A Helpful Guide to Remote Health Care Job Opportunities

With more technological advancements being accessible each day, those in the health care field may find increasing ways to complete their jobs through remote health care stations, or even from their homes.

Working in the health care field typically requires working with patients and other medical professionals in-person to provide care to those in need. Yet, more and more health care positions are going remote, offering more flexibility for those seeking employment opportunities.

In this guide, we’ll take you through how remote health care works and walk you through possible health care job opportunities from home.

In 2017, an article published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers made a prediction that’s proven true — remote health care is the future of the medical industry.

The reasons are plentiful. Americans can’t afford rising health care costs and need better options. Smartphones are everywhere, and attending doctor’s appointments in person doesn’t make sense with how we live our modern lives.

Even our medical devices are being developed with today’s technology in mind, with new ECG monitoring devices (electrocardiographs) able to send updates to patients' and doctors’ smartphones.

As technology makes it easier than ever to work remotely, many health care workers are turning to work-from-home jobs instead of traditional hospital and office positions. If you’re interested in remote health care jobs, you’ll need to decide if you’re looking for a general (nonspecialized) role or a degree-specific position.

A broad spectrum of remote health care jobs is available, and you don’t need a degree for many of them. Whether you’ve been working as an administrative employee in the health care field for years and are looking for a change of scenery or are interested in remote opportunities, we’ll run you through some of the most popular remote jobs in the health care field.

A medical transcriptionist listens to recordings made by physicians, nurses, and other health care workers, then converts them into written transcripts. Some medical transcriptionists are freelance workers, although many work for larger transcription companies or hospitals.

While you don’t usually need any specialized education to become a medical transcriptionist, you will need a basic understanding of medical jargon and terminology to be successful in this job. According to the U.S. Burea of Labor Statistics (BLS), medical transcriptionists can expect a median salary of over $30,000.

Anyone good with numbers and fast-paced environments can look into working in medical billing departments as an administrator or coder. Administrators will typically file paperwork and assist coders, while coders classify procedures on a patient’s chart into billable services. Medical coders use a nationwide alphanumeric classification system to correlate every procedure or service with a billing code.

Medical coders or billing specialists can work remotely from their homes, and a medical degree is not usually required. Training for entry-level positions in this field is typically on-the-job and takes less than a year to complete. Once complete, these professions typically make a salary of $47,000, according to the BLS.

Health care and medical insurance agents and brokers work for an insurance company selling policies. Many agents or brokers receive a salary along with a commission (a portion of the money earned based on every policy sale).

Every state has different laws on licensing for health insurance agents and brokers, so if you’re interested in this field, you’ll need to check your state’s requirements. Though the BLS only keeps data on insurance agents in general, and the occupation's median salary is around $50,000, you can expect to make a lot more accounting for commission and working in a health care related field.

If you have health care experience (or interest) and are a strong writer, a career in medical writing might be a good fit. Health care writers can work in a variety of medical fields, breaking down complex topics into easily digestible content for a broad spectrum of readers or working with researchers to publish articles and studies.

You don’t necessarily need a degree to become a health care writer, but some experience or knowledge on the topic you’ll be writing about is generally required. While some health care writers work for individual publications or writing companies, others are self-employed. According to the BLS, the median salary for this profession — considered a technical writer — is $78,000, which falls on the higher side of editorial professionals.

In the pharmaceutical research field, medical researchers typically conduct clinical trials on different drugs and patients’ experiences with them. While many of this work is often done in a laboratory setting, many qualitative studies — such as surveys, interviews, and other anecdotal methods — can be conducted remotely via video call or phone.

In addition, some research teams have project managers or leads who help coordinate and schedule all steps in the research trial. Many times, this position can be based remotely. Some positions may require a medical degree, while others only require experience in management or data synthesis. The median salary for this profession is nearly $100,000 according to the BLS.

If you have a nursing degree or another advanced medical degree, you have more options to choose from when it comes to remote work. Here are just a few of the most common positions available to remote nurses and specialists.

In hospital settings, triage nurses determine where patients need to go to receive medical attention. In a remote setting, a telephone triage nurse will assess your symptoms and direct you to the medical department required to attend to your needs.

While a telephone triage nurse cannot diagnose symptoms, they can help save patients time and money by connecting them directly with specialists. Telephone triage nurses are required to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). If you like what you do and decide to receive further training, becoming, in turn, a Registered Nurse (RN), you will stand to make around $78,000 according to the BLS.

A telehealth provider is slightly different from a triage nurse. Telehealth providers can be nurses, doctors, or other health care professionals who can remotely diagnose and prescribe treatments for patients.

Telehealth providers typically utilize video conferencing software to help assess patients’ symptoms and can recommend in-person testing, diagnostics, or additional appointments to determine the next steps.

Requirements for telehealth providers vary by hospital and practitioner’s office, but typically you’ll need a nursing degree, nurse practitioner’s degree, or doctorate to work as a telehealth provider.

Nurse educators provide education to other nurses and potential nurses. This position can be conducted remotely, depending on the university or institution you work for. Nurse educators might work for colleges or medical institutes but are sometimes employed by hospitals and health care facilities.

You’ll need at least a nursing degree to become a nurse educator, and many nursing programs have specific advanced degree requirements, depending on the courses required. Nurse educators fall under the "nursing instructors and teachers, postsecondary" umbrella, and the BLS reports that their mean annual wage is $84,000.

A case manager is a broad term for a medical professional who handles a specific patient’s case and roadmap to treatment or recovery. While some case managers might provide hands-on care, others serve more as coordinators or managers and can reach out to patients regarding any next steps.

Case managers are primarily nurses, although other health care professionals can sometimes handle these job duties for specialized care centers, such as rehabilitation centers. Case managers will need a nursing degree or other medical degree, even when working remotely. According to the BLS, these service managers stand to make a median salary of $74,000.

A speech pathologist works with those experiencing trouble with a variety of speech and communication problems. Speech pathologists can assist with stuttering, slurring, speech aphasia, swallowing issues, and cognitive problems. While most speech pathologists meet with patients in person, sessions can also be conducted via phone or video conferencing software.

To work as a speech pathologist, you’ll need a master’s degree from an accredited speech pathology program and clinical experience. Some pathologists who work in school settings also need a teaching certificate. The BLS reports that the median salary for this profession is $79,000 per year.

No matter what type of remote health care position you’re looking for, Joblist can help. We have access to millions of jobs from the top companies across the country. We’ll only pull relevant search results and connect you with the jobs that closest match the position you’re searching for. You can get started by viewing all of our health care and health care administration positions today!