12 Work-from-Home Health Care Jobs

Did you know that you can work from home while working in the health care industry, too? After the pandemic, telehealth has become normal for doctors, especially for appointments for common colds and other quick assessments. Telehealth is practice of providing health care remotely through telecommunications technology. The need for health care workers has raised the job growth rate between 2021 and 2031 to 13 percent [1]. 

There are many types of health care job opportunities that allow you to work from home, whether you want to work directly with patients or prefer a non-clinical approach as a technical writer or information technology (IT) specialist. Consider the following list of remote-friendly career paths and compare it with your own career goals.

Benefits of working from home in a health care job

As with any remote or work-from-home job, there are advantages and disadvantages to being physically far from your coworkers. As a health care provider, you’ll be far from your managers and colleagues as well as the patients you are treating. However, there are also many benefits to a work-from-home health care job, including:

• Option to diagnose and treat patients without commuting to a clinic

• Better work-life balance, offering more flexibility in your personal life

• Freedom to set your own schedule and manage your patient roster

• Demand for telehealth is growing, which can mean higher pay and better benefits

• Patients can be assisted in the comfort of their homes

• Specialized doctors and nurses can provide care to patients who need it despite the location

• Contributing to a more flexible and customizable health care system

• For non-clinical roles, improving the health care field without specialized skills

What is telehealth?

Telehealth is the ability to provide health care remotely using telecommunications technology. For example, a pharmacist working from home would software (like Zoom) to communicate with patients and provide service or dosage instructions, and then manage prescription orders.

12 health care jobs that allow you to work from home

These jobs allow you to work from home to assist patients directly or provide support for systems to ensure flexible and customized health care for people who need it. Administrative tasks like scheduling, bookkeeping, and insurance management can handled remotely, even if some patient care requires in-person interaction.

Clinical vs. non-clinical

Clinical work is anything dealing directly with patients, providing them care such as diagnoses, treatments, and prescriptions. Doctors and nurses are good examples of clinical jobs.

Non-clinical work refers to anything health care-related but does not involve providing health care to patients. This includes IT or administrative roles, or those involved in clinical research (but not dealing with patients).

Clinical jobs

These jobs involve working directly with patients. They also higher levels of education, which can contribute to earning a higher salary.

1. Physician (doctor)

For doctors, working remotely is possible because of the increase in telehealth. Over the phone or video call, and imaging technology or tools like digital stethoscopes, allow physicians to treat patients from afar. This might entail having your clinic go entirely virtual for all or part of the time, or adopting a self-employment model where you participate in an online system that matches you with patients. When it is done well, telemedicine can be a win-win for both the doctor and the patient.

• Median salary: $208,000 [2]

• Requirements: Either a Medical Doctor (MD) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Admission into an MD or DO program is competitive and requires earning a bachelor's degree on a pre-med track and passing the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) exam.

Read more: 10 Best Paying Jobs in Health Care 

2. Pharmacist

Working from home as a pharmacist can look different depending on the setting and organization you’re working in. Remote pharmacists can work for a startup, for a hospital as an inpatient pharmacist, in ambulatory care, in academia, for a pharmaceutical company, or in medication therapy management (MTM). At a specialty pharmacy, a typical day might look like spending the majority of your time taking verbal orders and counseling patients, or processing and verifying prescriptions to ensure patients receive the correct medication in a timely manner. These jobs can be less stressful than working in person at a retail pharmacy because your tasks are more straightforward.

• Median salary: $128,570 [3]

• Requirements: A Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from an accredited program, in addition to passing licensure and law exams that may vary by state. 

Learn more: What Does a Pharmacist Do? Job Duties, Salary, and More

3. Psychologist or therapist

If you are a psychologist or therapist, or are interested in becoming one, working from home can be a great option for you. Patients may prefer the comfort of their homes for one-on-one talk therapy experience, and they may want to be able to choose a therapist that is farther away but still receive quality care.

• Median salary: $81,040 [4]

• Requirements: A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D) may be required to become a psychologist. To become a therapist, you’ll need a master's degree in counseling or social work and a state license.

4. Speech-language pathologist

Speech-language pathologists help patients with speech, language or voice difficulties. Sometimes they work on cognitive elements like attention and memory. This type of specialist can work at home, conducting their services over a video call and with the help of special technologies. 

• Median salary: $79,060 [5]

• Requirements: A master’s degree is typically required, and most states require a license to practice.

