20 Best Remote Nurse Practitioner Jobs in United States Where You Can Work From Home

The Complete Guide to Finding Remote Nurse Practitioner Jobs

Have you considered leveraging your nursing skills as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, or other advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to work from home? With the rise of telemedicine, an increasing number of legitimate and rewarding remote nurse practitioner jobs are available.

This definitive guide provides nurse practitioners (NPs) everything they need to know about securing a remote position. We’ll cover the top work-from-home NP roles, licensure and practice requirements, how to spot remote job scams, key sites to find openings, interview tips, salary information, and more.

Introduction to Remote NP Careers

Remote nursing eliminates the need to commute to a medical facility every day. Instead, nurse practitioners use telecommunication technology to provide care, counsel patients, prescribe medications, order tests, and carry out other aspects of the NP role through digital interfaces and devices.

Benefits often associated with remote nurse practitioner jobs include:

• Flexibility – Many positions offer flexible schedules with less than full-time hours. NPs have more control to set their own hours.
• Work/life balance – No long commutes and less stress. Greater ability to achieve harmony between personal and professional life.
• Expanded opportunities – Access a much wider scope of potential job openings nationwide.
• Lower expenses – Save money on fuel, car maintenance, lunch, and work attire costs.
• Patient focus – More time in actual patient consults rather than charting and administration.
• Safety – Avoid potential COVID-19 and other contagion exposure in clinical settings.

Obstacles can include feelings of isolation, technological headaches, reimbursement issues, and insurance gaps. However, overall remote nursing offers increased flexibility and growth potential compared to location-based practice.

Types of Remote NP Jobs

What are some of the top work-from-home roles available to nurse practitioners? While almost any specialty can be adapted to telemedicine, these 7 NP niches are particularly suited and in-demand for remote work:

1. Telehealth Nurse Practitioner Jobs

Providing care directly to patients via telecommunication platforms is one of the most obvious applications for remote nursing. Common specialties include:

• Psychiatric mental health – Conduct initial mental health evaluations, prescribe medications, provide therapy, and create treatment plans from home.
• Family practice – Handle primary and preventative care, chronic disease management, acute illnesses, and guide patients on healthy lifestyles remotely.
• Urgent care – Assess and treat non-life threatening conditions like infections, injuries, rashes, flu symptoms virtually.
• Triage and nurse call lines – Remotely evaluate health issues, provide advice to guide next steps, and escalate emergencies accordingly.
• TeleICU – Monitor intensive and critical care unit patients virtually using audiovisual technology and electronic interfaces.
• Pain management – Develop ongoing pain treatment regimes, prescribe analgesics, provide therapeutic modalities and more using telemedicine.

2. Part-Time and Per Diem Remote NP Jobs

Not interested in a full weekday schedule? Part-time and per diem nursing picks up hard to fill shifts on nights, weekends and holidays from the comfort of home. Benefits include:

• Extra income while retaining work/life balance.
• Gain experience with new patient populations and cases.
• Allows for a more gradual retirement transition.
• Multiple trusted sites like Nomad Health and CareRev match qualified NPs to high-paying short term and temporary remote gigs.

3. Full-Time Remote Nurse Practitioner Jobs

Prefer consistent 40+ hour weeks of remote work? Many organizations hire full-time telehealth NPs including:

• Primary care – Serve as a patient’s main general practice healthcare provider from home.
• Hospitalist – Coordinate care, prescribe treatments, document records, and more remotely for admitted patients.
• Specialty – Assume a full-time staff role in a particular medical domain like pediatrics, oncology, or cardiology as permitted by scope of practice.

4. Work-From-Home Clinical Research NP Jobs

Pharmaceutical companies, research labs, universities and others require clinician expertise to coordinate remote trials, surveys, and data analysis:

• Clinical trial coordinator – Lead remote oversight of investigation protocols, safety, participant recruitment and education from a home office.
• Medical science liaison – Foster partnerships, address questions, and exchange trial information with geographically dispersed health professionals virtually.
• Participant recruiter – Identify, screen, and enroll eligible virtual clinical trial volunteers based on remote or travelled proximity.

5. Remote NP Educator and Leadership Jobs

Combine clinical knowledge and passion for teaching or management in these remote roles:

• Nursing education – Develop curriculums, teach classes via video conferencing, hold online office hours and mentor students seeking Nursing degrees from the comfort of home.
• University/school instructor – Lecture using virtual classrooms, grade written assignments online, and provide leadership for RN to BSN, MSN, DNP and other academic programs.
• Management/director – Oversee hospital units, ambulatory clinic operations, quality metrics, budgeting, and staff coordination without stepping foot on-location.

