Remote work has become the holy grail of modern careers. Social media feeds are filled with people taking Zoom calls from tropical beaches and working from cozy coffee shops. But for most nurses, the appeal isn’t about glamorous backdrops—it’s about having the flexibility to pick up their kids from school, attend a mid-week doctor’s appointment, or simply escape the physical and emotional demands of bedside nursing.

The Remote Work Promise vs. Reality

If you’ve been searching for remote nursing opportunities, you’ve probably noticed the abundance of job boards, newsletters, and social media influencers promising to connect you with work-from-home positions. These services make it look simple: browse the listings, submit your application, and land your dream remote job.

The appeal is obvious—for the people running these platforms, it’s an easy business model. They compile job listings, send you a weekly newsletter, and call it support. Once they’ve delivered that list of opportunities, their job is done. Whether you actually land any of those positions? That’s your problem to solve, not theirs.

But here’s what they don’t tell you—this traditional approach rarely works for nurses.

Why Traditional Job Applications Fall Short

There’s a fundamental challenge with remote work that job boards don’t address: trust.

Working remotely requires employers to have complete confidence that you’ll deliver results without direct supervision. When you’re just another resume in a pile of hundreds (or thousands, thanks to AI-generated applications flooding the market), it’s nearly impossible to build that trust. Hiring managers don’t know your work ethic, your communication style, or your ability to manage your time independently.

For nurses especially, this creates a unique barrier. Healthcare employers are accustomed to in-person interviews, hands-on demonstrations, and traditional healthcare settings. They struggle to envision how your bedside skills translate to remote work, and they can’t assess your reliability through a standard application process.

But don’t get discouraged—there’s another path to remote work that many of our most successful instructors discovered, often through trial and error. It’s more challenging initially, but it works: freelancing.

Kate’s Journey: From Rejection to Remote Success

Kate Morin Karlsson experienced this frustration firsthand. As the instructor of our Medical Writing and Healthcare Publicist courses, she started her remote journey like many nurses—submitting applications and resumes to remote healthcare positions month after month. The result? Silence. No callbacks, no interviews, no opportunities.

After enough rejections, Kate decided to get creative. She had always loved writing and realized there might be a way to combine her medical expertise with her communication skills. Instead of continuing to apply for jobs that never materialized, she wrote a few sample articles and created a profile on a freelancing platform.

The response was immediate. Kate started receiving small writing projects from various healthcare companies. The pay was modest initially—around $150 per month—but she treated every assignment seriously, met her deadlines consistently, and began building a portfolio of positive client reviews.

Within six months of consistent freelance work, Kate was offered a part-time position as a medical writer by one of her clients. That opportunity quickly evolved into full-time work, allowing her to leave bedside nursing completely. Today, she runs a successful healthcare PR and consulting business.

Why Freelancing Works When Job Applications Don’t

Kate’s approach succeeded because freelancing solves the trust problem that plagues traditional remote job applications. Instead of trying to convince strangers to trust you based on a resume, you demonstrate your capabilities through actual work. Clients can evaluate your skills, reliability, and communication style through low-risk projects before committing to larger engagements.

But the benefits of freelancing extend far beyond building trust:

• Diverse Experience: You can explore different industries and roles without committing to a single path. Kate worked with education companies, technology startups, and healthcare clinics, giving her insights into various career possibilities she hadn’t previously considered.
• Mutual Discovery: Unlike traditional job applications where you’re always pursuing employers, freelancing works both ways. Clients often seek out freelancers whose profiles match their needs, introducing you to opportunities you might never have imagined.
• Flexible Commitment Levels: Many organizations need specific projects completed or part-time support but can’t justify hiring a full-time employee. Freelancing allows you to access these smaller opportunities that can serve as stepping stones to larger roles.
• Control Over Your Career Path: You’re not jumping from zero to sixty, committing to 40 hours per week at a job you’re unsure about. You can start small, identify clients and projects you enjoy, and gradually build a career around work that energizes you.

Your Advantage: Learning from Others’ Experience

Kate and many of our other instructors figured out this freelancing approach through months or years of trial and error. They learned which platforms work best, how to price their services, how to communicate with clients effectively, and how to transition from small projects to substantial income.

You don’t have to repeat their struggles.

Stepping Stone Academy offers nearly 20 courses created by nurses who successfully made these transitions. They’re sharing the exact strategies, tools, and insider knowledge they wish they’d had when starting their own journeys. Many courses include mentorship opportunities, giving you direct access to professionals who can guide your transition and help you avoid common pitfalls.

Several of our courses are particularly well-suited for freelancing careers:

• Medical Writing – Creating content for healthcare companies, pharmaceutical firms, and medical education platforms
• Nurse Consulting – Providing specialized expertise to healthcare companies and legal firms
• Pharmaceutical Clinical Educator – Developing and delivering educational content for pharmaceutical companies
• Digital Health – Supporting healthcare technology companies with clinical expertise
• Healthcare Publicist – Managing communications and PR for healthcare organizations

Want to see the full scope of remote possibilities? Over 16 of our Stepping Stone courses prepare you for careers that can be done remotely—discover all your options in our remote nursing blog article.

Ready to Take Control of Your Remote Career?

The traditional job application approach keeps you at the mercy of hiring managers who may not understand your value or trust your ability to work remotely. Freelancing puts you in control, allowing you to demonstrate your capabilities while building the career you actually want.

If you’re tired of sending applications into the void and ready to take a proven path to remote work, explore our course library. Each course provides a roadmap created by someone who walked this path successfully. Even better, many courses offer mentorships—giving you direct 1:1 guidance from instructors who can help you navigate the transition and land your first remote position.

Not sure where to start or which path might be right for you? Consider booking a FREE discovery call with our founder, Lori. She offers personalized guidance to help you assess your interests, identify the best career pathway for your goals, and create a clear action plan for your transition.

Your nursing expertise is valuable in countless remote roles. It’s time to stop hoping someone else will recognize that value and start proving it yourself.