Feeling burned out on bedside nursing?
Many nurses are considering leaving the field altogether. Staff nurses are refusing to continue putting up with poor patient ratios, inadequate staffing, low pay, physical abuse, and mandatory overtime. (And I’m cheering them on!)
The good news is that nursing as a career goes beyond bedside clinical work. You can work in many different areas outside of the hospital setting, and some can be done remotely! With the aid of technology, nurses can communicate with patients and organizations without ever leaving their homes.
If you’re thinking about switching careers or have considered leaving clinical nursing behind for good, this post will help you learn more about non-bedside nursing jobs.
#1 Remote Care Manager/Case Manager
Nurse Case Managers help patients, typically those with chronic conditions, navigate the insurance system and help them obtain needed medications, care, and durable medical equipment.
You can work remotely as a case manager for many insurance companies, and some hospitals even offer remote or hybrid work.
Nurse Fern considers this role an extrovert position as much of your day is spent on the phone.
Read the complete guide to becoming a Remote Case Manager here.
#2 Remote Utilization Review/Management Nurse
Utilization review/management nurses evaluate patient stays to ensure the care provided is cost-effectively meeting the recognized standard of care. This role requires enormous attention to detail and a comprehensive understanding of medical necessity and documentation.
Nurse Fern considers this an introvert position. The majority of nurses who work in UR report little to no phone usage.
Read the Nurse Fern guide to Remote Utilization Review and Management here.
#3 Health Coach
Nurse health coaches work to improve patient health while saving healthcare dollars. They might provide coaching by phone or Skype several times a week or act more like an on-call consultant when needed. Health coaches help patients create and maintain healthy lifestyle choices.
Nurse Fern considers this role to be an extrovert position. You are communicating directly with patients during your workday.
Read the Nurse Fern guide to Remote Nurse Health Coaching here.
#4 Telephone Triage Nurse
If you’ve worked in the emergency department, critical care, home health, hospice, urgent care, pediatrics, or obstetrics, a career as a telephone triage nurse may be right for you.
Telehealth Triage Nurses assess patient complaints telephonically and connect them with the most appropriate resources available, including doctors, hospitals, or medical equipment vendors. Most triage nurses are trained to follow a standardized protocol like the widely used Schmitt-Thompson telephone triage protocols.
Nurse Fern considers this role an extrovert position as your day is spent on the phone directly communicating with patients.
Read the complete guide to Telephonic Triage Nursing here.
#5 Data Abstraction
Data Abstraction is often a flexible role that is great for nurses who have an eye for detail and have been involved in quality improvement or chart auditing on their unit. Many employers look for nurses who have experience, particularly in oncology, or using national registries tracking specific measures.
Nurse Fern considers this role an introvert position as you spend much of your day alone.
Learn more about remote Data Abstraction and Nurse Auditing in our complete guide.
#6 HEDIS Nurse
Healthcare Effectiveness Data Information Set (HEDIS) is a performance improvement tool measuring individual providers, plans, and institutions on a specific set of indicators.
Nurses are hired to abstract data from patient charts for these measures and record them in a standardized database.
The role is seasonal and typically lasts from January to May. Nurses can find part or full-time positions, and a few highly ambitious nurses will work their full-time job and part-time HEDIS.
Nurse Fern considers this role an introvert position as much of your day is spent alone reviewing documents.
Read more about remote HEDIS nursing here.
#7 Denials & Appeals Nurse
Nurses in this role help providers and insurance companies resolve denied claims. Nurses are responsible for reviewing the denied insurance claims and determining whether the patient, in fact, qualifies for coverage on appeal.
It can be a very satisfying role for nurses when they are able to help patients receive previously denied care and treatment.
Nurse Fern considers this role an introvert/extrovert position as many nurses report phone usage to be dependent on the employer.
Learn more about remote .
#8 Pre-service review nurse – Prior Authorization Nurse
The Pre-service review nurse reviews and approves requests for tests and treatment. When a test or treatment is denied, it might be reviewed by a denials and appeals nurse for further consideration.
Nurse Fern considers this role an extrovert position as you may have increased communication with providers and insurance companies maintaining additional documentation for care requests.
Read more about remote Prior Authorization Nursing here.
# 9 Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist (CDIS)
This is what I do! CDI nurses perform concurrent chart reviews to ensure that provider documentation accurately represents the care provided and the patient’s severity of illness. They perform verbal or written queries when clarification is needed to obtain additional information.
Nurse Fern considers this role an introvert position as most of your day is spent deep in chart reviews.
Read the Nurse Fern guide to becoming a remote Clinical Documentation Integrity Nurse here.
#10 Freelance Content Writing Nurse
Nurse content writers are in high demand. You can work at home writing blog posts for health websites, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and more. Depending on the employer, content writers are paid by the post or by salary.
Nurse Fern considers this role both an introvert and extrovert position. You must network and find your own writing clients but the actual task of writing is quiet and solitary.
Nurse Fern has two extra guide to help you in your path to becoming a remote Freelance Nurse Writer:
NURSE TURNED WRITER: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FREELANCE WRITING FOR NURSES
HOW TO BECOME A FREELANCE NURSE WRITER: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
#11 Legal Nurse Consultant
Nurses who are legal nurse consultants (LNCs) work with attorneys to review medical records and provide expert opinions for cases.
Successful LNCs often have connections with lawyers and law offices that help them get started in this career. There are also courses you can take to help you build your practice.
Nurse Fern considers this role an extrovert position as you must build your own client base by finding law practices to utilize your services.
Learn more about Legal Nurse Consulting here.
Conclusion
If you’re feeling burned out from your clinical nursing job, don’t worry – there are many opportunities for nurses to work from home and away from the bedside!
So whether you’re an introverted nurse looking for some alone time or an extroverted nurse ready to network and collaborate with others, there’s a remote nursing job perfect for you.
Ready to start searching for your first remote nursing job? Check out the Nurse Fern Job Board!
