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50 Best Side Hustles for Nurses

Congratulations, nursing professionals. You have a lot of options for making money on the side.

For this post, I reviewed every option I could find and then brainstormed others, from side hustles that don’t require a nursing background (such as being a travel agent, having a YouTube channel and using social media platforms to make money) to those that do. Then, I determined the 50 most worthwhile side hustles for nurses specifically and ranked them according to profit potential and how easy it is to get started.

Here are the 50 best side jobs that you can do in your spare time around your work schedule.

1. Per Diem Nursing Work

This is clearly the easiest and most obvious. You are just picking up extra shifts doing what you already do. The very good news is that RNs have never been more in-demand than they are today.

As a result, there are now numerous platforms that allow you to pick up extra nursing shifts on demand. You choose when, where and how much you’re willing to work.

CareRev is the largest and most user-friendly per diem platform for nurses. All you need to do is fill out your profile and indicate your availability.

2. Sleep Study Nurse

Sleep has always been a problem for people, and the news has been saying that it is even more of a problem in our post-covid era. If you wanted to focus on the elderly, senior care agencies often require RNs or LPNs to perform sleep study assessments. This involves observing a patient at night to assess the need for 24-hour home care services.

Unlike most other side hustles for nurses, sleep studies are always done at night. So as you can expect, the compensation is a bit higher than usual. And this means it fits in very nicely if you are working during the day at your job.

Of course, if you have young children at home, you will need someone to be with them while you are working at night. With an average hourly rate of $40-60, a single sleep study can pay up to $700. That’s certainly enough to cover your babysitting!

3. Telehealth Nurse

This is another one that is a slam dunk fit for a nurse. It is ranked #3 and not #2 because it doesn’t pay as well as being a sleep study nurse due to the overnight premium.

The American Hospital Association reports that over 75% of US-based hospitals use telehealth nursing. Thanks to video calls, telehealth nurses can complete a number of assessments over the phone, work from anywhere, and not be exposed to ill patients.

On average, part-time telehealth gigs start at $25-30/hour. There are also tons of resources available to help nurses get started in remote work, like The Remote Nurse portal.

4. Medical Transcription

Medical transcribers are provided an audio file and tasked with writing down everything they hear. People without a background in medicine struggle with the jargon, so this gig is right up your alley.

As can be expected due to having to understand the medical terminology, transcription platforms offer high rates to anyone with nursing experience.

Freelance transcriptionists are paid per minute of audio. The faster you can identify medical terms by ear, the higher your earning potential. (This is similar to a lot of forms of work that pay according to productivity.) Some medical transcriptionist platforms to get you started are Acusis, Med-Scribe and EHR Transcriptions.

5. Tutoring Future Nurses

This one is slightly more entrepreneurial than the others, and if you choose, could lead to your own business and a full-time career.

No matter how long you’ve been a nurse, chances are you still shudder to think about studying for your more difficult exams while getting your Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) and for your National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).

So it’s no wonder that some students need extra help. It shouldn’t surprise you that thousands seek out RNs to tutor them every year.

The most rewarding approach to booking new students is networking. However, if you’d like to start earning as soon as possible, you can sign up with sites like Wyzant. These platforms let you set your own rate and help you connect to students online. You could do all your tutoring through Zoom, like some of the biggest general tutoring companies do today, giving you vast geographical access.

6. Phlebotomy

Medical labs employ phlebotomists who specialize in drawing blood samples. As a nurse, you get to skip the entire 6-month training and certification process. All you’re required to do is shadow a phlebotomist for a short period of time. Typically, you can expect $18-25/hour for this type of gig.

Large diagnostics lab chains like Quest and Labcorp are constantly on the lookout for more phlebotomists. If you present well and have good bedside manners, you are sure to get hired by these companies.

7. Freelance Writing

Healthcare writing may not seem like a great income source for a medical professional, but it can become the most lucrative part of your career. The toughest part of becoming an established freelance writer is choosing a niche. A nursing degree makes you an authority in the medical niche, which happens to pay much better than others.

For comparison, an average content writer outside of the medical field starts at $0.05-0.10/word. But in the medical field, you can set your rate to $0.25 and still find plenty of gigs. For reference, that averages out to $30-60/hour, depending on how fast you can write.

There are over 20 online websites for general writers where you can be hired to write on a project basis such as Guru, Freelancer.com and Fiverr. On these platforms, you are a freelancer working for an employer for a specific work product, whether that is an article, a guide, or something similar.

If you are looking to consistently write for a single employer, there are additional platforms that can help you such as Indeed and Glassdoor.

