8 Work From Home Jobs

At some point, many of us dream of working from home, coffee cup in hand, in a hoodie and yoga pants. Fortunately, there really are many opportunities. Here are 8 jobs you may not have considered.

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8 Work From Home Jobs

In my career advice column, Ask Nurse Beth, I am asked so often about job opportunities away from the bedside, and just as often how to work from home. Why do nurses quit the bedside?

There are so many reasons for leaving the bedside. Some nurses face age discrimination. Others have lost their passion and need a new start.

With an emphasis on proactively managing health and improving outcomes, more opportunities are being created that use nurse's knowledge and skills.

At some point, many of us dream of working from home. Picture yourself coffee cup in hand, slipper or flip flops on your feet, with your dog or cat nearby. Sounds great?

Working from home is perfectly suited for the individual who enjoys minimal supervision.

Most remote jobs require two to three years of clinical practice experience and MS Office skills such as Word and Excel (easily learned).

First, identify your skills and what you're looking for in a job. Do you enjoy detail and digging deep to audit charts? Would you enjoy coaching and talking to patients on the phone, educating and coordinating?

Here are some promising jobs for the nurse who wants to work from home.

Note: Sometimes "work at home" jobs actually mean "based from home" with travel required. Sometimes work at home is allowed after working on-site for a time, such as a year.

Telephonic Nursing/Nurse Hotline/Nurse Advice Line

Telephonic nursing includes telephone triage where you'll provide health care guidance, support, and referrals for members. You help members decide if they need to go to an ED, or a provider's office, or manage their concerns at home.

Case Manager

Case Managers cover a range of jobs and responsibilities that vary from employer to employer. Essentially, Case Managers coordinate and collaborate to provide services across the continuum of care, using available resources to promote quality cost- effective outcomes. There is a ton of good advice on the Case Management forum .

Some jobs require certification. Here's how to get Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC) Certified. Eligibility requires a minimum of one year of case management experience, but does open more doors.

Case Reviewers

Case Reviewers review and abstract medical record data. Case reviewers may include Quality Reviewer, Field Nurse Case Workers, and Worker's Comp. Reviewers.

Medical Claims Review

Medical Claims Reviewers evaluate adults with chronic illness or disability to determine the level of care and eligibility for services. Often these are Medicare related, such as determining eligibility for Medicare Part B.

Closely related is Clinical Appeals, where the nurse evaluates documentation used to approve or deny claims.

Wellness Coach/Care Coach

Wellness Coaches are hired to contact and coach individuals to help them meet their insurance plan's wellness goals. For example, an overweight individual may be called once a month by the coach and in this way held accountable.

You assist members in navigating the healthcare system and help them move towards better health and wellness which assists in preventing hospital and ER visits.

Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Specialist

This is a rapidly growing field. The CDI Specialist is a liaison between providers who enter orders and coders. The CDI Specialist reviews and evaluates clinical records to determine accuracy and integrity of coding outcome versus clinical documentation and compliance with coding regulations and guidelines.

You would use your knowledge of clinical documentation to make sure the coding accurately reflects the clinical episode of care and conforms to regulatory requirements.

Online Nursing Faculty

The distance nurse instructor facilitates online discussions and evaluates student performance. Depending on the program, this may require a graduate degree. Good for the nurse who loves teaching.

Prior Authorization RN

The Prior Authorization nurse performs medical necessity reviews for services that require prior authorization utilizing specific criteria. She/he collaborates with treating physicians and other healthcare professionals to gather necessary information needed to review the requested services.

Use Job Search Engines

Register with a job search engine such as Indeed and set your filters for "work at home" Other search keywords are "remote", "telecommute" and "distance online faculty". Start reading the different jobs available to see what's out there and what interests you.

