, and other long-term care communities keep the employee census they need to maintain compliance and provide adequate care to residents.

“I spent 30 years as a nurse before launching my business. A Place At Home allows me to continue to use my nursing skills in a different way,” said Rebecca Barerra, a franchise owner in Katy, Texas. “It’s exciting to work with seniors, families, and others in our community.”

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re ready to use your nursing skills to chart a new course as a business owner, fill out our franchise inquiry form to learn how you can make A Place At Home work for you.

What’s a Good Franchise to Buy? 7 Things to Look For

Are you wondering what’s a good franchise to buy? With more than 4,000 franchises in the lineup, picking a winner can be overwhelming. A Place At Home narrows the playing field with seven tips to streamline your search and help you score a wise franchise investment!

Franchising drives entrepreneurship by offering savvy investors a proven brand with training, technological tools, and ongoing support. To own a franchise, you’ll need to pay regular royalty fees based on the revenue you generate, but you’ll have access to a network of peers for guidance and a brand with built-in customer recognition.

Signs of a Strong Franchise

The franchise business model spans various industries from home maintenance and senior care services to accounting and fitness. To achieve franchising success, it’s important to consider the type of franchise you want to own. Do you want to own a storefront and manage employees, or would you prefer to be a solopreneur with a mobile business?

Deciding on the type of franchise you want to run will streamline your choices. But other important factors help determine if a franchise can help you build a business designed to withstand the test of time. Here are seven hallmarks of a strong franchise:

1. Market Demand

A good franchise has significant consumer interest for its products and services. Strong demand ensures you meet your sales quotas and is essential for profitability. For example, as the senior population ages, demand for senior care services is forecast to grow.

2. Growth Potential

Most franchises are designed with growth in mind. Selecting a franchise with a wide target audience, strong unit growth, and surging revenue trends improves the likelihood you’ll be able to grow your business over time. Simultaneously, it may not be one of the best franchises to invest in if the market is already saturated with similar businesses.

3. Initial Investment

The initial investment for a franchise includes franchise fees, the costs associated with opening a business, such as real estate, equipment, and supplies, as well as working capital to help sustain your business as you build a loyal customer base. A strong franchise provides transparency on the initial investment and is accessible to a wide array of potential franchisees. A realistic and well-justified investment shows that the franchisor has carefully balanced costs with value, making it attractive to investors. You can turn to the franchise disclosure document (FDD) to get specifics on the initial investment to open a franchise, including one-time and ongoing fees.

4. Territory

A good franchise has clearly defined territories to prevent internal competition. The territory must also be large enough to ensure each location has enough customers to deliver a solid return on investment. A single A Place At Home territory has 40,000 senior residents.

5. Training

You don’t need experience in the industry to run a thriving franchise. A good franchise should offer a comprehensive training program that combines a mix of virtual and in-person guidance to help you get started.

6. Ongoing Support

Franchise support should not stop once your business is up and running. Good franchises offer ongoing support to help local owners stay on top of industry trends and provide guidance if an issue arises.

7. Reputation

Choosing a franchise with a solid reputation can give your business a head start. A good franchise should have positive customer reviews and a history of minimal lawsuits. Talk to existing owners to gauge their satisfaction before you make a final decision.

Make a Difference with a Strong Franchise

What’s a good franchise to buy? We’ve got the answer. A Place At Home is a recognized and trusted name in the senior care industry. Our franchisees can utilize multiple revenue streams to drive profits and robust training to enhance operations.

We have strong franchisee satisfaction numbers and high growth potential. A Place At Home earned recognition as a Top Franchise for satisfaction from Franchise Business Review this year.

Fill out our franchise inquiry form to learn more about joining our strong franchise network.

Best Franchises for Women Entrepreneurs

Female entrepreneurs are an integral part of the small business community. They own more than 12 million of the nation’s small businesses and employ over 10.7 million people. The franchise business model helps propel female entrepreneurship by offering a flexible and supportive framework. Take the first step towards owning a successful business today by finding the best franchises for women entrepreneurs in diverse sectors.

Franchising Offers Turnkey Opportunity

Franchises provide a proven business model, which is especially beneficial for aspiring business owners who want the structure of an established brand. With training, brand recognition, and ongoing support, franchises lower the barriers to entry for women entrepreneurs. Many franchises also prioritize gender diversity, offering support networks, and promoting leadership development to empower women.

Female entrepreneurs are achieving success as franchisees. At least 48% of female business owners pursued franchising in 2024, according to data collected by Guidant Financial. The average annual income of female franchisees on Franchise Business Review’s “Top 50 Franchises for Women” was $92,000. And 88% of these female franchisees said they enjoy operating their business and 33% are multi-unit owners.

Finding the Best Franchise for Women to Own

If franchising sounds like a viable option, research to find a brand that fits your financial and lifestyle goals. Do you want to own a storefront or a work-from-home business? Do you want to manage employees or be an owner-operator? Understanding your goals will put you on the right path.

