From Scrubs to Screens: Modern Opportunities in Remote Healthcare

Discover diverse career opportunities in telemedicine, from nursing to therapy, and learn what tools and skills you need to succeed in remote healthcare. 

The following is a guest post from my bloggy friend Taylor McKnight on behalf of Med Communications. Interested in having a guest post on my website? Click here for my guest post submission form.

Breaking Free from the Hospital: Your Guide to Telemedicine Careers

Ever dreamed of making a difference in healthcare without the fluorescent lights and long hospital corridors? Welcome to the future of medicine! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unlock the exciting world of telemedicine careers where you can help patients heal from the comfort of your home office. Whether you’re a seasoned healthcare professional looking to transition to remote work or someone exploring new career paths, this article reveals how technology is revolutionizing healthcare delivery and creating flexible, impactful career opportunities. Get ready to discover how you can blend your passion for helping others with the freedom of remote work!

What To Know About Being an At-Home Medical Professional

The vast majority of health care workers in the US work in a hospital, clinic, emergency room or similar facility. Some medical professionals work online from the comfort of their homes. They are able to work online or over the phone, helping patients and their families recover their health. These jobs are often referred to as “telemedicine.” The medical industry is growing and thriving, and there are not enough workers to meet demand. Thus, telemedical workers and clinicians are also in demand.

What Are the Advantages of Telemedical Services?

One of the obvious advantages of online medical services is convenience. Your patient, who may be presently ill or debilitated, does not have to travel to an office visit. They can receive assistance from the comfort of their home. Also, some patients have weakened immune systems. An online visit keeps them from having to risk exposure to illnesses that could be catastrophic for their condition and state of health. Also, a telemedicine professional can possibly respond more quickly to an urgent request for more information or help via email or chat than a medical professional in an office setting.

For the online medical professional, you can sleep in a bit more and save gasoline costs because you no longer have a commute. You also may find that you have more flexibility in your work hours or schedule. You can even take the opportunity as an online professional to live wherever you choose. How about a nice rural location where you just drop down into town for groceries and sundries once a week?

Remote Online Medical Occupations

If the idea of being a remote online medical professional sounds attractive to you, the following are some of the medical occupations that need remote online workers.

Healthcare Software Developer

Software developers are needed to help the healthcare industry develop products that will include virtual health records and remote patient monitoring after surgery. They will also be needed to develop software that can access large databases of medical knowledge.

Health Information Technician

Health information technicians maintain and utilize the medical provider’s computer applications for the benefit of the organization as well as for the information of patients. They help maintain medical records, analyze patient data across the facility and maintain data privacy.

Medical Call Center Representative

A medical call center representative is someone who routes patients to information and services within a health care or health insurance organization.

Medical Coders

Medical coding professionals send information to insurance companies using the proper codes that allow providers to receive compensation for the services they provide patients.

Medical Insurance Agent

Insurance agents help patients and business entities with the information they need in order to enroll for health insurance plans. They also can provide information about policies, help individuals renew or extend their policy and purchase additional coverage, as needed.

Medical Transcriptionist

The job of a medical transcriptionist is to take voice recordings made by doctors, nurses and other medical providers into a written report that is added to the patient’s medical record.

Medical Writer

Medical writers write academic papers about medical research or prepare manuals and training materials. They also can be called upon to report the findings of medical data for the insurance industry, academics or medical organizations.

Physical Therapist

A physical therapist helps patients who are trying to rehabilitate physical functioning lost to illness or injury. Today’s telehealth physical therapists can guide and watch patients perform physical therapy exercises online at their home. Therapists can also create videos of exercises for patients that they can view and perform at specified times during the day.

Occupational Therapists

Occupational therapists help patients learn to succeed at daily life tasks. These patients may have experienced delays in childhood or lost capacities through events, like a stroke or brain trauma. Patients are learning or re-learning how to do daily chores, work in an occupation, organize themselves and their lives or even have social interactions with others.

Nutritionists/Dietitians

Nutritionists and dietitians help clients create meal plans that correspond with the patient’s medical goals.

Registered Nurse

Registered nurses work in telemedicine in a call center providing advice to patients about medical concerns, monitoring patients who have had surgery and helping patients manage their physical condition. An RN can be a telephone triage nurse, providing medical advice based upon symptoms and recommending treatment and medications in consultation with a physician.

Speech-Language Pathologists

Speech-language pathologists help patients who have difficulty producing clear language due to delays in childhood onset of language, vocal production or problems with fluent production of speech learn to produce clear, audible speech.

Underwriter

Medical underwriters work for the insurance industry. They make decisions if people can receive health insurance coverage, the type of coverage and its cost.

Tools of the Trade for Online Medical Professionals

Of course, a telemedicine professional of any stripe will need a home computer with a hard-wired internet connection with high-speed data services.

Those providing clinical telemedicine health services need of some tools to help them diagnose, monitor and treat patients. These devices are provided to the patients and send the requested information via computer to the telemedicine provider. Some of these readings are provided multiple times a day.

• Remote vital monitor – The patient can wear this device, and their vital signs are sent directly to the caregiver’s computer.

• Virtual stethoscope – This device can take audio from any location on a patient’s body.

• Thermometer

• Wireless scale – For weight

• Digital otoscope – Shows image of ear canal

• Pulse oximeter – Shows oxygen levels of patient

• Electrocardiogram monitor – For heart patients

• Blood pressure cuff

• Glucometer – Measures blood sugar level

• High-definition camera

There are many exciting opportunities available for someone who desires to help others in the medical field while working remotely from the comfort of their own home.

Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for Med Communications