When looking for your first remote nursing job, you might struggle with feeling inadequate.
- Do I have enough experience?
- Will my resume look good enough?
- Will I stand out compared to other candidates?
In an effort to avert uncomfortable feelings of self-doubt, you might ask the popular question: Should I get a remote nursing certification?
There is not one single all-encompassing “remote nursing certification”, but there are several specialty certifications that are common in many of the most popular remote nursing jobs.
Here’s what you should know about various remote nursing specialty certifications.
Consider The Experience You Do Have
Don’t feel like any job is off-limits because it inherently requires a certification. There are some remote roles that may require or prefer you to have a certification, but the job posting will clarify the qualifications for those positions.
Many remote nursing certifications require that you have experience in that specialty in order to get certified, which is common for other nursing specialties.
For example, a bedside nurse with labor and delivery experience may choose to get credentialed in their specialty by getting an RNC-OB. This requires over 2,000 clinical practice hours in that specialty within the last 2 years, studying to pass the exam, and paying over $300 in fees.
Many remote nursing certifications work the same way and will require a similar investment of time and money. Those types of remote nursing certifications aren’t something to worry about when looking for your first remote nursing job.
However, you may want to consider getting a specialty certification relevant to your own nursing practice. If that L&D nurse wanted to do remote case management for pregnant members of an insurance company, the RNC-OB would be attractive to a hiring manager. It is important to consider both the time and money that you would need to invest vs. the opportunity the certification would bring, though.
Common Remote Nursing Certifications
Here are some of the common remote nursing certifications for several of the most popular remote nursing job specialties. This is not an exhaustive list of each specialty or each possible certificate, but it can guide your search.
Appeals and Denials
- There is no specific certification, but you can use other remote nursing certifications or courses to bolster your resume for this role
Prior Authorizations
- Prior Authorization Certified Specialist (PACS) by the National Board of Prior Authorization Specialists
Utilization Review and Utilization Management
- Care Guidelines Specialist in Utilization Management by MCG Care Guidelines Health Care
- Quality Management (HCQM) by the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians (open to nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals)
Case Management
- American Case Management Certification (ACM) by the American Case Management Association (Requires Experience)
- Certified Case Manager (CCM) by The Commission for Case Management Certification (Requires experience)
- Certified Managed Care Nurse (CMCN) by the American Association of Managed Care Nurses (Requires some experience)
Data Abstraction
- Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR®) by the National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA). (Requires 160 hours of cancer registry experience)
- Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). (Requires 3 years of healthcare data experience)
Telephonic Triage
- Telephone Triage CEU by the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN)
- Ambulatory Care Nursing Certification (AMB-BC) by the American Nurse Credentialing Center. (Requires experience as an ambulatory care nurse, but is useful for telephonic triage)
Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialist
- Certified Clinical Documentation Specialist (CCDS) by Association of Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists (ACDIS) (Requires CDI experience)
- Certified Documentation Improvement Practitioner by The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
Nurse Billing and Coding
- Certified Professional Biller and Coder by American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) (Requires experience)
- Nursing Billing and Coding Specialist (NBCS) by the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) (Requires experience)
Freelance Writing
- Medical Writing Certificate Program by the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
Nurse Coaching
- Board Certified Nurse Coach by the American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation (AHNCC)
- Health and Wellness Coach certification by the National Society of Health Coaches (NSHC)
Legal Nurse Consultant
- Legal Nurse Consultant Certified (LNCC) by the American Legal Nurse Consultant Certification Board (Requires experience)
Will A Specialty Certification Land You A Remote Nursing Job?
Remote Nursing certifications may elevate your candidacy to an employer.
- They demonstrate expertise
- Remote nursing certifications show you are committed to your field
- You may not need as much training as a typical new hire
- It may save the company money if they were going to pay for that certification
Certifications alone don’t guarantee you a remote nursing job. Other factors, such as your work experience, skills, and personal qualities, will stand out much more to a potential employer. Additionally, the job market and demand for certain nursing specialties can also affect your chances of landing a remote nursing job.
What About Nursing Licenses or a Compact License?
Having an active nursing license in your state of residence is key to landing a remote role. Depending on the regulations of the role, the remote nursing job may require you to live in a geographical area of your patient population. For example, some roles that require a California license would require you to live in California.
However, there are roles that don’t require you to live in any specific geographical area. You could be licensed in California and live in Ohio. It will completely depend on the position and company.
If you’re able, having a compact nursing license is ideal because that will automatically license you in 40 states. You can only apply for a compact nursing license if:
- Your primary state of residence is in a compact state
- You have a nursing license in that state
- You apply for a compact nursing license with that state
To apply for a compact license, go to the board of nursing website applicable to your state of residence and follow their instructions to apply.
As of 2023, the states not in the compact include:
- Washington
- Oregon
- California
- Nevada
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania (awaiting implementation)
- New York
- Massachusetts
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- American territories
Most remote nursing jobs that require several specific state licenses will reimburse you for obtaining those licenses once you start working for them. Contemplate if getting a specific license beforehand will end up being worth it for you. Most state licenses require fees of $100 up to $400 dollars.
Boost Your Resume With CEUs
Since acquiring CEUs is already necessary for maintaining your nursing license, consider getting this year’s CEU on a relevant skill for your dream job.
Check out the following online learning platforms in addition to your regular CEU site:
- Coursera
- LinkedIn Learning
- Udemy
- edX
A Word Of Caution
Remember there are tons of companies out there who would love to take your money. There are a plethora of spammy courses available that won’t provide you with any real value but will cost you. Even though the prospect of a remote nursing job may have you feeling rushed to get a certification so you can stand out, consider the cost-benefit analysis of the course you have in mind.
Remote nursing certifications are not a must-have. Research what options are available to you to start your remote nursing career off on the right foot and leverage the nursing experience you already have.
Want to learn more about remote nursing jobs? Check out the Nurse Fern remote nurse role job guides.