To many people, working from home seems like an attractive idea. It offers the autonomy to set your own schedule and to work at your own pace. For some, working at home can help create balance by allowing people to schedule domestic responsibilities while working at the same time. It can reduce the time lost in commuting, and it can simply be more pleasant than the typically more formal work setting.
Working from home, however, also has its drawbacks. Many people don't have the self-discipline to be productive outside of a structured work environment. They may also miss out on the social aspects of working in a traditional setting, and it may cause them to feel "out of the loop" or even lonely.
The opportunities for healthcare professionals to work from home exist but are somewhat limited: home medical transcriptionists; medical/pharmaceutical sales reps/consultants; counselors or clinical psychologists in private practice; freelance medical editors/writers; alternative medicine practitioners; freelance IT personnel (e.g., web designers); and, in some cases, telehealth/telephone triage.
It may seem the ultimate in fun and freedom to work from home, but could you really do it?
Some basic questions to ask yourself
1. Personal issues and preferences:
Is your career something that "translates" into working from home?What sort of changes are you able/willing to make, whether in your career as a whole or in career focus?Does your current employer permit working at home? Have you researched companies that hire home workers (e.g., transcription companies)? Or do you have contacts (and a portfolio, if you are looking at work in an area such as freelance medical writing/editing) that you can utilize?Are you comfortable working by yourself?Since healthcare professionals are accustomed to personal connections, can you handle a feeling of disconnection or being "out of the loop" from the day-to-day healthcare/work environment you are used to?Do you have the self-discipline to work from home and not be distracted (e.g., by television, internet, doorbell, pets)? Whether due to distractions or due to the freedom to run errands during the work day, you may discover that what once was a solid eight-hour day stretches into a drawn-out or "split-shift" 12-hour day in order to accomplish what you could in a regular work environment. Does this appeal to you?On a related note, if there are children in the home, is there someone to look after them so you aren't constantly dealing with them instead of working? Similarly, could you leave the children to attend meetings?Would you find the lack of division between personal/home space and professional/work space disturbing?2. Simple logistics:
Do you have a room or separate area of your house that you that you can dedicate exclusively for a home office?Can you afford to equip your home office with all that you need, e.g., computer hardware/software, internet service, fax, separate phone lines? (Depending on the job, some of this might be covered by the employer.)If you will be self-employed or working freelance, you will be responsible for bookkeeping, e.g., handling your own deductions for government social security/insurance plans. Are you prepared to learn about and perform these requirements?