Are you desperate for a change in your nursing career? Remote nursing jobs are on the rise, opening up job opportunities you may not have considered before.
Before COVID-19, nurses commonly experienced long hours and low staffing ratios. Now, in the new normal, nurses are feeling more overworked and underappreciated than ever before.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that 11 million additional nurses are required to avoid further shortages. This growth is happening in and out of the hospitals. But coronavirus has rocketed the growing demand for access to healthcare professionals in a safe environment.
The result is a significant increase in remote nursing jobs, telehealth jobs, and related remote medical positions.
Yes, you can absolutely do remote nursing jobs from home. Keep reading for our complete guide to finding the right remote nursing job for you.
The American Nurses Association (ANA; 2020) administered a survey in March–April 2020 of 32,000 nurses and discovered that 87% feared going to work. With the new year, many RNs are facing many of the same fears, pressures, and anxieties from 2020. The pandemic has changed the face of healthcare as we know it and the devastation continues to have expanded reach.
Dr. Mary Glasgow, Dean of Nursing at Duquesne University (Kirkland, 2020), stated, "In times of devastation, the world can see how critical the nursing profession truly is.” At this point, you know you are an essential worker.
You are a hero.
But the negative effects of understaffing, lack of PPE, and overwhelming feelings of desperation are taking their toll. Nurses experienced burnout before this pandemic with an alarming rate of 41% feeling “unengaged.” Now, PTSD in nurses is on the rise and many practitioners fail to self-diagnose.
The following steps are recommended by the American Nurses Association (ANA) to address your mental health:
In the end, it may be time for a career change. Don't be one of the 50% of burned-out nurses that report they will not seek a new position despite their dissatisfaction.
It has always been the case that nurses have a wide range of career possibilities from working PRN to full-time, working with neonates to the elderly, and working in anything from a clinic to the ICU. Now, all over the United States, thousands of nurses roll out of bed and debate whether they will change into pants for their day.
If you have the needed nursing license or certification, a computer, and a phone, you too can enjoy frequent coffee breaks, laundry over lunch, and the freedom to shuttle your children to and from school.
The following are possible remote nursing jobs you may be able to find:
These nursing positions may encompass patient interactions ranging from navigating billing issues, handling referrals, and triaging symptoms. Other telecommute jobs may have little to no patient interaction, such as data abstraction and chart review.
You will soon discover that there are multiple titles for the same job position. Keep reading for more details on what each position entails. The right remote nursing job is waiting for you.
Also known as a Telephone Triage Nurse or Telepathology. These are some of the most common remote RN jobs you may find.
If you have experience with firsthand patient care, you might have what it takes to make a great telehealth nurse. Via phone, you will collect basic information, document patient symptoms, and start the process of identifying the cause.
You may be helping anyone from concerned first-time parents to an injured patient that needs critical care. Your ability to think quickly and objectively is invaluable to practitioners as you guide some patients to the ER, interpret appropriate treatment options, inform patients of self-care alternatives, or assist with appointment scheduling.
Telehealth Nurse positions require your RN or LPN license, but employers may have various education level requirements. An Ambulatory Care Nurse certification is a recommended addition to your license to make you more desirable.
If you are a detail-oriented person, with at least 2 years of experience working firsthand with patients, this may be a great position for you. As an extension of the Utilization Review Nurse, you should have an interest in ensuring proper patient care.
A Nurse Case Manager evaluates patient charts for proper care level, recommends improvements, and fosters communication between the healthcare team, the insurance provider, and the patient.
You can apply for a Case Manager Position with as little as a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, but certification is recommended to be a more desirable candidate.
Get your certification as a Nurse Case Manager from The Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC).
The CCMC requires a nursing license or bachelor’s degree and 12-24 months of Case Manager work experience for eligibility to take the exam.
A Quality Assurance Nurse makes sure that patients receive the highest quality of care.
Your duties will include analyzing current policies and proposing needed changes to improve or manage them.
A Quality Assurance Nurse also provides training on any new procedures and documents that the facility is obeying state and federal laws.
Most Quality Assurance Nurses operate under their RN license. But if you wish to improve your desirability, or are looking for a pay increase, you may want to pursue your Master's degree.
If an insurance company denies a claim and the patient appeals their decision, an Insurance Claim Nurse (or Insurance Claim Investigator) chooses to deny or approve the claim. You would review the patient's chart, the coding data, talk with the healthcare professionals involved, and analyze any pre-existing conditions.
National Quality Assurance Standards knowledge and coding experience are often required for this position, but no further education other than an ADN or BSN is required.
Working directly with insurance companies, and hospitals, a Utilization Review Nurse reviews patient charts to evaluate if they received adequate care, were kept in the hospital needlessly, or received excessive tests and treatments.
Your analysis will protect patients from any superficial hospital expenses but also helps keep insurance costs down.
A Utilization Review Nurse also helps inform patients which treatments insurance will cover.
