The healthcare industry has evolved significantly, with hospitals and facilities adopting innovative ways to deliver better patient services. One outstanding trend in the industry has been telehealth, which has directly affected the rise of remote nursing jobs. As healthcare facilities wrestle with employee shortages, high turnover rates, and the increasing demand for specialized care, the remote nursing model offers a powerful solution. However, most employers in healthcare face challenges in effectively navigating this new trend and attracting the best talent.
In this article, we will explore the driving force behind the rise of remote nursing jobs, the roles that virtual nurses play in the healthcare industry, and provide a strategic guide for employers looking to tap into the talent pool and build strong remote nursing teams.
Why Remote Nursing Jobs Are on the Rise
The biggest force behind the rise of remote nursing jobs is the growth of telehealth. However, there are more drivers of the growth in this talent pool, emerging from both the healthcare and the recruitment industry at large.
1. Telehealth expansion
Expansion and technological advancement in telehealth are the biggest catalysts for the rise in remote nursing jobs. The establishment of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, user-friendly telehealth platforms, and high-speed internet has made virtual care highly effective and achievable. Nurses are now able to use video conferencing tools, remote patient monitoring devices, and secure messaging apps to actively attend to patients without compromising on privacy and compliance. This has called for nursing professionals who not only possess the industry skills but also have experience in digital tools, communication, and remote work knowledge to attend to patients. Remote nurses conduct patient assessments, provide health education, manage chronic conditions, and offer real-time support without being physically present.
2. Changing patient expectations and demand for convenience
Patients in the current era value convenience and accessibility and are increasingly comfortable with digital interactions in all aspects, including healthcare. Before physically going to a clinic, they first seek a remedy online, assess the symptoms with online resources, and get advice from virtual medical professionals. This has shifted how hospitals provide support by positioning professionals for live chats, offering online consultations, and real-time engagement. In addition, patients managing chronic illnesses or those living far from healthcare facilities prefer to consult with a nurse from the comfort of their homes, schedule regular check-ins, post-operative follow-ups, and illness management without having to travel, wait for hours in queues or take time off work.
3. Nursing Shortage
The demand for remote nurses is increasing across various healthcare sectors, including insurance, research, health tech, and informatics. This demand has led to a significant shortage of professional nurses, calling for healthcare employers to expand their talent search to international markets. With the demand for 24-hour healthcare support, especially in the online space, healthcare employers are met with the challenge to balance between in-person patient care and online support. Remote nurses can facilitate online patient care and service through various patient portals without the limitation of location and time zones.
4. Work-Life Balance for Nurses
The traditional nursing role is physically and emotionally draining, often leading to high rates of burnout and turnover, a crisis that was aggravated by the recent pandemic. Remote nursing jobs offer an attractive alternative that significantly improves nurses’ quality of life. The flexibility to work from home, create a more controlled work schedule, and avoid the strain of long hours on one’s feet is a major reason for the nurses opting for remote roles.
5. Overall growth of remote work
As remote work continues to experience overall growth, remote nursing jobs are a significant part. From the rise of telehealth, the need to address nursing shortages and the desire for flexibility and work-life balance among nurses. Employers are also able to save on hiring costs, especially for temporary and project-based roles, access broader talent pools that are not limited by location and time, and access the opportunity for faster expansion to serve online audiences and international clientele.
Types of Remote Nursing Jobs
Remote nursing encompasses a diverse array of roles and responsibilities. The opportunities for virtual nurses extend far beyond a simple phone triage. As a healthcare employer, understanding the extent of nursing roles is essential to identify where remote nursing professionals can serve your organization best.
1. Telehealth Nurse
Telehealth nurses, also known as telephone triage nurses, assess patients, offer guidance, and manage their immediate concerns. These remote roles are more proficient in insurance companies, physician offices, hospitals, and private telehealth organizations. If you are looking for a virtual nurse to pick patient calls, assess their medical needs, provide applicable nursing instruction, and make referrals to the appropriate specialist, this is the role you should hire for.
2. Case Management Nurse
This role involves coordinating care for patients, ensuring they receive adequate care by obtaining insurance authorizations, educating them about their conditions, and guiding them on best practices for faster recovery. Case management remote nurses are the first point of contact between the patient and their doctor and act as the bridge between the two, providing support, education, and facilitating communication.
3. Pre-authorization Nurse
Prior authorization remote nursing roles involve reviewing medical requests for insurance coverage to determine whether they meet the established criteria. Nurses performing this role assess patient records, communicate with insurers and healthcare providers, and facilitate care based on eligibility for coverage. They also prepare documentation, perform audits of patient records, and assist management in compliance with insurance guidelines.
4. Nurse Writer
Remote nurse writers combine their clinical knowledge with writing skills to create content related to healthcare, nursing, and medicine. They are remote content creators whose goal is to educate the public, healthcare professionals, and patients through written content. Nurse writers also actively practice in research and academic writing for clinical research and grant writing for clinical research facilities. They develop training materials, patient brochures, case studies, and education courses.
5. Clinical Documentation Specialist
This is a registered nurse who reviews and analyzes patient records to ensure documentation is correct and satisfactory. They take time to assess medical records to ensure that facilities and providers adhere to industry regulations. This role can be perfect for nurse coders who use their nursing experience and technical skills to streamline billing and insurance claims, review patient records, assign medical codes to various diagnoses and procedures, and assist in processing insurance claims.
6. Nurse Health Coach
A nurse coach helps to improve different aspects of a patient’s health, such as mental health, physical wellness, and emotional well-being. Remote nurse coaches show their patients techniques to improve their dietary choices, facilitating mental health wellness and leading overall healthy lives through providing education. Apart from hospitals, other facilities that can also benefit from nurse coaching services are private practice clinics, community health centers, insurance companies, and hospice facilities.
How to tap the best remote nurses as a healthcare employer
Attracting top-tier talent for your remote nursing jobs requires a strategic and deliberate approach. You are competing for the best talent in a national and sometimes international talent market, hence the need to position yourself as the employer of choice. Here are some tips to attract top professionals;
- Keep job descriptions clear and compelling by outlining the specific duties and responsibilities, performance expectations, tools to be utilized, and the benefits of the role. Emphasize professional development, collaboration, and the impact of the role on patient care.
- Streamline your recruitment and onboarding process to lay a strong foundation that will drive success in the remote nursing role. Always remember that the best candidates have options, and therefore clunky, disorganized hiring process might cost you the right employee.
- Emphasize work-life balance, flexible schedules, and the priority placed on providing a healthy work environment. The top candidates in nursing value balance and employers that do not drive them to burnout. Outline how this is facilitated through flexible schedules, paid time off, and employee wellness programs.
Tap into the Remote Nursing Talent Pool with Remote Raven
While the strategies above provide a strong guideline, navigating the competitive landscape of remote hiring can be overwhelming for busy healthcare organizations. Sourcing, vetting, and onboarding highly specialized remote nursing talent requires significant time and expertise. This is where a dedicated partner like Remote Raven makes all the difference.
By partnering with us, you can access a wider talent pool, reduce hiring time, and lower costs while ensuring quality on your virtual nursing team. Enhance your patient care and safety by hiring experienced and licensed professionals today. Ready to transform your healthcare practice? Contact us for a free consultation session with our experts.