While freelance writing does not have the potential to make you as much money as having your own blog and writing blog posts on that blog, it is still a great side hustle. It takes less time and commitment than a blog and is easy side job.

8. Immunization Facilities

Immunization Nurses are currently in high demand. They don’t just provide flu shots and other vaccines. They also help with monitoring how patients are after they receive their vaccinations, and provide medical care to these patients.

Hospitals, colleges, and various inpatient facilities are all willing to be flexible to attract much-needed RNs and LPNs. Not only do they offer competitive rates, but also flexible part-time hours that fit around your schedule.

OccuVax is a nationwide chain of vaccination clinics with locations in every US state except Hawaii. The hiring process is a bit long since they manually review each candidate but once you’re in, you can expect upwards of $25 per hour.

9. Medical Focus Groups

Before marketers introduce a new product, they use focus groups to test how well it’ll sell. Because of the nature of medical products and services, only medical professionals are a good fit for some of these focus groups.

These gigs aren’t always available, but the pay rates range from $105 to $140. To get started, you may want to sign up with the largest focus group platform, User Interviews.

10. Holistic Nurse Consultant

Believe it or not, holistic (or alternative) medicine has been making quite a comeback over the last few years. People see Western medical practices as reactive and compartmentalized. They are looking for a more proactive, all-encompassing approach to healthcare.

Holistic nurses provide comprehensive consultations on everything from holistic diet and exercise, to remedies and sleep cycles. Most clients require multiple hours of consultations, and each of those hours is billable for $120-$250, depending on the location.

You’ll want to make sure you have great people-skills and genuinely love people for this side hustle, as your patients will rely on you and sometimes want to talk to you about what else is happening in their lives since they see you as dealing with the “whole” person.

Though licensing is not required in most states, the fastest way to get a side gig as a holistic nurse is to get certified by the AHNCC (American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation). If you already have your RN license, you’ll need to attend 48 hours of training and pay $350 for the certificate.

11. Per-Diem Medical Coding

When a medical facility bills an insurance company for rendered services or products, they use a universal system of service codes. After a doctor or nurse submits an order, their medical biller must translate the items in their order into service codes.

Chances are, you’re already familiar with a large portion of both the medical jargon and the codes. Plus, any hospital or medical center would be happy to have a nurse as their medical coder. You can expect flexible shifts at an average rate of $24.

12. First Aid Teacher

First aid instructors are in demand by a wide range of businesses, including inpatient facilities, schools, airlines, sports clubs, etc. You can choose your own schedule and earn a hefty sum in a single day.

Since first aid is taught to all nurses, you don’t need any additional certification. That said, you may want to refresh your memory before teaching a class about it.

Luckily, you can find free refresher training and lesson plan templates on the American Red Cross’ website.

13. Summer Camp Nurse

Nearly five million kids attend summer camps every year. And each of these camps requires nurses on-site in case of an emergency.

As a camp nurse, you’ll enjoy a high-end salary and a much-needed break from routine nursing work. Most days, the camp nurse spends minimal time doing paperwork. But the best part is that camps encourage the nurse to bring their kids for free as an incentive.

If you can swing time off your main job to be a summer camp nurse, this is an awesome way to get some special time and create amazing memories with your kiddos.

14. Long-Distance Travel Nurse

There are no special tasks or responsibilities that a travel nurse has to deal with. The only setback is the long-distance travel. Sure, that may be a deal-breaker for some. But if you can bear the commute, you will be compensated appropriately.

Aside from paid housing, accommodations and a stipend for personal expenses, travel nurses make $50-75/hour.

15. Maternal Care Consultant

Do you enjoy working with babies and toddlers? As a maternal care consultant, you will help new mothers through issues in the postpartum period. Some moms need professional help with lactation, some ask for advice about their own healthcare routine, while others just want to master basic childcare skills.

The work comes in on a per-diem basis, so you can pick up shifts on demand. Maternal care consultants earn $25-40/hour, depending on experience level.

16. Part-Time Cosmetic Injection Nurse

As cosmetic injections grow in popularity, so does the salary of injection nurses. Typically, you can expect to start at $45-50 per hour. Meanwhile, the most experienced nurses make twice as much.

Of course, even RNs will need additional licensing for this gig. But compared to passing the NCLEX, earning Aesthetic Nurse Specialist credentials is not exactly overwhelming. The suggested preparation time for the PSNCB exam is 2-4 months.

17. Medical Translation

Just as with freelance copywriting, translators often struggle to find a niche. Being a medical professional, you already have a leg up on most other applicants.

Not only will you attract more clients than a generic translator, but you will also earn more too. Medical texts are considered technical, so you can earn up to $0.30/word.