6. Independent Contractor NP Jobs

Want to be your own boss? Flex your entrepreneurial spirit with one of these independent remote gigs:

• Personalized care packages – Create and sell customized wellness boxes with supplements, action plans and guides tailored to specific health conditions.
• Online courses/membership sites – Design and launch virtual coaching and education programs in your clinical specialty or passion area to enrolled members.
• Freelance writing – Leverage NP expertise to author health-related articles, blog posts, quizzes and more on a contract basis.

7. More Remote NP Job Ideas

As technology expands, so do cutting edge remote nurse practitioner roles like tele-triage algorithms development, virtual scribe services, and augmented intelligence nursing. The opportunities are truly boundless for distance-based practice.

Requirements for Remote Practice

Telehealth nursing has unique legal, licensure and credentialing considerations compared to location-restricted care. Here’s what to know:

RN and APRN Licensure

To prescribe, diagnose conditions, and provide other advanced nursing care remotely, you must hold:

• A current, active Registered Nurse (RN) license
• A Nurse Practitioner (NP) license as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

This involves passing NCLEX and NP certification exams, plus ongoing licensure maintenance through your state board of nursing.

Since telemedicine delivers care across state lines:

• Most companies want NPs licensed in the state where patients are located.
• Some facilities offer licenses in key states they service.
• A handful of compact states permit multi-state remote practice with just one “home” license.

Be upfront about your current and future license plans during the application process. Know that additional licenses may be required once hired.

Malpractice Insurance Considerations

What about malpractice coverage?

• Your employer may cover you under an existing policy or:
• You might need to take out additional personal telemedicine insurance. This can run around $275 annually.
• Some NP fellowships include tail insurance, adding an extra layer of protection.

Ask companies about coverage specifics before signing any remote job offers.

DEA Registration

One aspect that gives NPs expanded treatment capabilities compared to RNs or Physician Assistants (PAs) is the ability to prescribe controlled substances when registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Association (DEA).

• A DEA license costs $888 every 3 years.
• It is required for telemedicine roles involving medication management for behavioral health, pain, hospice and other patients.
• You only need registration in your home licensure state, rather than all states you’ll treat patients in.

Inquire with recruiters upfront if DEA registration is necessary for the advertised position.

Finding Remote NP Job Openings

Work-from-home nursing roles are increasing, but searching out legitimate telemedicine jobs still requires proactive effort.

Avoid Job Scams

Unfortunately remote nursing scams do exist. Be vigilant for questionable openings with these red flags:

• Vague, minimal details about the role.
• Requests personal information like bank accounts or SSN.
• Poor grammar, spelling, unprofessional appearance.
• Jobs requiring payment for training or software.

Stick to reputable sites with rigorous screening criteria like those recommended below when seeking remote work.

Best Websites for Remote NP Jobs

So where exactly should you look for telemedicine nurse practitioner positions?

While you can find a few on general job boards, specialized sites better cater to remote medical roles. Here are 12 top websites for discovering legitimate work-from-home NP opportunities:

Core Telemedicine Job Sites

• Nomad Health – Contract and permanent remote nursing roles of all types.
• ZipRecruiter – Wide variety of virtual healthcare openings with easy apply.
• FlexJobs – Telecommute job board across multiple disciplines; nursing included.

Locum Tenens Staffing Companies

• CareRev – High-paying travel and permanent remote NP placements.
• Tailored Healthcare Staffing – Contract telemedicine jobs. Extensive openings nationwide.

While locum tenens arrangements technically involve travel to acute local shortages, you can stick to just virtual assignments if desired.

Hospital and Facility Systems

• Envision Physician Services – Telemedicine roles within premier hospital company spanning 43 states.
• SCP Health – Critical access and community hospital remote staff needs.

Government Sites

• USAJobs – Federal government clinical and healthcare administration remote openings. Veterans given preference.

Academic Organizations

• HigherEdJobs – University and college Nursing instructor telecommute roles.

Professional Associations

• NonclinicalCareers – Telehealth, medical writing and career coaching jobs. Nursing focus.
• AAFP American Academy of Family Physicians remote openings.

Cast a wide net by setting up custom alerts on the above websites, and check new postings frequently.

Interviewing and Getting Hired

The remote hiring process resembles traditional nursing interviews but with a focus on assessing technological capabilities over bedside manner observations.

