Can a nurse work from home? Are remote nursing jobs available for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs)? Can I become a remote nurse? What are the reasons one might choose remote nursing jobs? Why are nurses so stressed from bedside care? What are the benefits of remote nursing? How has the nursing shortage opened the door for more remote nursing work opportunities? Find answers to all these questions and more in this article about working remotely as a nurse.
Can Nurses Work From Home?
Nurses have a plethora of options at their fingertips when it comes to remote nursing jobs. Remote nurses may have a background in community healthcare or case management work - or work alongside other nurses who do. With today's technology, a nurse can remotely connect with patients via video conferences; this allows a nurse to work from home connecting with patients. While the specific duties of remote nurses will vary, their work often includes following up with patients and encouraging patient compliance to help avoid costly hospital readmissions.
Not only is working remotely just for nurses offering care to patients, but for other purposes such as educating students, recruiting, or even working as freelance writers. There are many new opportunities and a need for nurses who want to work remotely, giving nurses more time for themselves and not exhausting them with the long hours many healthcare facilities require. Many nurses are burned out due to staffing shortages, overworked, and overstressed.
How To Become A Remote Nurse:
In becoming a remote nurse, there are requirements such as:
- Attending and completing nursing school
- Passing NCLEX-RN or the NCLEX-PN exams to acquire your licensure
- Having all required nursing certifications that may be necessary for the job
Reasons For Wanting To Be A Remote Nurse:
Can a nurse work from home? There have been nurses who decided to cross over into remote nursing after many years working in facilities; this is due to many reasons, such as long required hours, nursing shortages that leave nurses overwhelmed and stressed, and many more. Nurses are always expected to be at the top of their game because of the delicate nature of their work. People's lives can be at stake. This can become mentally straining and become overwhelming. In fact, many nurses have left their careers due to this. Furthermore, this problem has only been exaggerated since the increased nurse shortage.
It boils down to nurses becoming tired and burned out due to the stressful environment. With remote jobs, nurses are relieved of a lot of these stresses. As a matter of fact, working remotely allows you to work from anywhere. You can work while on vacation, from the leisure of your own home. Thus, it adds flexibility to your life, which can dramatically change your lifestyle and income if you choose. If this sounds interesting, you will be happy to know that there are plenty of remote nursing jobs.
Stresses Of Being A Bedside Nurse:
Nurses who work at the bedside are tired and overwhelmed. Nurses have to deal with patients with life-threatening and acute emergencies, the possibility of violence, staying on top of new therapies, dealing with patients and family members expecting too much, having conflicts with doctors and supervising staff members, or maybe having inadequate equipment.
Also, in facilities that lack strong leadership, there needs to be more support from managers for what a nurse goes through and many incentives to keep a person motivated to improve nurse retention. It's simply too much, and nurses face significant stresses and challenges on the job. There are many contributors to the heartache of a nurse's responsibilities at the job site.
How Can A Nurse Work From Home:
Remote nursing wasn't a new concept before advanced healthcare technology; it was done through the phone. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, remote nursing became more necessary, considering the importance of non-contact. As a result, there is a greater need for remote nursing now than ever before via technology. If one desires to become a remote nurse, it involves the same training a nurse would have along with the same qualifications as being licensed in the state you work in. Depending on the position, it may require some training in specific procedures.
Benefits Of Remote Nursing:
- Cost less
- It takes less time to assess patient records
- One-on-one care is more adequate
- Less time involved for patients and staff
- Noncontact reduces the spread of infection
- Less Stress than when in a clinical setting
- The conditions of the patient can be better monitored from home
Impact of the Nursing Shortage:
With an aging population, the need for nurses only rises. In fact, a shortage of nurses was already a problem, but with the baby boomers reaching ages that require care has inflated the crisis. Furthermore, we have suffered a pandemic which put the demand even higher yet caused many nurses to leave the profession. All in all, this shortage is not an easy fix.
People who have worked many years as a nurse have simply become burnout and are in need of a new work environment. Being able to work remotely has created a new option for people who have become weary with working at a healthcare facility with remote nursing jobs. This new option has opened the doors to a whole new way of healthcare. Instead of the same monotonous day-to-day routine - overworked, over-pressured, and underappreciated, nurses can still put their knowledge and skills to work without the stress of bedside care.
Another way to avoid burnout is by picking up PRN jobs with Nursa.