18. Freelance CPR Instructor

Though CPR is a part of first aid training, much more businesses are required to specifically have CPR-certified staff.

Small businesses prefer to work directly with instructors, instead of overpaying a staffing agency. As a freelancer, your best bet is to approach restaurants as they’re required to renew CPR training every year. That means once you find a client, they are almost guaranteed to be recurring buyers.

19. Part-Time School Bus Nurse

This one will require that you have a calm demeanor and lots of patience, not exactly the greatest fit for a Type A personality. Not all school buses require a nurse, but all schools need at least a few on-call bus nurses.

Primarily, a nurse must be present on the buses for children with disabilities. They might also be needed at long-distance field trips or sporting events.

Both LPNs and RNs are eligible to work on school buses. And since you are only needed for a short time in the morning and/or after school closes, the compensation is well worth it.

20. Night-Shift Private Pay Nurse

For some senior care patients, a home care aide doesn’t have sufficient skills to provide a high level of care. A patient may require medication at regular intervals throughout the night, or they may be battling bed sores.

In these cases, the family hires a private pay nurse to care for the patient at night. As with any night-shift work, the rates are considerably higher than normal.

The best way to look for night-shift senior care gigs is by sending your resume and availability out to all the private pay home care agencies in the area.

21. Dialysis Nurse

Becoming a dialysis nurse may sound like a major career change, but it’s actually quite simple. The only real hurdle is earning accreditation from the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission. There’s a 20-hour lecture requirement, as well as an exam.

Since many dialysis centers are open 24/7, you can find a shift anytime you’re free.

22. HHA Supervision Visits

Senior care agencies need nurses to perform onsite visits where they observe the home health aide (HHA) who is caring for a patient or patients. These nurses are evaluating the treatment the patients are receiving and its alignment with the patients’ individual Plans of Care.

In most states, agencies have to conduct HHA supervision visits once every 60 days, so there’s never a lack of work. You can pick up as many visits as you can handle at an average rate of $150 per visit.

In addition to HHA supervision visits, nurses can act as UAS Assessors and perform skilled visits to help ensure that patients are getting the care they need.

23. Wound Care Nurse

Though this side hustle is not for the faint of heart, it can be worthwhile for the right person. Patients recovering from a problematic wound need visits from a certified nurse on a daily basis. The sessions are short, but the work is consistent.

The training program for wound care totals 120 hours of lectures and training. To join the accreditation program, you need an RN license as well as two years of experience.

24. Inservice Instructor

There are a number of entry-level roles in healthcare that do not require a degree, such as home health aides and technicians. However, all of these employees must attend in-service (hands-on) training on a regular basis.

Companies are always looking for part-time instructors who are available for weekend sessions. RNs can lead in-service training with no additional licensing.

25. Freelance Nutrition Consultant

When recovering from a major injury, patients often need the help of a nutrition nurse. Hospitals tend to have a list of on-call RN nutritionists to help patients transition to solid food after surgery.

The only requirement to get a license from the NBNSC (National Board of Nutrition Support Certification) is passing the nutritionist exam. RNs report having to study for around three months before passing.

26. Online Health Coach

If you’re looking for stay-at-home gigs, this is a great option. As a nurse, you won’t need any additional training to get started, and your degree will help you stand out in a crowded field.

You can market your own services as a freelancer, or join an agency like Choose Health or WellSteps.

27. Part-Time DME Sales

DME, or Durable Medical Equipment, includes everything from blood pressure monitors to Hoyer lifts. It’s a very competitive field where vendors are constantly trying to out-sell each other to maintain their market share.

DME vendors are on the lookout for sales people with experience in healthcare, so your nursing degree is sure to get you short-listed. As with all sales, the majority of your earning will depend on how much product you can get rid of.

28. Medical Biller

In contrast to medical coders, billers interpret and process service codes. They also confirm patients are eligible for the provided services and products. You need to be detail-oriented and comfortable with paperwork to thrive as a medical biller.

For per-diem and part-time billers, hourly rates start at $20/hour.

29. Registered Health Information Tech

Nowadays, paperwork doesn’t involve much paper. Instead, sensitive information is stored digitally. To avoid privacy issues, medical facilities hire RHITs (registered health information technicians) to audit their records internally.

The RHIT exam consists of 130 questions that must be answered within 3.5 hours. Starting pay for part-timers ranges between $25 and $35.

30. Legal Consultant

Nearly every law firm with a personal injury practice has a nurse. This nurse is a legal nurse consultant, acting as a screener for incoming cases and advising during the preparation of cases. Attorneys may also call nurses as an expert witness.

