If you’re a nurse looking to escape the hectic environment of a hospital and find a balance between your profession and home life, this article is for you. As healthcare continuously evolves with technology, opportunities for bedside nurses to transition into remote roles are growing. Here’s how to pivot from bedside nursing to a remote job and make your experience and skills relevant for these positions.
1. Understand The Opportunities
I’m sure you’re probably wondering what’s out there. Here are just a few options for nurses with minimal experience.
– Telehealth Nursing: Provide clinical services and care consultation through phone or video conferencing.
– Nurse Health Coach: Help patients understand their health conditions and guide them in lifestyle choices.
– Case Manager: Coordinate patient care remotely, ensuring they receive the appropriate services at the right time.
– Medical Reviewer: Analyze medical records and claims for insurance companies.
– Nursing Informatics Specialist: Blend nursing with technology, analyzing and improving patient care systems.
Additional opportunities include healthcare consulting, clinical research, and quality assurance. Even more options can be found within insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
2. Get Certified
While your RN license and bedside experience are invaluable, additional certifications can make you a more attractive candidate for remote positions. For example, if you are seeking a job as an informatics nurse, it would help to have the Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) certification. Offered by HIMSS, this certification is for those who are newer to health IT and is a stepping stone into the more advanced CPHIMS certification. Taking the initiative to obtain a certification shows you are a serious candidate. However, thoroughly researching your role’s certification requirements before investing your time and money is essential.
3. Make Your Resume Stand Out
– Tailor for the Role: Customize your resume for each remote position. Highlight the nursing skills and experiences that align with the job’s requirements.
– Quantify Achievements: Instead of just listing duties, mention specific achievements. For instance, “Managed care for an average of 20 patients daily with a 98% satisfaction rate.”
– Emphasize Technological Proficiency: As remote work often requires tech-savviness, mention any EMR systems you’re familiar with or any tech-related courses you’ve undertaken.
– Include Soft Skills: Written communication is paramount in remote roles. Highlight your interpersonal skills, customer service skills, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities.
4. Make Your Bedside Experience Relevant
– Patient-Centered Care: Your direct interaction with patients is a goldmine. Emphasize how you’ve provided exceptional patient care, collaborated with the other interdisciplinary specialties, and excelled in the different charting systems that you used.
– Multitasking: Juggling multiple patients and tasks at the bedside is a testament to your ability to manage your time effectively and handle complex situations. These are essential traits for roles like case management.
5. Network
Join online nursing forums, LinkedIn groups, or any other professional communities where remote nursing job openings might be posted. Nowadays, even social media is becoming an asset for job searches. Networking can help you get referrals and learn from nurses already in remote roles.
Transitioning from a bedside nurse to a remote role requires deliberate planning and strategizing. It will take a bit of time. By understanding the market, obtaining the proper certifications, crafting an impeccable resume, and leveraging your bedside experience, you can successfully make the shift and enjoy the benefits of working from home.
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