Work at home nursing is a hot field. Registered nurses work at home in areas that allow them to put their healthcare skills to use. These jobs do not involve the typical face to face interaction of traditional nursing, which is great for people who want to work in a more autonomous setting. However, these jobs do require the ability to make decisions without the advantage of seeing, touching or talking to the client. Work at home nurse jobs require an ever expanding skill set.
Work at home nursing may involve telephone triage, also called teletriage or telenursing. Telephone triage nurses take incoming calls from patients or clients. They work on behalf of health care facilities and doctor’s offices. Telephone triage nurses do not diagnose patients, but they do assess client’s needs to recommend appropriate care. The idea is to cut down on the number of unnecessary emergency room visits. So, telephone triage nurses may refer clients, book appointments and place follow up calls. Currently, there is no specific clinical background for telephone triage nurses. Most employers do not require certification either, but companies prefer registered nurses with at least 5 years of clinical experience. This form of nursing requires a lot of phone work and documentation.
Work at home nursing may also include telephonic case management. Nurse case managers work to deliver cost effective health care to clients with long term care needs. They review claims on behalf of insurance companies. Nurse case managers complete an assessment over the phone then evaluate and modify the treatment plan as necessary. The goal is to make sure that the policy will cover and pay for the treatments and tests ordered by physicians and clients. Most nurse case managers are registered nurses with 3 to 5 years of clinical experience. Many insurance providers prefer that applicants have a baccalaureate in nursing, or BSN, and certification in case management. This type of work at home nursing often requires knowledge or rehabilitation, workers compensation laws and strong negotiation skills.
Medical transcription is another option for work at home nurses. Transcription is the process of listening and transcribing dictated material. Physicians and other health care professionals record the material so transcriptionists can create a variety of documents, including autopsy and medical history reports, referrals and imaging studies. Registered nurses find a background in medical terminology provides an advantage with employers. Knowledge of procedures and experience also helps transcription nurses spot and correct errors. Hospitals and other employers seek medical transcriptionists with certification and 2 to 3 years of clinical transcription experience. Generally, transcription requires excellent grammar and spelling and a high level of keyboarding proficiency.
There are opportunities for those who want to work at home as a nurse, but it isn’t for everyone. These types of jobs require nurses to listen, speak and write well. A bit of tech savvy goes a long way too, as many companies have nurses use sophisticated software.
Basically, if you are comfortable working at a computer and communicating over the phone, consider getting a nursing job from home.