Optimize Your Resume

Making a strong first impression starts with an engaging resume highlighting telemedicine qualifications like:

• Comfort interfacing with patients and clinicians remotely via video, portals and other tools.
• Savvy navigating EMR charting, ePrescription and other software confidently and efficiently.
• Ability to practice semi-independently without hands-on physician oversight.
• If interviewing for an in-patient facility role, emphasize bedside RN experience.

Prepare for the Remote Interview

Many initial screening rounds will occur by phone or video call. Be ready to speak to themes like:

• How do you establish trust and rapport in a virtual setting? Share examples.
• Describe a time you facilitated care coordination across state lines or service departments.
• What strategies do you utilize to ensure patient understanding when you cannot physically point to anatomical diagrams or demonstrate proper usage of devices?
• How do you keep current with telecommunication and connected health technologies? What resources do you consult outside of employer-provided education?

Come equipped with scenarios illustrating remote care prowess as well as crisp stories showcasing clinical expertise.

Negotiate Salary and Benefits

Once hired, be bold when negotiating compensation. In-demand remote NPs can command salaries reaching up to $175,000 or more. Know your worth and seek favorable terms for:

• Competitive base hourly/annual pay rate
• Productivity bonuses
• Health, dental, vision benefits
• Malpractice insurance coverage
• Licensure reimbursement in states beyond your primary
• Paid debt, tuition, conference and re-licensure assistance
• 401K matching retirement contributions
• Generous paid time off

Next Steps and Conclusion

I hope this guide provided a comprehensive orientation to sought-after remote advanced practice nursing roles as well as actionable next steps to turn possibility into reality.

Here are a few parting thoughts:

• Network with other telehealth NPs to continue accelerating skills. Groups like the AANP offer online discussion forums.
• Investigate online NP degree pathways if needing to enhance formal training for certain remote specialties.
• Set up job alerts, polish your CV, draft interview stories, and prepare to acclimate to the technology requirements and team dynamics of distance-based healthcare delivery.

The future of virtual care is exceedingly bright for nurse practitioners with the passion and drive to embrace evolving online patient engagement. Grab this guide as a trusty reference along your journey to securing flexible, meaningful and empowering remote work.

You’ve got this! Now get out there and bring exceptional nursing practice into patient homes nationwide through telehealth technology.

What Are the Best Nurse Practitioner Specialties in Each State?

• Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• Adult Psychiatric – Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
• Emergency Nurse Practitioner
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
• Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
• Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
• Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

FAQ: Work from Home, Remote Telehealth and Virtual Care Nurse Practitioner 

Here are 5 common questions about remote nurse practitioner jobs, with answers:

1. What are the most common remote NP specialties?

Some top telehealth specialties include psychiatric mental health, family practice, urgent care, triage/nurse call lines, TeleICU, and pain management. There are also growing roles in primary care, hospitalists, clinical research, nursing education, leadership, and independent contracting.

2. What qualifications do I need to land a remote PMHNP job?

To get hired for a remote psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner position, you’ll need an active RN license, NP certification, DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances, potentially additional state licenses, strong technology skills, and examples showing your ability to establish rapport in a virtual setting.

3. I’m a certified FNP. What remote opportunities can I pursue?

As a family nurse practitioner, you are suited for various telehealth roles like virtual family practice, part-time urgent care, full-time primary care, clinical research coordinating and recruitment, nursing education instructing, freelance writing for blogs and health sites, creating online courses or personalized care packages, and more.

4. What steps do I need to take before starting a work-from-home NP job?

Before onboarding for a remote nurse practitioner role, you’ll likely need to obtain any additional state licenses beyond your primary, secure malpractice insurance coverage if not provided, set up a home office, implement cybersecurity and HIPAA protections, test the telehealth technologies, and familiarize yourself with online charting and prescribing procedures.

5. How can a new grad NP find entry-level remote positions?

As a newly graduated NP seeking initial telehealth experience, look for RN call center triage roles, part-time urgent care openings, health education companies hiring remote instructors, medical writing jobs, clinical research associate positions to ease into more advanced clinical care, or explorer post-graduate NP fellowships offering distance learning components. Gain 1-2 years of in-person practice before pursuing full-time autonomous remote practice.

Best Nurse Practitioner Programs Near Me

We identified the top nurse practitioner programs for you through rigorous research. These premier schools have a record of graduating career-ready nurses who positively impact lives. Starting with the program best fit for you puts purposeful, meaningful work within reach. Let us guide your first steps towards a future of healing hope.

Best Nurse Practitioner (NP) Methodology