While remote work is an option for nurses, it can be hard to know what types of roles to look for and how to showcase how your skills translate to a remote work setting, especially when you first graduate. Fortunately, your skills do transfer, and it is possible to land a remote nursing role after graduation.
To maximize your chances of working remotely, there are a few steps you should take:
- Understand what remote nurses do
- Get a compact license
- Showcase the right skills
- Practice remote interview skills
- Apply to jobs hosted by employers who hire remote nurses.
This list can sound overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. To make it more manageable, let’s break down each step to landing a remote job after graduation.
Understand What Remote Nurses Do
One of the biggest hurdles for working remotely as a nurse is picturing how your skill set translates to a remote position. After all, RN nurses provide patient care, and patients are often treated in person at hospitals and private practices.
With the rise of telehealth, many of those in-person duties can be performed remotely. Telephone triage nurses and telehealth nurses provide similar services as in-person nurses but over video or phone calls. This can look like asking a patient for their vitals and recording them in a practice’s EHR or writing down patient symptoms before transferring them over to the doctor for the telehealth appointment.
While telehealth nurses are the most stereotypical type of remote nurses, there are also opportunities for nurses to work remotely in roles that are not patient-facing. The most common types of nursing work to be done remotely include:
- Health informatics
- Nurse auditor
- Nurse case manager
- Nurse abstractor
- Nurse recruiter
- Nurse administrator
When looking at remote roles, take time to reflect on what you love most about your degree and what you hope to gain in your first role. You can write down whether you’d want to directly serve patients or work on the administrative side of healthcare. You should also envision what your ideal workday looks like, including if you prefer day shifts, night shifts, or a more standard work schedule.
Get a Compact License
Usually, an RN license allows you to practice in one state. For in-person roles that makes sense, but many telehealth companies provide care across state lines. To provide interstate care efficiently, they need nurses who can work across borders.
When applying for your RN license, apply for a compact license if you want to work remotely. A compact license allows you to practice nursing in 41 states. Similar to a driver’s license, it’s still issued by your home state, but the other 40 states in this agreement accept the license too.
A compact license is available to graduates from all education levels. Whether you have a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in nursing, you can apply for this license type. There’s even a compact license for LPNs/LVNs.
Highlight Remote Skills
Employers hiring remote nurses look for many of the same requirements as those looking for in-person nurses: a nursing degree, a nurse license, and relevant experience (including nursing clinical). While you should highlight these skills, training, and experience on your resume, there are a few other things to add.
Unlike in-person degrees, many remote jobs are for those with an associate’s degree or higher. As an LPN, you might be a more competitive candidate with an associate’s or bachelor’s. Fortunately, there are many affordable nursing programs to explore.
Beyond these basic requirements, there are also some remote-specific skills employers look for. These include:
- Good communication skills
- Effective time management
- Adept at utilizing technology
- Highly independent and self-motivated
- Critical thinking skills
Often, remote nurses perform more specialized work. According to a 2022 study, employers were more likely to hire specialized nurses for remote positions. To be competitive, you may want to consider showcasing electives and work experience related to the type of nursing job you’re applying for.
Practice Your Remote Interviewing Skills
When you’re applying for remote jobs, odds are the interview will be conducted virtually as well. To prepare for a virtual interview, there are a few steps to follow:
- Familiarize yourself with the main video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meets
- Ask a friend to conduct a virtual interview ahead of time to practice
- Ensure you have an outfit you feel confident in and that looks professional on-screen.
- Test your background and lighting. If you can’t find a plain background, consider using a virtual one.
You also may be asked different questions in an interview for a remote job than an in-person one. In remote nursing job interviews, employers are more likely to ask about your previous experience working (or learning) remotely, your time management skills, and your ability to communicate virtually.
Before interviewing, think of a few scenarios that showcase your ability to work remotely, communicate well, and manage your time. Jot them down and rehearse telling them in your practice interviews with a friend.
Look for Employers Who Hire Remote Nurses
Certain employers are more likely to hire remote nurses than others. Telehealth companies almost exclusively hire remote nurses while insurance companies, health tech companies, and some larger hospital systems are more likely than other employers to hire remote nurses.
According to Western Governors University, some specific employers who often hire remote nurses include, but are not limited to:
- Anthem
- Humana
- UnitedHealth Group
- Aetna
- Cigna
On most employment apps and websites, you can also filter for remote jobs. This can be a great way to find remote jobs near you that are hiring.
Networking with current remote nurses is another method to find remote employers. When you reach out to remote nurses, you should also note what companies they work at—and maybe get a referral if their employer has any roles open.
Being a remote nurse isn’t a pipe dream. It’s a reality for plenty of nursing school graduates, and it can be for you too. By tailoring your postgrad job search, getting a compact license, and showcasing how your skills translate to a remote work setting, you’re setting yourself up for success in the WFH job search.