Successful female franchises exist in every industry. But there are certain segments of franchising where women thrive. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best franchises for women:

• Senior care services: By 2040, one in five Americans will be age 65 or older, the Urban Institute As the population ages, demand for senior care services is surging. The senior care market hit $923.2 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow by a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 4.16% through 2030. A senior care franchise can be a rewarding and lucrative opportunity for compassionate female entrepreneurs.
• Tutoring: As students struggle to regain learning loss from remote schooling, parents are turning to tutoring to help bridge the gap. Female entrepreneurs can offer tutoring online or open a brick-and-mortar location. For women passionate about education and community involvement, this business has the potential to be both profitable and meaningful.
• Health and wellness: As more Americans recognize the benefits of fitness for both physical and mental health, gym membership hit a record high of 9 million members in 2023, and the average member visited a facility 81 times annually. There are many different types of health and wellness franchises, from large gyms to personal trainers. There are also many fitness franchises targeting female customers, putting a woman owner at an advantage.
• Staffing: The staffing industry provides businesses with flexible employee solutions. They can add and contract their workforce based on seasonality or project demand. As demand for a flexible workforce continues to grow, a staffing franchise offers the stability and steady income potential many female owners desire.

A Place At Home: A Top Choice for Female Entrepreneurs

If you want to make a difference in your local community, A Place At Home can help you build a business in the senior care industry. Our home care franchises take advantage of multiple revenue streams to enhance profitability. We offer in-home senior care, care coordination, senior living alternatives, and staffing solutions. Become your community’s go-to resource for seniors!

Fill out a franchise inquiry form to learn more about A Place At Home. We’ll connect you with an expert from our franchise team.

Franchise Industries: Fastest Growing Sectors to Invest in Today

Certain franchise industries show signs of faster growth compared with others. Learn what they are and what fuels their growth today and for the future.

1. Health and Fitness

The health and fitness sector thrives as people increasingly prioritize personal well-being. This industry includes gyms, wellness centers, and nutrition-focused stores. Studies show that more than 60 million people go to the gym in the U.S. While these types of franchises benefit from a recurring customer base, they can face challenges during economic downturns. When people’s wallets tighten, they turn to at-home workouts and DIY self-care.

2. Fast-Casual Dining

Fast-casual dining is one of the fastest-growing segments in the restaurant industry, known for combining convenience with quality. This sector is great at adapting to current trends, such as online ordering and delivery, making it one of the top-growing franchises. Restaurant franchises come with hefty investments and ongoing operating costs because of the space required, employees, and inventory.

3. Childcare and Education

With the increasing number of working parents, the demand for reliable childcare and educational programs is higher than ever. Additionally, there’s a decrease in in-home care providers, so parents must use childcare facilities, including franchises, instead. While this franchise industry offers promising growth, it also comes with a substantial investment and high staffing turnover. Daycare workers and teachers are leaving their jobs at a high rate. If parents notice this happening at a facility, they’ll often leave or not attend.

4. Automotive Services

With cars becoming increasingly more expensive and lacking stock, people want to make their cars last longer, making an automotive services franchise an intriguing sector. There’s a steady call for maintenance, repair, and specialized services, allowing entrepreneurs to capitalize on this ongoing demand. But it’s not all smooth driving — franchise industries like automotive can come with their set of challenges, like the need for constant updates on technology and tools to keep up with automotive advancements, which can hike up operational costs. Additionally, depending on the types of services you offer, if there’s a dip in the economy, people will defer any non-critical vehicle repairs.

5. Home Services

The home services sector is a broad industry that covers everything from lawn maintenance or cleaning to remodeling or remediation. The industry is in demand due to the rise in home prices and the lack of supply. People are looking to stay in their homes longer, so instead of buying, they’re remodeling. Plus, services like HVAC repairs or mold remediation are necessary. Home service franchises are often home-based, from cabinet refinishing to lawn care. This decreases initial investment costs but makes them an owner-operator model. You’ll need to be okay with doing the hands-on work of the business, such as laying flooring or painting.

6. Senior In-Home Care

Amid the rapidly aging population, with 10,000 people turning 65 in the U.S. every day, and the prioritization of aging in place, the demand for in-home care services is surging. Unlike other health services, the home care industry offers essential assistance that supports the quality of life for our older loved ones, making it a fulfilling investment. While caregiver turnover can be challenging, and there are state and local regulations to navigate, partnering with a reputable franchise that will support you through it all makes investing in this booming industry worth it.

Choose Senior Care with A Place At Home

When considering the fastest-growing franchises, the $1.28 billion senior in-home care market should be at the top of your list. Compared to other industries, senior in-home care offers unique advantages, such as being more recession-resistant, because it’s an essential service for the aging population. Plus, it’s poised for growth as technological advancements help more seniors age independently at their homes for longer.

Comparing franchises within this industry, A Place At Home offers a comprehensive opportunity. We go beyond just offering in-home care. Our franchisees benefit from multiple revenue streams, including care coordination, senior living alternatives, and staffing solutions. As an A Place At Home franchisee, you’ll join a community dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and quality care for seniors while focusing on your growth and success as a franchise owner.

Ready to explore a franchise opportunity that promises growth and the chance to make a real difference? Fill out our ‘Request Information’ form.