Medical Jobs

Help from Home: Medical Jobs You Can Do at Home

So you're interested in a career in the medical field, but would prefer to work from home.

Thankfully, the most caring profession does offer some jobs that allow you to help from home; as opposed to spending most of your time at a hospital, medical center or doctor's office.

When it comes to work-from-home medical jobs, probably the first that comes to mind is that of a medical transcriptionist. This is a flexible position in which a trained medical professional records and transcribes a variety of medical documents, including physician notes and reports (including diagnosis and progress reports, professional correspondence, X-ray studies, and even autopsy reports).

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, many medical transcriptionists can work flexible hours from the comfort of their own home. Through the use of basic audio equipment they listen to physician-made recordings detailing important information, which they then transcribe and electronically transmit with the use of a computer.

Although a flexible and comfortable position, medical transcription is not what one would call a cushy or frivolous job. A medical transcriptionist has to be familiar with any number of medicinal and anatomical terms, and has to be able to spot and correct mistakes in physician reports.

For this reason, medical transcriptionists must become qualified for their positions, completing a certification program that could take anywhere from one to two years. Ah, but the effort is worth it; some transcriptionists earn more than $20 a hour, and all get the satisfaction of knowing that they make a difference in the lives of doctors and patients.

Another homebound medical profession involves common clerical duties like appointment setting, phone answering and message taking. Instead of hiring a full-time, in-house secretary, some physicians are hiring clerical assistants to work from their homes, performing duties that range from calling patients to making or rescheduling appointments, to taking phone calls after hours and recording and transmitting messages as needed.

The salary of this type of position will vary according to the specific duties performed, the number of hours worked, and the specific type of employer offering the job; whether it's a hospital or medical center, an individual physician, or a physician's answering service. Yet regardless of the hours you work or the money you make, you will be playing a vital role in the functioning of a medical office; thus fulfilling an irreplaceable function within the medical field.

If you're interested in a medical career that involves more of a challenge, one that requires more education and that probably offers more pay, you might check into become a home healthcare nurse.

True, home health care nurses generally don't work from their own houses, but at the residences of their patients. Still, as a home health care nurse you will be toiling in a homey, comfortable environment; more importantly, you'll be enabling patients to convalesce in the comfort of their own homes.

Depending on their qualifications and particular areas of interest, home health care nurses perform a variety of duties and play many roles in the lives of patients. They can help patients who are recovering from severe medical conditions, taking their vital signs, administering medication and providing care and comfort in times of need. Or they could be home hospice nurses, caring for patients—and their families—during their final stages of life.

When it comes to the healthcare profession, home-based medical jobs are clearly the wave of the future. If you want to help from home, check out a home healthcare profession today.