Read more: Becoming A Speech-Language Pathologist: Education, Duties, Salary

Nursing-related jobs

There are many types of jobs in the nursing field, including becoming a registered nurse (RN). Except for being a legal nurse consultant, each of these is a clinical role.

5. Registered nurse

Registered nurses (RN) provide support, advice, and follow-up services to patients. With an RN background, they can also work in non-clinical roles such as recruiting and case management. Being a remote nurse can alleviate strains on elderly, immunocompromised, or rural-dwelling patients to provide care anytime, anywhere, without having to travel to a nearby facility.

• Median salary: $77,600 [6]

• Requirements: To become an RN, you can either earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an associate degree in nursing, or a diploma from an accredited nursing program, as well as a license.

Read more: What Does a Registered Nurse Do? Your 2022 Career Guide

6. Licensed practical nurse

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide assistance to nurses and doctors. They are responsible for keeping records, maintaining communication between patients and the care team, and nursing assistance, such as checking vital signs, administering medication, and helping the patients eat or bathe. When working remotely, there is more emphasis on clerical tasks.

• Median salary: $58,317 [7]

• Requirements: Completion of an accredited practical nursing certificate program, usually offered at community and technical colleges. These programs take approximately one year to complete. 

7. Legal nurse consultant

Legal nurse consultants (LNCs) provide medical consultations on legal cases. Instead of offering guidance to patients, LNCs review and analyze legal information to advise attorneys who work on health care and nursing malpractice cases. Because this does not require working directly with patients, it can be done from home or remotely with ease.

• Median salary: $119,000 [8]

• Requirements: After becoming an RN, you can become an LNC by receiving training and certification.

Learn more: What is a Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC)? And How to Become One

Non-clinical jobs

These work-from-home health care jobs do not require you to work directly with patients, but they do require at least a bachelor’s degree.

8. Case manager

Case managers facilitate, organize, and evaluate care options that best align with a patient’s mental, physical, and emotional health. They often advocate for the patient’s needs, aiming for cost-effective providers and services. This job is ideal for working from home, as long as you are someone who can develop relationships and empathy over the phone or on video. 

• Median salary: $50,000 [9]

• Requirements: A master’s degree and case management certification.

Read more:  What Is Case Management? Definition, Process, and Models

9. Clinical research associate

Clinical research associates (CRA) act as a liaison between research sponsors and clinics that are conducting the research. As a CRA, you’ll need to know the ins and outs of a clinical research trial, ensuring it runs smoothly and ethically, and that the results are delivered back to the sponsor to be distributed to the public. While working remotely, you may be required to travel to conduct site visits during studies and submit reports afterward.

• Median salary: $74,000 [10]

• Requirements: At least a bachelor’s degree, although getting a certification (either from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals or the Society of Clinical Research Associates) helps boost your credential.

Learn more: How to Become a Clinical Research Associate

Jobs that don’t require a degree

10. Medical assistant

Medical assistants can be certified or registered, both completing similar tasks of assisting doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals with clinical care and administration. If you are a medical assistant that works from home, your role will consist of more administrative tasks that can be done remotely, such as scheduling appointments or meetings, or connecting with post-operative patients on the phone.

• Median salary: $37,190 [11]

• Requirements: Usually completion of an accredited medical assistant program, plus a certification.

Read more: How to Get a Job as a Medical Assistant | 10 Steps

11. Medical records technician

A medical records technician takes care of the administrative tasks of maintaining patient records. They are expected to be organized, agile, and detail-oriented when updating information and ensuring the records comply with health care companies' and other stakeholders’ systems.

• Median salary: $46,660 [12]

• Requirements: Completion of certification, either the Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) or the Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) exam

Learn more: What Is a Medical Records Technician? (+ How to Become One)

12. Medical transcriptionist

Medical transcriptionists convert audio recordings from doctors into written documents, and format them according to industry standards. They proofread documents for grammatical errors and check that correct medical terminology is used. Because most of the job is transcribing audio into written files, this job can be easily done from home.

• Median salary: $30,100 [13]

• Requirements: At least a high school diploma or GED, but employers tend to prefer those who have completed one-year certificate programs in medical transcription and have received a certification.

Start your health career with Coursera

Start your work-from-home health care career by enrolling in John Hopkins University’s Healthcare IT Support specialization. This course will help you solve technical problems for health care professionals so you can be prepared to work in IT support in the health care system and embark on a rewarding career path.