The COVID-19 pandemic has created a work culture that favors remote jobs, and nursing is not an exception. The pandemic has shown that healthcare can still be provided efficiently through telemedicine and other remote options that allow practitioners to work from home while staying connected with patients.
Technological advancements have made it easier than ever for nurse practitioners to embrace work-from-home options. Offering a better work-life balance, flexibility, and savings on travel expenses and time, among other benefits. However, there are several pros and cons to consider before making the switch.
Can Nurse Practitioners Work From Home? The Pros and Cons
Before delving into remote work opportunities, it’s important to reflect on whether you want to work at home or from home. The latter involves using your home as the base of your operations and traveling to clients or other businesses throughout the day, while the former involves exclusively staying at home.
Here are some pros and cons of working from home that could help you make a more informed decision:
Pros
- You will likely experience a better work-life balance.
- You spend less on gas and work clothing and far less time getting to work.
- You work from the comfort of your own space.
- You save significant time on commuting that you can spend on hobbies or workouts.
- You can better manage any chronic health conditions or other responsibilities.
- You may live anywhere with consistent internet access.
- You have creative control over your workspace.
- You can change where you work — in the home office, backyard, coffee shop, etc. — as you like.
- You can enjoy higher productivity and flexibility.
Cons
- You may still need childcare since you can’t work full or part-time for an employer and look after your children.
- You may have difficulty separating your work hours from your home hours.
- You may feel isolated.