[alonge]

Does anyone know of legitimate work for an RN that can be done from home?
I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) and even the clothes that other nurses, physicians, patients or their family members wear can cause a flare up. My specialists insist that I must find work from home or I will have a deteriorating course of my neurological system to the point that it will be permanent. I am currently working as a dialysis RN in a local hospital and am feeling quite ill every day that I go in to work.
There is no getting around the cleaners and what other people are wearing. I have approximately 22 years worth of Nursing experience in varied fields of nursing. I feel that surely there must be some online or telephonic work out there for me. I keep running into dead ends. If anyone knows of a site that I can go to or a person to call, please let me know. Thanks

[Gilles]

Good morning Alonge,

I'm an RN, got my master's degree in 2000, and have been able to keep up my oncology certification. For the past seven years I worked from home as a medical writer. I was fired on April 21st due to "performance" problems - or in other words "health care cost" problems. The company I worked for changed to a self-funded health insurance provider on 010108 with the CEO becoming head of human resources - privy to all health care costs incurred by his employees.

I was diagnosed with MS in 1982 while I was in nursing school. I worked primarily in oncology and hospice until 1997. I developed cardiomyopathy and CHF in 2006 as a complication from treatment with mitoxantrone in 2001-2003 for secondary progressive MS. Currently my heart failure is fairly well-managed (my ejection fraction has increased from a low of 19% to 30% currently).

My monthly med (oral only) bill is $2,102.63. I also have an implanted pump providing continuous baclofen infusion with an annual cost (refills, adjustments, etc) of $8,000. I have been wheelchair dependent since last summer (2007) and have self-cathed since 2004. I see my cardiologist at least 5 times a year, my neurologist twice yearly, and my urologist annually.

Since I was fired, my friends and family are encouraging me to go back on disability (I received SSA disability while in grad school). MY goal, however, is to get another telecommuting writing position.

If you like writing, there are at home writing positions well-suited to an experienced RN. There are also telephone triage (mostly pediatric) jobs you can do at home, and case management/insurance telecommuting jobs for RN's. You might also want to explore medical transcription work - much of that is home based and the training required is not significant.

Since I began telecommuting in 2001, there are many more opportunities available. While it takes much perseverance and a thick skin - you CAN make a living at home using your nursing skills!

[traumaRUs]

Home telephone triage comes to mind also.

[alonge]

Boy you have sure had a lot on your plate to deal with. But it sounds like you really have a handle on it. I am currently taking a billing and coding course in the hopes that some physicians may prefer an RN handling their coding. I plan on getting certification in it once I complete it. I have applied to some of the telecommuting
jobs, but no luck so far. It has been difficult to find one that will allow you to do it from home as opposed to working in a center. But I keep looking. Thanks for responding to my question, I really appreciate your input. Take care

[RN102]

You can get a work from home job as a screener with a organ or tissue bank. What state do you live in?

[RN102]

Duh, I didn't see your state listed at first... You can try The Medical Eye bank of Florida, Tissue Banks International, or the state Organ Procurement Organization.

[dallet6]

As stated, telephone triage is the one that comes to mind.

[ElliShay]

you can also apply to be an online tutor -- there are many companies providing this service to students; for an example -- check out smartthinking.com