Did you know that nursing doesn’t have to be at the bedside, and that remote nursing jobs are now on the rise?
Why? Because nurses have a lot more to offer than just bedside nursing, and industries need their knowledge and expertise for other positions as well.
Something that has really been concerning lately is the rising amount of nurses leaving the nursing profession, completely. It is concerning because we are already in a nursing shortage, with no end in sight.
The age range of nurses leaving their careers goes from both younger to older. So we can’t even just blame it on “Millennials” like everyone likes to do whenever possible. Clearly, this is an industry issue and so awareness as to what other opportunities exist out there for nurses is key.
So here are 9 great remote nursing jobs to research and see if they may be the right fit for you.
9 Satisfying Remote Nursing Jobs For Nurses Sick of Bedside Nursing
1. Chart Abstraction
This is a great job for the RN with great attention to detail.
Chart abstraction is one of the steps to making a patient ready to be seen electronically. It requires putting historical information into the patient’s electronic chart.
Really quick, let’s think about what abstracting even means. It means to remove and/or take away. An example of this can be when looking at the “abstract” that a doctor wrote in their documentation. The doctor might have put in the chart that the diagnosis for this particular visit is “broken leg”. However, in their abstract, they have documented that this patient has diabetes and a blood clot.
Chart abstraction would require that the diabetes and blood clot, pertinent information, also needs to be a part of the diagnosis due to affecting the patient’s recovery process.
Not every physician is going to document exactly the same. Some may write pertinent information in the history section, others may write it in the “notes”. Everything that needs to be known will not always be neatly in the assessment and planning section. This is why this is such an important position due to these examples that directly affect a patient’s care. Some may argue that positions like this will go away due to all information being pulled electronically one day, however, human eyes, expertise, and rationality will never be replaceable.
Average salary: 66K
Job search link: Chart abstraction nurse
2. Nurse Consultant
Nurse consultants are professional problem solvers. They identify problems and develop solutions to those problems.
Insurance companies are known to hire nurse consultants due to their ability to use their licenses and knowledge to meet common goals. The nurse who works in this space would likely be hired to assess, plan, implement, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate options to facilitate appropriate healthcare services/benefits for members.
The nurse consultant can also work in the legal space as well. A legal firm may hire nurse consultants to work on medical malpractice investigations.
The nurse consultant works in many different spaces. In addition to attorneys and insurance companies, they can work for physicians, hospitals, private investigators, and can even be hired by third parties relating to injuries, etc.
Consulting is a very lucrative career space in business, and there are plenty of opportunities for nurses in this new technologically savvy day and age.
The nurse in this role can be a hired employee, or can even start their own consulting business. This is one of our favorite remote nursing jobs due to the plethora of different opportunities and specialties within it.
Average salary: 89K
Job search link: Nurse Consultant
3. Utilization Management
This is a pretty broad area for a nurse to work in, but definitely not boring.
Some of the specialties you can work in, regarding utilization management, include L&D, behavioral health, child development, bariatric, orthopedic, and other complex surgeries. Additionally, outpatient services such as rehab and psychiatric therapies, cancer treatments, pharmaceuticals, dental, orthotics, and prosthetics.
Nurse Utilization Managers evaluate the appropriateness of healthcare services. The goal is patient safety and advocacy.
This position is very important in regards to protecting patients from procedures that are possibly ineffective, unsafe, and unnecessarily costly to the patient and the insurance company.
Additionally, the nurse in this role also gets to be a “teacher” to their patients. They get to encourage and guide their patients through their unique health situations.
A nurse in this role will be given the necessary training, and tools, in order to be proficient enough to make sound judgments. So don’t let that intimidate you. The nurse in this role will also go through a lot of continuing education in regards to these criteria and any ongoing changes in policy, etc.
Average salary: 77K
Job search link: Utilization management
4. Nurse Auditor
Medical auditing is a huge industry.
Really quick, and importantly, if you are really interested in coding, medical billing, auditing, and utilization review, it is a really good idea for you to get certified by the most reputable source, AAPC.
This is a job for the nurse who can be objective and accurate. The nurse auditor reviews medical charts, validates coding accuracy, and the appropriateness of services given to patients.
The nurse will often times have to create a narrative explaining the rationale behind the care given to patients and be able to support the findings if an appeal is given. This position is also used to monitor patient satisfaction, which is being monitored very seriously in hospitals and care facilities today.
This is a great job in regards to job security because, in healthcare, it is constantly being assessed and audited to maintain and improve levels of professional quality care. When it comes to remote nursing jobs, this is one that will likely have many more positions opening up in the years to come.
Average salary: 70K
Job search link: Nurse Auditor
*This is a great YouTube video of someone highly experienced explaining this role in great depth.
5. Case Manager
The Nurse Case Manager coordinates all aspects of the individual care of a patient.
Proper utilization of services and resources is very important in this position. Nurses in this role need to be experts regarding public and private insurance reimbursement policies regarding healthcare.
Nurse Case Managers must also be experts in obtaining resources for their patients. You will be responsible for identifying barriers to care and seeking solutions with members of the patient care team. So if you are passionate about patient advocacy, you may really thrive in this role.
This is a collaborative role, so you will work with many members of the care team including social workers and even those who are non-medical.
Also, it is worth mentioning that this job is not always a remote nursing job. There are options to work out of the home a few days a week by visiting patients and going to meetings, etc. This may appeal to even nurses who are researching work-at-home positions.
