Remote Nursing Jobs in California

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Specializes in L&D/LDRP.

Hi All!

I am currently a registered nurse in California with 2 years of experience - one year in neurotelemetry and one year in labor & delivery. I am already getting burnt out from the stress of being on the floor coupled with the deteriorating effects of night shift on my body. Because of this, I have started looking into remote/work from home nursing jobs that would allow for a normal 9-5ish schedule such as utilization review, case management, medical underwriting, nursing informatics, etc..

I was wondering if anyone has further insight into these types of positions (stress factor, salary, hiring requirements) or if anyone would know of any companies currently hiring or of any open positions for a nurse in CA with a little over 2 years of experience. Any advice or leads would be super helpful and appreciated! Thanks in advance :)

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

Informatics is definitely not a 9-5 position. There is a lot of teaching involved in that position and all shifts have to receive it. 

There is stress in all jobs, but definitely less away from the bedside by my experience. I would see if you can shadow a case manager in the institution you current work at to get an idea of what they do. Insurance companies hire for remote positions, but I am unsure how much acute care experience is required.

Please know that having jumped from neurotelemetry to L&D and now to something else isn't going to be a positive for you, personally or professionally. You will want to be able to answer to them why you keep skipping around.

  • One year is just enough time to start feeling better about your new specialty, so also know that you are likely to be just as unhappy at one of these new positions while you get on the learning curve. This can be mitigated by having an exceptional preceptor, but that is never a given.
  • Only spending one year at a job is likely to get you labeled a job hopper - which in general means you tend toward unhappiness or instability. This can turn employers off, particularly in a relatively new nurse.
  • Every time you change specialties you are basically a new grad all over again, learning new things, with the same level of stress that comes with that. You aren't giving yourself time to get the critical thinking parts down that tend to make nursing get easier over time.

Good luck on your journey. There is nothing wrong with looking elsewhere, but it might serve you well to do one more year where you are at. If that isn't an option, you may wish to consider outpatient positions as well. They pay less and have their own stress, but it is definitely different than bedside.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

California RNs have some difficulty with the pay cut that often accompanies a remote position. So many of these companies hiring for remote jobs are national and don't necessarily pay you based on location. Remote positions are extremely competitive, even more so since COVID, so you are often competing against hundreds and hundreds of nurses, and many companies are looking for 3 to 5 years of experience. Not to say jobs aren't out there for newer nurses, but they typically start in the low $30-per-hour range. I think you might be better served getting some longer-term experience in one area that doesn't make you look like a job-hopper on paper, because anyone doing the hiring is going to see one year here and one year there as a red flag, even though it probably just means you are looking for your niche.

Remote jobs come with their own different kinds of stress - metrics to meet, often long hours (because we are usually salaried!), and dealing with the bureaucracy of healthcare. People are often tied to their keyboards/computers and can't even take a bathroom break if it's not scheduled. Make sure you do your due diligence where these positions are concerned. Good luck!!

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Just a general note about work-from-home:

You still have to have child care for young children. 

 

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
On 11/3/2020 at 12:24 PM, meanmaryjean said:

Just a general note about work-from-home:

You still have to have child care for young children. 

Yes, 100%. My daughter is 3 and goes to daycare. If she spends more than 10 minutes in my office, she wants to climb on my lap and help me "work," which really equates to pushing all the keys on the keyboard. ? When she is older, it will be different. But now? Doesn't work, and I am not even in a position where I am on the phone all day or tied to my desk. Some employers will have remote employees sign agreements that they will not care for anyone (children or elders) while working, with the possibility of a spot check. And noise in the background of phone calls or meetings is an offense that can lead to termination. 

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