7 Reasonable Work-From-Home Jobs for Nurses
In my recent quest to better care for myself, I slowly realized bedside nursing didn’t bring me joy, satisfaction, or a sense of purpose. In fact, bedside nursing seemed to be gradually stealing my health and ability to cope with stressors.
Long story short, I had to make some changes.
I researched many options, and I had somewhat of a plan that didn’t go as planned, but I trudged onward and made the decision to step away from bedside nursing…and you can too.
If you’re here reading this blog, I know you’re a nurse interested in taking back your health, taking control of your career, and working from home without losing your salary.
With the advent of digital healthcare, more and more nursing jobs are being made available to those who want to work remotely.
Before we get into it, let’s discuss the benefits of a nurse taking their career from the bedside to the comfort of their home.
Benefits of Working From Home
Working from home has become more prevalent in recent years, especially since the COVID pandemic and many lockdowns in countries worldwide. Overall, businesses have adapted and continue to allow work-from-home opportunities for their employees, even as we move more towards pre-pandemic lifestyles.
Obviously, working from home as a nurse will look vastly different than being at the bedside. But there are so many benefits to this change of environment (and a few cons too, but we’ll focus on the positive for this post).
Work-from-home jobs for nurses offer many benefits that can help you become more healthy, fulfilled, and stress-free. Whether you choose to work with patients or not, your work-from-home environment will help you reconnect to your purpose and revitalize your deep desire to help people.
For one, you don’t have to worry about a commute, which can be time-consuming and stressful—yay, no more traffic jams! You can also save money on gas, parking, and other costs associated with a commute — hello, extra savings!
At home, you can customize your workspace to suit your needs, which will reduce distractions and help you stay focused. Also, with fewer people around, you can concentrate on the task at hand and get more done in less time — no more constant interruptions or call bells to haunt you in your sleep!
Finally, you can create a flexible schedule that allows you to work when you’re most productive and free up your time for other activities allowing you to enjoy your free time and spend more time with family and friends.
All in all, working from home provides a great opportunity to maximize productivity, reduce stress, and enjoy a more balanced work life. And as a nurse, this is everything you really need to take back your health and build a career you love.
Skills to Level Up Your Career After Leaving Bedside Nursing
Don’t be afraid of leaving the bedside. Trust me, your hard-earned degree proves you have the skills and dedication to learn anything.
If you want to beef up your resume to get ready to leave the bedside, or maybe you have left the bedside already and realized you don’t know how to send professional emails, then spend some time learning new skills. There are so many resources out there; you shouldn’t have any trouble finding exactly what you need.
My biggest advice for nurses leaving the bedside:
Focus on your hard skills relevant to business. You already have all the soft skills you could ever need, i.e., time management, communication, problem-solving, integrity, empathy, customer service, etc.
BUSINESS SKILLS YOU NEED!
Research and healthcare data analytics: Skills in developing or simply reading spreadsheets will give you an edge over your competition. Data analytics drive quality and performance improvement in healthcare. If you’re a nurse using data, you can transform patient care, encourage patient-centered outcomes, and invoke changes in evidence-based practice.
Project management: One skill you don’t necessarily use in bedside nursing is project management. Many non-bedside nursing jobs usually focus on quality and performance improvement, so knowing how to manage a multidimensional project will be invaluable as you move up in your career.
Word processing: Don’t be naive here; we could all use a refresher on our writing skills. I know you got yourself through nursing school writing long-winded case studies, but hear me out; writing a clear, easily understood, and concise email is much more complex than it looks. Take some time to re-learn your grammar and simple English basics so you can clearly communicate with your colleagues.
These three simple skills may be a little obvious for some, but they will prepare you for life outside of bedside nursing. Of course, like any aspect of nursing, if you want to be successful, you’ll have to continue to research, learn new skills, and grow personally and professionally.
Let’s get to the good stuff, the meat and potatoes, and why you clicked on this blog post. I’m sharing seven of the most popular work-from-home nursing jobs and what they entail.
7 Reasonable Work-From-Home Nursing Jobs:
1 | Telehealth nurse
A telehealth nurse provides remote patient care via telephone or digital video. This role requires excellent communication and assessment skills and knowledge of current healthcare technologies and regulations. A telehealth nurse is the best of both worlds because you get to work with patients while working from the comfort of your home.
2 | Case management
Case manager nurses are responsible for managing a patient’s care, which includes conducting assessments, developing care plans, providing patient education, and coordinating with other healthcare providers. In this role, you’ll work closely with an interdisciplinary team to improve the patient’s experience, treatment plan, and outcomes. Case management is another example of having the best of both worlds - working with patients while working from the comfort of your home.
3 | Nurse educator
A nurse educator creates and delivers educational materials and programs to patients, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare providers. This role requires an in-depth knowledge of evidence-based practices, a dedication to research, and the ability to communicate with and motivate others effectively.
Depending on who you want to educate and how you deliver your education resources, you could really start doing this nurse educator role today. Then, later on, you could create your own business doing this exact thing (see Bonus #8).
4 | Utilization management review
These nurses are responsible for monitoring the use of healthcare services to ensure that the highest quality care is provided to the patient efficiently and cost-effectively. Utilization management roles rely heavily on education and clinical expertise to make an evidence-based decision about a patient’s care to promote the best possible outcome while also being cost-effective for the facility.
5 | Electronic medical record consultant
An EMR consultant nurse is responsible for assisting healthcare organizations in implementing and utilizing electronic medical records systems. This role requires a thorough understanding of healthcare information technology and the ability to train and support users using the EMR system.
6 | Informatics nurse
An informatics nurse is responsible for analyzing, designing, and implementing healthcare information systems. This role requires knowledge of healthcare information technology and the ability to collaborate with other healthcare professionals effectively.
While this nursing role encourages a graduate degree, it is possible to get into it with healthcare analytics experience. Another reason for you, as a nurse, to level up your business skills and take advantage of online classes in analytics + spreadsheets, project + time management, and word processing + writing, etc.
7 | Academic nurse writer
As an academic nurse writer, you would be responsible for producing high-quality, evidence-based content for healthcare-related journals and textbooks (a little different than your run-of-the-mill informal blog or social media content creator).
You should be able to conduct research on various topics related to the healthcare field and have a strong understanding of the nursing profession. It would help if you also had a keen eye for detail, could write in an engaging manner, and could communicate complex information in an accessible way. Your ability to effectively communicate your expertise in healthcare and nursing will be a valuable asset to a career as an academic nurse writer.
BONUS — the one everyone’s been talking about!
8 | Nurse entrepreneur
Start a business and make the most of your nursing skills! You can turn your nursing experience into an amazing business opportunity with the proper research and planning. As an experienced nurse, you can take advantage of an online service-based consulting business in the health and wellness industries.
You can market your services to those who need assistance, whether it’s elderly adults, people with disabilities, or those struggling to care for themselves. Not only will you be able to help them, but you’ll also have the chance to make a living from your business. With the right commitment and work ethic, you can be successful in this venture and create a successful business as a nurse entrepreneur.
RELATED: How to Build Your Brand as a Nurse Entrepreneur
So what are you waiting for?
You don’t need to stay in a job that steals your joy and destroys your mental and physical health.
Determine your reasoning for why you chose to be a nurse and use that to determine your next path in your career.
There are so many options within nursing; don’t hold yourself back from a life you love to live and a job that brings you joy, satisfaction, and purpose.
Overall, there are many exciting opportunities for nurses who want to take back control of their careers, step away from patient care, and start working from home.
From providing remote patient care to developing educational programs to starting a business, your nursing career has endless possibilities!
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