Can nurses work from home?
Yes, but not at the bedside. Remote nursing jobs include telephone triage, telehealth visits, case management and utilization review, informatics, education and legal consulting. Most need clinical experience first.
Common remote roles
Case management, nursing informatics, telehealth triage, insurer clinical review, nurse education and legal nurse consulting. Nurse practitioners can see patients by video where state law permits.
Licensing
A nurse is usually regulated by the state where the patient is. States in the Nurse Licensure Compact accept a multistate license, so a nurse in a compact state can serve patients in other compact states. Otherwise you need a license in each state. See traveling nurse licensing.
Realistic expectations
Remote roles are a minority of nursing jobs and employers want experience. With 39.9% of RNs saying they plan to leave nursing within five years, flexible roles are a retention tool, but they remain competitive.
Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.