Working at home when you are a nurse may seem like an impossible option, but you will be surprised to know that there are actually quite a few legitimate opportunities for nurses in the work at home job market.  Additionally, nursing is one industry where work at home scams are greatly minimized and easily avoidable, so if you are interested in work from home opportunities for nurses then you have a great chance of finding something good.

Types of Opportunities

You may wonder just what type of job a nurse can get that allows him or her to work from home.  There are actually a few different jobs. 

-      on call scheduler

-      hotline worker

-      billing/coding/transcription

An on call scheduler basically is like a manager position.  You are responsible for scheduling nurses and making sure shifts are covered.  You will have to be on call, meaning that you will need to be available at all times in case someone can not make it to work and you will need to find a replacement.

A hotline worker basically answers incoming calls to answer simple medical questions.  You will usually have a set schedule.

Billing, coding and transcription jobs all involve paperwork and typing.  You download information, fill out forms and then send the work back to the employer.  Sometimes you may have set hours and other times you may be able to work on your own schedule.

Documentation Required

All legitimate nursing jobs will require documentation.  They will want proof of your training and experience.  Most of these jobs are not for the entry level nurse.  They will want experience in the field for at least two or more years.

You will not be able to simply hand them a resume and assume they will believe you.  They will check everything you tell them, so always be honest or you will not get the job.

Most job postings are very specific as to the requirements for the job.  Do not waste your time applying for a job where you do not fit the credentials.  This is a highly competitive industry and you may feel you need to apply to every job, but when you apply for something you are qualified for it just slows things down and wastes time.

Find a Good Job

If you are serious about work from home opportunities for nurses then you can begin your search with current and past employers.  They may be the best place to find a good job.

You can also network online to find out if there is anything out there that might be of interest to you.  Make sure to check out all companies and only use trusted resources to find your leads.

Getting a nursing position where you can work at home is not for everyone.  If you enjoy the patient interaction and the technical side of nursing then it probably won’t work for you.  However, if you enjoy dealing with paperwork and handling questions then it may be the ideal situation for you, especially if you want to be able to work from the comfort of your own home.

Home based business opportunities are growing daily, along with a new spirit of entrepreneurialism and independence. Today’s technology is making working from home far more common today than just a decade ago. Though the general consensus is that more people are working from their homes than ever, finding solid data to prove this can be difficult.

Because things change so quickly, much of the data, collected two to four years ago, may be inaccurate.

The latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor are from 2004, but already show a growing trend for men and women working primarily at home. In that year 20.7 million people worked, at least part-time, from their homes most working for another company. About 7 million of those were self-employed…in other words, they were home-based business owners. The average work week for someone working at home, according to the study, was 25 hours, and most were professionals, such as people who offered consulting services or sales related businesses. Another huge chunk of the at-home pie are those working in the construction industry.

Though the general belief may be that women far outnumber men working at home, this is not the case. Men and women were about equally likely to work out of their home, and there are more parents working at home than singles.

And, according the Labor Department, home-based businesses are run by educated folks. People with a bachelor’s degree or higher were more than six times as likely to work out of their home than those without college degrees. This is likely because it is easier for someone with a management background to transition to a work-at-home job.

This trend of working at home is partly due to advances in electronics. Most homes have computers with high-speed internet connections. Most people have the basic computer skills to put together a rudimentary website. And information is so readily available, the resources available to someone wanting to work from home are numerous and inexpensive. Also, there are more and more opportunities for people wanting to work from home.

In addition, it’s become a much more accepted way of doing business. With the increase in the number of businesses run from homes, it is much more commonplace.

According to the NBBTA.org, the online arm of the

National Black Business Trade Association, home based business represents a $427 billion industry (this figure exceeds another figure found on this subject). That exceeds the pharmaceutical, food, and consumer goods industries---combined.

Home-based businesses are considered small businesses. The Small Business Administration estimates that 52 percent of all small business are home-based---and small businesses (those with less than 500 employees) represents 99.7 percent of all employer firm. The home-based businesses, according to 2007 SBA report, generate $102 billion in revenue. Home-based businesses owners earned less than their counterparts who work outside the home, $22,569 compared to $38,243, but their earnings were worth more, which evened out the playing field.  “Due to lower expenses, particularly in rent and labor costs, the average home-based sole proprietor consistently gained a higher return on gross revenues at 36 percent, versus 21 percent for the non-home-based,” the report said.

Getting accurate reporting on home-based businesses is difficult, but the general consensus is that this is an area of the U.S. economy that will continue to grow, especially during an economic downturn where traditional jobs are more difficult to find.

Online survey jobs can be a fun way to make some extra cash. Corporations are interested in what people think about their products or the products they use and are willing to pay for that information.

If you decide filling out on-line surveys is something you could do, you immediately will be faced with many companies all looking for the same thing---people to get paid for filling out surveys. Many sites offer payments, from cash to coupons to free merchandise, for your opinion. Check them out to decide whether you’d want cash or some other payment. Several sites list the best companies to work for and the types of payments made. Some sites require a fee for a “list” of companies and surveys, and others are completely free and require only that you register and fill out a survey about yourself. It’s important to do your homework and try to determine which sites are legitimate business opportunities and which are not.

Filling out surveys may sound easy---and it is---but it is time-consuming. Some of the best paying surveys take as long as forty minutes or more to fill out and the payout is $5 or less, but can be higher. As long as you recognize this, you won’t be surprised by the low pay-out. Companies are paying for your opinion so it is important to actually answer the questions the best you can and not randomly check answers. Resist the temptation to have other people in your family fill out the survey for you. It’s your job and your commitment and the survey site is expecting your opinion. Treat it like any other job that you’d get paid for.

How much you get paid depends largely on how much time you spend filling out surveys. It’s unlikely you’ll get rich filling them out, but most people who have signed up didn’t do it for the money as much as because they have fun doing it. It’s important to have some sort of commitment. Like anything, if you want to make money, you’ll have to put in the time and effort to do it. You will not have any success if you have people other than yourself answer the surveys or if you answer the questions randomly.

Like any other on-line opportunity, be smart about what you sign up for. This is an area that has its share of scams. For example, some sites that require a fee will simply direct you to free survey sites that you can easily find on your own. Some sites don’t offer money for every survey, but simply enter you into a contest for a chance to win money for filling it out. That’s fine as long as you recognize the odds of winning. Don’t sign up with any site that claims you will get rich filling out surveys. You won’t. But you could make some extra money doing something that doesn’t require a lot of effort and can be a lot of fun.