Virtual Nursing Career Guide
Technology has changed where nurses work and how they connect with patients. Care that once required patients and providers to be in the same room can now be delivered by a nurse conducting a virtual visit, reviewing health data from another location, or supporting a bedside care team from a remote command center.
These models of care are becoming more common. In a 2024 survey of 340 healthcare professionals by AvaSure in collaboration with the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), 46% of the hospital leaders surveyed said their organizations were piloting or had implemented virtual nursing, up from 38% the previous year. Additionally, 74% said virtual nursing had already become or would become integral to how their organization delivers care in acute patient care settings.
The growth of virtual care is also creating new ways for nurses to apply their clinical experience. Understanding the responsibilities and qualifications associated with virtual nursing can help nurses determine whether virtual nursing practice aligns with their professional goals.
What Is Virtual Nursing?
Virtual nursing encompasses all the ways nurses use electronic tools and technologies to provide patient care remotely. In a 2025 statement, the American Nurses Association (ANA) referred to virtual nursing as the “past, present, and the future of care delivery.”
Virtual nursing is closely related to telehealth, but the terms aren’t necessarily interchangeable. Telehealth refers to the use of electronic data and telecommunications technology to support long-distance clinical care and health education. Virtual nursing refers to the application of a nurse’s knowledge and skills within that broader environment, whether the nurse is caring for patients at home or supporting those who are hospitalized using virtual tools.
Virtual nursing doesn’t remove nurses from patient care, but rather it changes how aspects of that care are delivered.
Examples of Virtual Nursing in Practice
Virtual nursing is employed in several ways in healthcare delivery. Common applications of virtual nursing include:
Hospital admissions and discharges: A nurse in another part of a medical facility or at a remote hub can collect patients’ health histories, review their medications, complete the documentation of their procedure outcomes, and explain their discharge instructions to them. Nurses can also perform safety checks and participate in rounds virtually.
Telehealth visits and triage: Nurses can assess patients’ symptoms via phone or video, determine how urgently they need care, reinforce their treatment instructions, and help arrange follow-up services for them. These encounters require nurses to understand the limitations of remote assessments and recognize when a patient needs an in-person evaluation.
Remote patient monitoring: Connected devices can collect and transmit patients’ health data for clinicians to review, including their blood pressure, pulse rate, oxygen saturation, and weight. Nurses can evaluate that information, contact patients whose readings raise concern, and notify the patients’ other providers as needed.
Patient and staff support: A virtual nurse can teach patients how to manage their care after they are discharged from the hospital. In inpatient programs, remote nurses can also support bedside teams in various ways, including through patient education and staff mentoring.
Benefits of Virtual Nursing
The value of a virtual care model depends on how well it’s designed and incorporated into the healthcare facility’s daily workflows. When it is used effectively, it can yield a number of benefits for both patients and providers:
Expanded access to care: Remote services can connect rural patients with specialists and other clinicians they may have difficulty seeing in person. This access can be particularly useful for patients who need follow-up care or assistance with their chronic disease management.
Greater convenience: Healthcare delivered through virtual nursing can help patients avoid the logistical and financial challenges associated with travel, time away from work, and childcare.
Improved continuity of care: Remote monitoring and virtual follow-up care allow care teams to identify changes in patients’ health between office visits. Remote patient monitoring may also encourage patients to take a more active role in managing their health.
Additional support for bedside teams: Nurses working virtually can handle responsibilities that don’t require physical contact, giving on-site staff more time for hands-on care. They may also provide another clinical perspective when a patient’s condition or care plan requires review.
Virtual Nursing Roles and Responsibilities
Demand for registered nurses (RN) is expected to remain steady across healthcare settings. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of RNs will grow by 6% between 2025 and 2035, creating nearly 195,000 new jobs. An aging population, the prevalence of chronic conditions, and a growing need for home healthcare services are among the factors expected to drive job growth for nurses.
Those same trends are influencing how and where nursing care is delivered. Virtual nursing services offer one way to extend care beyond in-person environments, particularly for patients who need ongoing monitoring or follow-up care.