Utilization Review Nurse is one of the most accessible remote RN jobs. It only requires a valid RN license and will provide on the job training. It is a wonderful opportunity for nurses that wish to work remotely, but have limited to no clinical patient experience.
A Nurse Auditor works with a Medical Record Review (MRR) Team to over-read and audit abstracted medical records following the NCQA Guidelines and Technical Specifications. Your workload would include coding, looking over patient files, and analyzing proper care.
You will need excellent written and verbal skills as you provide summaries of your reviews, your professional judgment on any treatment denials, and what to do if a patient chooses to appeal the decision.
Finally, you will produce a written summary of your findings that can be utilized to ensure proper care and billing has occurred within the legal scope.
Look for related job postings under keywords similar to Medical Coder, Medical Coding Analyst, and Clinical Coder.
A valid RN or LPN license is required for this position. Many potential employers want 2 years of clinical experience, medical record review experience, and look at auditing experience as a plus.
A Healthcare Recruiter is a vital position for many facilities. The job encompasses sifting through piles of applications and finding the best candidates for a particular position. Experienced RNs will have a deep understanding of the nursing field needed to easily pick the best-qualified candidates.
Your duties would likely include emailing, and phone interviewing potential candidates. Unfortunately, this position is not fully remote, but it will have more flexibility that remote workers desire.
Employers look for various experience ranging from a Bachelor's degree, RN License, to previous recruiting experience.
Chances are you got into nursing because you wanted to help people. Your influence over patient care increases exponentially as a Nurse Educator, Nursing Instructor, or Nurse Navigator.
You will guide and shape new nurses through school and into the field of nursing.
Nurse Educators teach the following Fundamentals:
As a Nurse Educator, you will need a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN), or many states require a Master’s Degree in Nursing (MSN). And some positions may even require a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) or a Ph.D. in Nursing. Most instructor positions look for at least 1 year of experience as a floor nurse.
Being a Freelance Nursing Writer can be exactly what you want it to be. As a freelancer, you can work part-time to full-time and the hours you choose.
Your jobs may include writing quality content for businesses that need an experienced professional to write articles, draft insurance plans, or compose care plans for patients.
This job is 100% remote, so it can be done anywhere and at any time that is convenient for you.
To learn blog writing you can get on the job training at many SEO companies for introductory wages. As your portfolio, and experience grows, you will be a skilled writer.
Many companies will require an RN license for more technical writing and at least 3 writing samples to prove your skills.
A Call Center Nurse is similar to a Telephone Triage Nurse but doesn’t require as much experience.
The duties mainly pertain to directing calls to the appropriate people, but you will not be responsible for giving medical advice.
Qualification may vary for this position depending on the employer. If the job is a true call center situation it is an administrative position, but medical and healthcare companies will give candidates with medical backgrounds an edge. This may be a good opportunity for new graduates that decide a clinical setting is not for them.
If you're looking for tips on how to land a remote nursing job, keep reading.
Understanding the benefits of working at remote nursing jobs are pretty intuitive. Remote nursing jobs afford work-from-home nurses flexibility.
Many parents seek remote nursing jobs to be more involved with their children. Other nurses may simply wish for a change of pace due to burnout from working in a clinical setting.
Regardless, remote nursing jobs from home offer unique employment opportunities.
The diverse nature of these emerging fields makes it necessary to be conscious of the job requirements and benefits (or lack thereof). It is important to fully understand the required work hours, any in-person elements, and insurance benefits if available before committing to a position. Some telecommute jobs may be considered as independent contractors and have little in the way of health benefits.
Some nurses have difficulty finding employment due to their geographical location. And some areas simply don't have the same demand as the overall national nurse shortage. Considering a remote nursing position may be a great opportunity for those nurses living in an area with large graduating classes, or sparse job opportunities.
Practitioners also see numerous benefits when hiring remote nurses for their practice. Facilities are able to see more patients in a day, with fewer chances of no-shows, and it reduces overhead. Efficiency and profits make telehealth appealing for both practitioners and insurance companies alike, so plan on remote nursing jobs to continue to be readily available.
Coronavirus has changed the way we do medicine. Telehealth has rocketed forward years if not decades from previous projections. This new demand in healthcare, and the normalization of remote working in all fields, has grown the scope of remote nursing jobs astronomically.
If you are interested in remote RN jobs, remote LPN jobs, and remote Nurse Practitioner jobs they are out there. It's an amazing opportunity for experienced nurses to find flexible roles that enable work-life balance.
Your mental health is worth it.
Your family is worth it.
You are worth the personal investment of exploring a career change.
The everyday grind of a demanding yet rewarding field may blind some nurses to the possibility of change. Your skills are valuable and hospitals, practitioners, and insurance companies need your expertise.
Explore what remote nursing jobs are available on MotherWorks today. Your future career and happier life are waiting for you.