Companies That Offer Work at Home Jobs

Aside from using job search engines, search companies sites for listings. Here are just a few large companies known to offer work from home jobs:

Aetna, Anthem, AxisPoint, Medtronic, Cigna, CVS, Humana, McKesson, UnitedHealth Group

Self-Employed

Then there are those of us who are self-employed or have side hustles, like the nurse writers. Be sure and check out the Nurse Entrepreneurs/Innovators Hub for our inspiring stories!

Here's mine: How I Became a Nurse Author and Wrote a Book!

Best wishes on finding your dream job working from home.

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Nurse Beth

About Nurse Beth, MSN

Career Columnist / Author

Nurse Beth is an Educator, Writer, Blogger and Subject Matter Expert who blogs about nursing career advice at http://nursecode.com

145 Articles   4,099 Posts

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Great options...

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

Aiming for online faculty. :) Great article!

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Before I became a bedside nurse, I was a freelancer who worked from home and miss that lifestyle. These are great suggestions, thank you.

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Specializes in Critical Care and Emergency Room.

Those are all great options but there are more. I work with an International natural nutrition company and teach people how to get healthier using a holistic approach. I am in business for myself but not by myself. I have the support and training of a huge business but am free to market products and grow my business as I choose.

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Specializes in med/surg.

Yes, work from home sounds like an ideal thing. I tried it a few years ago doing chart reviews trying to determine why a device had been ordered for a patient with the goal to detect Medicare fraud.

The biggest problem I found is the lack of human contact/interaction. Sure I could pretty much set my own hours, didn't have to get dressed and make my self presentable each day. I would find myself sometimes going days without actually talking to anyone else. At one point I realized I hadn't even changed out my nightgown and sweat pants for a couple of days. I would end up waiting for the mailman to make his stop just so I could actually say hello to another person and get a live response. Plus I quickly realized just how many cigarettes a day I could smoke since there was no limits. (I did quit smoking a couple of years ago)

Plus it just isn't healthy to do nothing but sit at the computer hour after hour without any reason to get up and get moving.

I lasted a few months at this but soon was looking for a nursing job that would get me up and going in the morning and bring me back to face to face, hands on nursing care.

Yes it sounds great, but can have many pitfalls,

Kathy

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"At some point, many of us dream of working from home, coffee cup in hand, in a hoodie and yoga pants. Fortunately, there really are many opportunities."

As a matter of fact, this is exactly what I do. I never would have dreamed this 41 years ago when I became an RN. Fast forward to 4 years ago, I received an e-mail from LinkedIn and this job ad caught my eye "Nurse practitioners, work from home in your pajamas!" As I thought to myself, "Yeah, right" I clicked on the ad and discovered it was from a major health provider in my area and it was perfect for me. I was hired and have been working for this employer for 3 years.

I do online convenience care exclusively from home by computer. I diagnose common conditions, prescribe meds when necessary and refer if it's not a condition we treat. I am licensed as an RN and NP in 12 states. Since I live in MN, I never worry about the weather. I work per diem and pretty much work when and how much I want. I plan to hang on to this job until I retire.

We have great camaraderie. We maintain a chat open with our co-workers during our shifts for consulting with each other, asking questions, and coordinating with the tech staff.

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Specializes in LTC.

Can you be an LPN/LVN for any of these jobs? I've never been good at the bedside because of anxiety issues and need an alternative!

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Yes, I would also like to know if there are any positions for LPN,s to work from home, I love patient care but my feet are saying NO!

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.
Crystal-Wings said:
Can you be an LPN/LVN for any of these jobs? I've never been good at the bedside because of anxiety issues and need an alternative!

Yes, when I was researching job boards for this article, I noticed some postings did include LVN/LPNs. You can set your filter on Indeed or other search engines for "LPN" as well ?

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Wow! Would love to know more about this Snels50. I am in NP school now, have 7 years nursing experience and have considered moving to a more remote location when my husband retires. This sounds like a great for for me, can you share more about it?

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

While working from home sounds beyond wonderful I also know myself well enough to know that if I don't have to punch a time clock I might not get to work on time. Being a master procrastinator probably wouldn't mesh with a work from hone job.

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