Side hustles. While they may sound like a job for a college student, side hustles can help nurses gain even more financial freedom. So, what exactly are side jobs for nurses?
Side hustles for nurses can include anything from a position directly related to their profession or could simply be a way to earn supplemental income—think pet sitting or childcare. Additionally, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) could become a first aid instructor, or a registered nurse (RN) could work as a telehealth nurse.
Essentially, side hustles are ways for nurses to make extra money. Some of the best side hustles can also be excellent ways for nurses to gain more experience and clinical insights within their field.
How to Make Extra Money as a Nurse
Making extra money as a nurse is easy if you know where to look. These days, there are thousands of jobs related to healthcare that are available for nurses. The best part about these side hustles for nurses is that they pay well. So, in addition to making an average nursing salary, picking up one of the following side hustles can help a nurse accumulate a financial “nest egg.”
While there are plenty of side jobs for nurses, here is a look at some of the top options:
1. Telehealth Nurse
A telehealth nurse can be a convenient way for a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse (LPN) to earn additional income from home. A telehealth nurse may assess and diagnose a patient from a remote location, such as a home office, but can also work in other settings, such as hospitals, schools, or ambulatory care settings.
Telehealth nurses may use video conferencing, texting, phone calls, or emails to provide a patient with healthcare services. The salary of a telehealth nurse can vary greatly. However, two major factors can influence the amount a telehealth nurse earns: level of education and work setting. Home healthcare services and hospitals are some of the best medical settings for nurses to make a competitive telehealth wage. Other places to earn extra wages as a telehealth nurse are outpatient care centers.
2. Health Coach
Health coaches are like “personal cheerleaders” for people looking to improve their physical and mental health. Generally, to become a health coach, you will need an associate degree or higher and have completed a health coach training and education program. While it helps to have a medical title, such as “RN,” a formal nursing title is often not required to carry out health coaching. Health coaches have the freedom to work from home or in clinical settings and can often set their pay scale according to the services they offer.
3. Nurse Health Consultant
A nurse health consultant can work in various medical settings and specialty departments, offering services that evaluate healthcare systems' efficiency and quality of patient care. Often, nurse consultants are in charge of identifying problems in a healthcare system and devising solutions to fix them.
Nurse health consultants often work remotely and can build their schedules around their full-time jobs. Because of the freedom and flexibility nursing consultation offers, some nurses may even decide to become full-time nursing consultants.
4. CPR Instructor
Becoming a CPR instructor is a practical way for nurses to put their clinical experience to work and teach others life-saving skills and techniques. If you are a nurse, likely, you have already taken an instructor certification course. In this case, you can offer your services to hospitals, clinics, or schools. Moreover, corporations or workplaces may pay for a CPR instructor to teach classes and conduct First Aid Training for their employees. CPR instructors can make a great hourly rate, depending on their experience and the setting they choose to teach in.
5. Immunization Nurse
Immunization nurses typically have earned their BSN or ADN from an accredited nursing program. Sometimes referred to as “vaccination nurses,” they may also need to complete an immunization competency course to pursue a side hustle as an immunization nurse. Many nurses may decide to focus on administering flu, COVID-19, and tetanus, among other standard immunizations. An immunization nurse can often work flexible hours, modifying their schedule to accommodate their formal nursing job. Plus, some immunization nurses, such as a flu crew nurses, will earn a very comfortable side income depending on their specialty and experience in the field.
6. Substitute School Nurse
A substitute school nurse can be one of the most flexible positions for nurses wanting to earn supplemental income. Typically, an individual should have their registered nurse's license to start a career as a substitute school nurse. From there, some institutions will ask for at least one year of supervised nursing experience. Substitute nurses should also enjoy working with kids of all ages. This includes delivering empathetic and compassionate care no matter how big or small a student’s emergency.
Substitute nurses can be paid by the day or be asked to sign a contractual agreement. Either way, some substitute jobs offer the freedom to select as many or as few shifts that suit a nurse’s unique lifestyle.
7. Maternal Care
Maternal care is essentially taking care of a woman’s overall health through pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. To specialize in maternal care as a nurse, a nurse can choose to obtain an advanced degree as a nurse-midwife. Another way to dip into maternal care is for a nurse to become a lactation consultant or a certified doula. Offering support and guidance during the most vulnerable times in a woman's life is a distinct and rewarding experience.
Due to a growing need for maternal care across the United States, nurses specializing in maternal care are always in demand. As a result, this nurse side hustle can provide a solid supplemental income for any nurse looking to explore the world of labor and delivery care (L&D).
8. Legal Nurse Consultant Certified
A legal nurse consultant certified (LNCC) is typically a registered nurse who can offer professional medical guidance on malpractice-related legal cases. LNCC nurses serve as expert medical witnesses who can help analyze medical evidence and offer their judgment to the attorneys they work for.
To become an LNCC nurse, you must complete and successfully pass the legal nurse consultant certification exam. According to one source, more than 1,300,000 attorneys in the United States may require legal nurse consultant services at some point. Furthermore, an LNCC theoretically would need only around three to five clients to stay busy and make a great wage. While becoming an LNCC requires an extra certification and experience, it is an excellent way for nurses to monetize their skills outside the healthcare sector.
9. Nurse Blogger
If you are a nurse or healthcare professional passionate about writing, you could become a nurse blogger. From hospitals and clinics to healthcare start-ups, there are endless opportunities for nurse bloggers to find work as content creators. If you feel ambitious, you could create your own blog about healthcare topics. Many successful nurse bloggers are now popular nurse influencers.
These nurse bloggers have developed websites with themes such as how to study for the NCLEX or provide visual guides that explain complex nursing diagnoses. Other nurse bloggers have created informal nursing blogs to bring humor to challenging healthcare topics. Ultimately, whether you choose to become a nurse blogger for a company or take the plunge and start your own, nurse blogging is a fun way to make some extra money.
10. Child Care (Babysitting) or Pet Sitting
Not all side jobs for nurses need to involve putting their clinical skills to work. In fact, after a week of back-to-back nursing shifts, sometimes, an informal, non-nursing side job can be the best way to alleviate stress (while still making some cash). Childcare or pet-sitting can be a fun and low-stress way for nurses to make extra money. Also, an advantage to being a nurse is that clients may be more inclined to hire a healthcare professional to look after their children or furry friends.
11. PRN (Per Diem) Nursing
Who knew patchworking a nursing schedule around your lifestyle could feel this good? Per diem nursing allows nurses to pick up nursing shifts at local healthcare facilities to help fill gaps in the schedule. Similarly, during peak seasons, some hospitals may hire per diem nurses in addition to their regular nursing staff to help keep nurse-to-patient staffing levels at a safe and appropriate level. The great thing about working PRN is that CNAs, RNs, and licensed practical or vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs) can find great-paying hourly shifts at nearby facilities, often with higher than average pay rates.
Side Jobs can Bring Wages for a Rainy Day
An average nurse's salary can be a steady and reliable income. At the same time, a side hustle can help nurses save and put away a “pretty penny” for a “rainy day.” Luckily, there are plenty of side hustles for nurses that offer competitive hourly wages. Some nurses may even decide to turn their side hustle into their full-time job. So, what are you waiting for? This could be the year you learn how to make extra money as a nurse in a fun and rewarding way.
Are you looking for a high-paying nurse side hustle? Download Nursa and try picking up per diem shits in your area today.
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