Virtual nursing responsibilities vary across settings and models of care, and employers may combine them differently within individual positions. Several types of nursing roles commonly incorporate virtual care into their practices.
Inpatient Virtual Nurse
An inpatient virtual nurse works with bedside staff to care for hospitalized patients. These nurses may record patients’ admission information, reconcile their medications, provide them with education, or prepare them for discharge. Some inpatient virtual nurses may also perform rounds and observe patients virtually for safety concerns.
This work is intended to be collaborative. Virtual nurses need to understand what can be handled remotely and involve the bedside team when a patient needs an in-person assessment or intervention.
Telehealth or Telephone Triage Nurse
Triage nurses speak with patients who have questions about their symptoms, their medications, or the next steps in their care via telehealth or telephone. Applying clinical protocols and their nursing knowledge, these nurses determine whether a caller can manage the concern at home, or whether they should schedule an appointment or seek urgent treatment.
These nurses work in call centers, individual or group practices, after-hours service providers, and disease management programs.
Remote Patient Monitoring Nurse
A nurse working in remote patient monitoring cares for patients whose health information is transmitted from connected devices, such as blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters. These nurses look for meaningful changes in a patient’s condition rather than simply recording numbers. Their responsibilities may include confirming unusual readings with patients, reviewing patients’ symptoms, coaching patients on managing their health, and contacting another clinician when intervention is needed.
Remote patient monitoring programs can be especially helpful for people with chronic conditions and those recovering from an acute illness. Nurse-assisted monitoring can influence both patients’ self-management routines and nurses’ workflows, making patient education and consistent follow-up important parts of the role.
Virtual Care Coordinator
Care coordination involves aligning patients’ healthcare services across providers, sharing information, assisting in transitions between care settings, and connecting patients with resources. A virtual care coordinator may arrange appointments for patients, identify potential challenges in their care plans, and help them understand what to do after being discharged. The nurse may also communicate with patients’ family caregivers and other members of the care team.
Requirements for a Virtual Nursing Career
Nurses can follow several paths to enter the field of virtual nursing. The requirements for a particular role may vary based on the employer and the scope of the position. In general, nurses should prepare in the following ways:
Nursing education: RNs typically need an associate or bachelor’s degree to qualify for most roles. Nearly 75% of RNs hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing or higher, according to 2025 data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). In addition to clinical training, bachelor’s programs often include study in communication and critical thinking, which can be valuable when engaging with patients and coordinating care remotely.
RN licensure: Nurses need to be licensed to practice in the state where the patient is located, not just the state where the nurse works. The NCSBN’s Nurse Licensure Guidance tool can help nurses search state-specific rules for telehealth and other forms of distance practice.
Relevant clinical experience: Having real-world experience assessing patients and recognizing changes in their condition can help nurses during virtual sessions, which rely heavily on what a provider can see, hear, and learn through focused questioning.
Training in virtual care: Employers may provide nurses with role-specific training in telehealth equipment, documentation practices, regulatory compliance, and other aspects of virtual care.
Professional certification: Certification requirements can vary depending on the nurse’s practice setting or specialty. Nurses working in outpatient virtual care may consider pursuing the ambulatory care nursing certification (AMB-BC) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Nurses who work across state lines may be eligible for a multistate license through the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). It allows a qualified resident of a member state to practice in other participating jurisdictions. Currently, there are 41 states in the NLC.
Key Skills for Virtual Nursing
Providing effective virtual nursing care requires a combination of clinical expertise and other professional competencies, including communication and technological proficiency. Together, these abilities help nurses carry out their responsibilities even when they’re not physically present with their patients or colleagues.
Skills in the following areas are some of the most relevant to virtual nursing:
Clinical assessment and decision-making: Virtual nurses need to be able to assess patient information that is collected remotely, spot changes in patients’ health, and make timely decisions about patients’ care, including determining whether they need in-person treatment.
Clear communication: Nurses need to be skilled at asking detailed questions and communicating instructions in a way patients can understand. Strong communication and interpersonal skills can help nurses build trust with patients and provide effective guidance from a distance.
Digital technology and data analysis: Nurses working in virtual environments need to be comfortable using digital technologies, including communication platforms and electronic health records (EHR) systems. They may also need to be familiar with remote monitoring tools and be able to identify meaningful patterns in the data.