Due to the circumstances in 2020, many case managers have been successfully working completely from home, communicating only through telephonic mediums like zoom, etc. So if working from home is important for you, this position is able to accommodate that fully now.
Average salary: 74K
Job search link: Nurse Case Manager
6. Medical Grievance and Appeals
The nurse who works in medical grievance and appeals evaluates and resolves clinical appeals, grievances, and external reviews received from members and/or providers. Also, this remote nursing job includes a review of pre-service and post-service appeals. Additionally, utilizing the understanding of clinical department operations and claims processing procedures.
This is a position that requires a lot of communication and collaboration with external partners. physicians, medical groups, etc. It is highly technical, and a nurse with administration and/or management experience should fit in well in this role.
This nurse coordinates investigations and resolutions of complex grievance and appeal issues, and reviews information provided by members, providers, and other interested parties.
This position is great for the nurse who is interested in the more legal side of care, and who is highly organized and analytical. AAPC certification and in-depth understanding of CMS are highly desired, if not required by many companies.
Average salary: 94K
Job search link: Medical Grievance and Appeals Nurse
7. Clinical Liaison
This is a really cool remote nursing job.
A nurse clinical liaison is actually more of a sales and marketing position. So if you enjoy business and marketing, this may be the perfect nursing position for you.
Nurses in this position will often work for home health agencies.
As an example, nurse clinical liaisons will go to hospitals’, physicians’ offices, and nursing homes in their assigned areas. They will then “pitch” to these establishments why they should send their patients to that specific home health agency, that the clinical liaison represents.
In many instances, this is a position that pays a base salary, but you may have the opportunity to make bonuses and commissions based on how many referrals you bring in. There is usually some kind of tier system involved.
The nurse in this role will also likely manage daily and weekly schedules of patient care transition coordination, patient assessment, and marketing support activities. When it comes to remote nursing jobs, this one has a lot of extra income opportunities.
Average salary: 70K
Job search link: Clinical Liaison Nurse
8. Call Center Nurse
A call center nurse is also sometimes called a telephone triage nurse.
The nurse in this role assists doctor’s offices, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities by answering patients’ questions via a telephone call, or a video chat. Additionally, communicating with physicians on the patient’s behalf as necessary.
This is a position that requires the nurse to determine the probable level of care the patient may require.
The call may result in the patient being recommended emergency care, an appointment with a doctor, or if the patient may be able to treat themselves, or their child, at home.
This position may also be very flexible with the hours, for example, if you need to work from home at night.
Average salary: 77K
Job search link: Call Center Nurse
9. Nurse Recruiter
This is definitely a growing remote nursing job in the industry.
As a nurse recruiter, you will be recruiting qualified candidates for nursing positions at the facility you either work for or one of the many your agency contracts with.
Many nurse recruiters work on college campuses where it is easy to come into contact with current or prospective nursing students.
A nurse recruiter is a great position for nurses who have an interest in human resources. There may even be opportunities for counseling and guiding nurses and nursing students.
This is a position that you could also turn into a home business as a freelancer.
Average salary: 87K
Job search link: Nurse Recruiter
Remote Nursing Jobs FAQs:
How can you work remotely as a nurse?
To work remotely as a nurse you will need a well-functioning computer, reliable internet service, and possibly an office phone (usually provided by the employer).
Is it hard to get a remote nursing job?
Remote nursing jobs can be more competitive than hospital and clinic positions, but new positions are opening every day. Due to the recent events in the past few years, remote work is more streamlined and efficient than ever.
What is the most chill remote nursing job?
While that is a mostly subjective opinion, in this particular list, chart abstraction and utilization management likely offer the most autonomy.
What do remote nurses do?
While many remote positions can be worked from completely at home, many also offer at least some patient interaction if that’s what you enjoy. There is a lot of flexibility in remote nursing jobs.
Why Would Nurses Be Interested In Remote Nursing Jobs Instead Of Bedside Positions?
Bedside nursing has many interruptions that break the flow of concentration.
For example, a call light goes off, a critical event occurs, two of your patients are requiring a lot of physical care, a manager is asking you a question about something that happened last week, and you are getting a new admit.
For the detail-oriented, organized RN, who cares about chart accuracy, and reliable numbers and data? And of course, safety… Working at the bedside can frankly, just be intolerable for some nurses.
Additionally, “baby” nurses are feeling like they didn’t even realize what they were getting themselves into, and then the veteran nurses are tired of the constant changes. Also, many are feeling like their ability to care properly for their patients is being compromised due to increasing patient ratios.
But this is what I absolutely LOVE about nursing. There are so many different areas and specialties you can go into. And just to mention quickly, if you are a nurse over 50, here is an article we wrote regarding the best nursing jobs for nurses over 50, if that interests you.
Today, let’s look at some very interesting remote nursing jobs if you are sick of the bedside.
In Conclusion: Remote Nursing Jobs Are a Great Alternative To Quitting Nursing
If you are sick of bedside nursing, we encourage you not to give up on the nursing profession completely. There are many nursing jobs out there that don’t require bedside care. And as you can see, there are many where you can work from the comfort of your home.
You went to school and earned your degree in nursing. Not only that, but you took a super difficult exam and got your nursing license. This is such a huge accomplishment. Our society needs you, but you absolutely do need to be happy.
So, we encourage you to keep exploring the different nursing career paths out there until you find the one that you can settle in and grow into for years to come.
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