Best at-Home Careers for Moms

They say that a child gives birth to a mother. It’s also said that parenthood is the loveliest, most fulfilling experience of a person’s life. What they don’t tell you is that becoming a parent, as precious as it is, also gives rise to a series of difficult decisions.

The first reality check, especially for new moms, comes when they have to decide whether or not they want to get back to work.

While some are lucky enough to have the option of taking a break, others, who don’t have the financial backing to quit their jobs are left with no alternative but to leave their little bundle behind no matter how heartbreaking the process.

And then there are women, for whom their work is what defines them and having a baby doesn’t mean they have to put a brake on their careers.

Whichever category of women you belong to, you will probably feel good to know that it’s possible to enjoy the joys of motherhood and perks of a professional life at the same time. Before you roll your eyes in exasperation, let us tell you we are not talking about the so called online “work from home” jobs that reek of scam, but actual, genuine careers that can be pursued at home.

Here are a couple of jobs that you can consider if you are a new mom in search of legitimate work-from-home opportunities:

Medical Transcription

First, the good news. The increase in the number of elderly folk in the country needing medical help has spurred the demand for all types of healthcare professionals including medical transcriptionists. Now for the not so good news. Most medical transcription companies prefer hiring professionals with prior experience and/or formal training in the field.

But getting medical transcriptionist training is not at all difficult these days. In fact, dare we say that quality medical transcriptionist training programs are available literally at the click of a mouse? You can choose an online vocational training course or go to community college for a distance learning degree in medical transcription.

The work is also pretty complex and involves transcribing doctor dictations into written text. This means you should not only be able to understand the medical jargon they use, but also interpret it correctly. And don’t expect the doctors to make it easy for you by enunciating each and every word. Just consider yourself lucky if they don’t talk at a breakneck speed or chew gum while dictating!

Compensation for medical transcriptionist is a factor of their experience, certification, location, employer, etc. On an average, medical transcription can bring in $9.91 - $19.28 per hour for you.*

Medical Coding & Billing

You may not find too many medical billing and coding specialists working from home, but it’s not impossible to find telecommuting opportunities in this growing health information field.

Medical coders are responsible for assigning standardized codes to diagnostic and other clinical procedures that occur in a healthcare facility for insurance purposes. These documents then pass into the hands of medical billers, who use them for billing the healthcare insurance providers of patients.

The knowledge of standard clinical classification and coding systems is necessary to perform this job in addition to understanding medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, healthcare reimbursement system, etc. It’s a good idea to complete medical coding and billing training from a career school or college before you start looking for home-based opportunities.

As a medical coding specialist, you make an average of $10.37 - $22.10 per hour.** On the other hand, medical billers charge an average hourly rate of $10.44 - $18.70.***

Sources:

*payscale.com/research/US/Job=Medical_Transcriptionist/Hourly_Rate

**payscale.com/research/US/Job=Medical_Records_Coder/Hourly_Rate

***payscale.com/research/US/Job=Medical_Billing_Specialist/Hourly_Rate