Care coordination and teamwork: The ability to collaborate with bedside nurses and other members of the care team is crucial when providing virtual care. Nurses need to know the best way to share information efficiently, understand how responsibilities are divided, and make sure the appropriate provider handles any necessary follow-up.
Legal and ethical awareness is also an essential element of virtual nursing practice. Nurses working with these technologies need to prioritize protecting patients’ information and following applicable regulations. They should also understand their organization’s protocols for consent and have a plan for responding to emergencies during virtual encounters.
Virtual Nursing Tools
Nurses practicing in virtual settings rely on a number of technologies to remain connected to their patients and the clinical environment. The tools they use can vary based on where they work and the responsibilities of their role.
The following are among the more common virtual nursing tools.
Video and Audio Platforms
Virtual nurses may communicate with patients through live video, audio-only connections, or secure messaging platforms. In hospitals, cameras, speakers, and bedside tablets can enable nurses to see and speak with patients while communicating with on-site staff in real time.
Electronic Health Records
Virtual nurses have access to the same EHRs as the bedside team. These systems provide remote and on-site clinicians with a shared record of a patient’s care, which is needed for effective collaboration and care coordination. Nurses working virtually can use these records to review patients’ vital signs, lab results, clinical notes, and care plans, as well as to complete admission and discharge documentation.
Remote Monitoring Devices
Remote patient monitoring systems collect health information through devices used by patients and transmit it to a healthcare provider. Examples of these devices include glucose meters, wireless scales, heart rate monitors, and pacemakers.
Monitoring platforms can organize readings taken from these devices and flag results that fall outside established parameters. Because an alert doesn’t determine the appropriate response on its own, remote monitoring programs need protocols for evaluating abnormal results and escalating care when necessary. A nurse may confirm the reading and assess the patient’s symptoms before deciding whether to involve another provider.
Patient Portals and Mobile Applications
Patient portals and connected applications provide another avenue for exchanging information outside of a traditional appointment. Depending on the system, patients may be able to use it to review their test results and clinical notes or submit health data collected at home.
Mobile health applications can also record health measurements and send reminders to patients. However, patients who are unfamiliar with remote care may need help preparing for a virtual appointment and learning how the technology works. Healthcare organizations should also account for barriers involving digital literacy and internet service.
Virtual Nursing Resources
Virtual nursing continues to evolve as healthcare organizations test new models of care and professional groups establish clearer standards for remote practice. Recent guidance and research can help nurses better understand both the practice itself and the questions that remain about its implementation.
The following resources provide additional information for those interested in virtual nursing:
American Academy of Nursing, Addressing the Challenges and Policy Implications of Virtual Nursing: Notes from a 2024 policy discussion examine how virtual nursing models are being implemented and consider related patient safety and policy questions.
American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing, Telehealth Nursing Practice Scope and Standards: This resource explains how professional standards and updated competencies can guide safe telehealth nursing practice. It also identifies ways organizations can apply those standards to training and program oversight.
Journal of Nursing Regulation, “A Scoping Review of Virtual Nursing Models in Inpatient, Noncritical Care Settings”: This 2025 review examines evidence concerning hospital-based virtual nursing practice and identifies areas where further research is needed to guide implementation and regulation.
The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, “Preparing Nurses for Roles in Telehealth: Now Is the Time!”: This article explores nursing roles in telehealth and discusses how education and clinical training can prepare nurses to deliver care remotely.
JAMA Network Open, “Virtual Nursing and the Future of Workforce Sustainability”: This 2025 article discusses whether virtual nursing can support a more sustainable nursing workforce. It also outlines evidence and evaluation questions that healthcare organizations should address.
American Hospital Association, Virtual Nursing: Models of Care: This resource compiles information from several sources, including case studies and implementation guidance from hospitals using virtual nursing.
Prepare for a New Frontier of Nursing Care
Virtual nursing is expanding how RNs can contribute to patient care from a distance. By adapting their expertise to this model, nurses can remain connected to patients and support the delivery of safe, high-quality care as virtual practice continues to evolve.
