Remote nursing careers allow you to enjoy the comforts of remote work while using your clinical experience. As remote work rises in popularity, many nurses have found ways to pivot toward alternative nursing careers, such as nurse health coaching, to strike a healthy work/life balance.
Nursing is a hands-on practice, so it is not often considered in conversations about remote work. With recent technological innovations, however, many organizations have discovered ways to create more remote nursing careers for healthcare professionals looking to transition.
If you wish to pursue telehealth nursing, many options are available. First, you need a strong nursing education. At the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track allows you to earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as 16 months.
In this blog, we will explore working from home as a nurse and the many alternative remote nursing careers.
Ready to start your nursing career? Learn what it takes to get into nursing school and how to improve your chances.
Benefits of Being a Work-from-Home RN
Working from home as a nurse allows you to work independently outside the fast-paced environment associated with healthcare organizations. While the intensity of remote jobs varies depending on the organization and job duties, remote work offers many benefits that you do not experience as a traditional RN, including:
- Greater autonomy
- Flexible work hours
- Reduced commute
- Decreased stress
- Maintained passion for nursing
Alternative Telehealth Nursing Careers
Within telehealth, a wide variety of careers allow you to utilize your clinical experience and education while working from the comfort of your own home. Below is a sample of five remote nursing careers.
1. Nurse Health Coach
Nurse health coaches help patients lead healthier lifestyles by creating individualized health plans based on their needs and goals. A health coach’s goal is to supply patients with the knowledge and skills they need to improve their quality of life. These nurses can work in hospitals, insurance companies or independently.
2. Informatics Nurse
If you are passionate about nursing and are data- and tech-driven, a job as an informatics nurse may be right for you. Informatics nurses develop healthcare technology and educate healthcare workers on how to use it. Many positions are remote or hybrid, allowing you to enjoy the many benefits of working from home.
Your tasks as an informatics nurse may include:
- Assessing healthcare technology needs and designing and testing solutions
- Evaluating and improving healthcare systems
- Troubleshooting problems
- Implementing technology training guidelines
3. Telephone Triage Nurse
Telephone triage nurses are essential to telehealth nursing. These professionals assess patient conditions over the phone to determine whether emergency care or an in-person appointment is required. Telephone triage nurses must acquire the following information from patients to make a recommendation:
- Patient age, height, weight and sex
- Preexisting health conditions and medical history
- Current symptoms
4. Online Nurse Educator
Online nurse educators are work-from-home RNs who have transitioned from providing patient care to educating the next generation of nurses. Online nurse educators interact with students over an e-learning platform, conduct virtual lessons and support students as they complete their coursework.
5. Legal Nurse Consultant
Many legal cases require support from nursing experts. If you wish to become a work-from-home RN and are interested in the legal system, you may be interested in becoming a legal nurse consultant (LNC). LNCs work directly with attorneys to offer relevant clinical knowledge and experience regarding various medical incidents.
LNCs can work for consulting firms, government or healthcare agencies and insurance companies. As an LNC, you may be asked to:
- Evaluate medical records
- Describe medical standards of practice
- Interpret healthcare language and documents
- Provide information for depositions and trials
- Serve as an expert witness and provide testimony
BSN-educated nurses have many opportunities for career growth. Read more to learn eight career options for nurses with a BSN.
Take the First Steps Toward a Nursing Career with UIW
Whether your career path leads to remote nursing careers or remains at the bedside, the University of the Incarnate Word’s ABSN track provides a comprehensive education you can rely on wherever your career takes you.
Our curriculum establishes a solid nursing foundation through online coursework, which you will then translate to psychomotor skills during in-person labs and clinicals. Upon graduation, students are prepared to take the licensing exam and earn their nursing license.
If you have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or 60 college credits from an accredited institution, you can earn your BSN in as few as 16 months. Contact an admissions counselor today to learn how you can take the first steps toward a nursing career.