To become a licensed legal consultant, nurses must become members of the AALNC by passing a specialty course called “The Elusive Standard of Care – Catch It If You Can.”

31. Healthcare Influencer

Becoming an influencer as a nurse may seem far-fetched, but countless RNs have already made it their main source of income. Chances are, you’ve already done some of the work by networking at college and nursing events.

32. Nurse Educator

If you’re stuck in a dead-end role even after completing an advanced nursing degree, becoming a part-time nurse educator may be your best bet. In most cases part-timers teach a particular skill, with sessions lasting as little as one week.

Salaried positions come with six-figure salaries, but you can expect about $50/hour as a per diem educator.

33. Mock Juror

Medical professionals aren’t the only ones who need to practice in a controlled setting. For lawyers, that practice comes in the form of mock (or practice) trials. When a medical expert is required in a mock trial, they hire an experienced nurse.

If you’re not sure where to start, register on platforms like JurySolutions. These gigs are generally not very consistent, but they pay exceptionally well.

34. Online Personal Trainer

Nurses have an undeniable advantage when it comes to the fitness industry. For obvious reasons, people prefer the person advising them about their body to have a background in healthcare.

You can start by joining Thumbtack or a similar agency, though the freelance route offers bigger profits.

35. Customer Interviews

When it comes to specialty products, marketers can’t always use focus groups. Instead, they conduct long one-on-one interviews with someone who is already a target consumer. Nurses happen to be target consumers of most medical equipment and healthcare products, so they are in high demand as interview subjects.

Customer interviews for healthcare products pay well over $100 per hour.

36. Social Media Management for Healthcare Companies

SMM is not something they teach in nursing school. Then again, healthcare is not taught in business school. That’s why marketing firms prefer to hire social media managers with a nursing background for their healthcare accounts.

Hubspot offers a free SMM certification course. Once you complete that, it’s just a matter of sending out some resumes for part-time positions.

37. RN Resume Writing

If you have any experience as an LPN or RN, you already have all the prerequisites for this side hustle. Some nurses are less articulate and confident than others, and those nurses are looking to hire someone like you to write them a winning resume.

38. Dog Walking and Sitting

You’d be surprised how picky pet owners are about who walks their four-legged friends. Another thing that might surprise you is that some dog walkers make double as much as an RN.

The good news is, people tend to trust nurses, so you have a great chance at booking those first few gigs. Platforms like MixyPaws and TimeToPet are a great place to start.

39. Medical Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopping doesn’t pay as well as nursing, but the work is simple and stress-free. For healthcare companies, not everyone can be an effective shopper. That’s why nurses have an easier time getting their foot in the door.

Medical mystery shoppers are so in-demand that dedicated freelance platforms have sprung up to manage them. PerStrat.com is a great place to start.

40. Freelance Medical VA

At first glance, you may think Virtual Assistants are severely underpaid. But considering that you can be a VA to multiple clients at the same time, without ever leaving your day job, $15-$20 per hour isn’t all that bad.

Sites like PeoplePerHour and UpWork are perfect for advertising your Medical VA services.

41. Babysitting Children with Special Medical Needs

If you like working with kids, you can boost your income by babysitting. Even if you have no references and little experience, the fact that you’re a licensed nurse makes you a top contender.

Nurses who marketed themselves properly quickly become reputable, which leads to higher rates. Some parents will gladly pay $40/hour for peace of mind about their kids.

42. Health Podcast

Starting a podcast can be both fulfilling and lucrative, but not in the short-term. It can take months or even years to develop it and attract a large audience. Then again, healthcare is a topic that never stops trending, so a nurse has the potential to make it big.

About a fourth of all adults in the US – almost 60 million people – are subscribed to a Health & Wellness podcast. If you get just 1% of them to listen in, you can make about $9,000 per episode through advertising.

43. Freelance Doula

Doulas help expecting mothers at every stage of pregnancy, up to and including birth. Since there is no official doula certification program, your nursing degree is a valuable advantage.

Doulas charge a one-time fee of $500-3,000, depending on location and experience level. Typically, you will be able to take on 2-4 clients and still keep up with your nursing job.

44. Nursing Blogger

Having your own blog can be a lucrative side hustle. Being a nurse blogger is a good idea if you need something you can do on your own time and you are a good writer. It is more lucrative than being a freelance health writer, because writing gives you a little extra cash for writing an article, but it doesn’t give you the passive recurring ad income from your blog.

When it comes to blogging, it is critical to have authority for the topic you are writing on. In niches like healthcare and nursing, people want to get their information from an actual medical professional.

You’re already a skilled nurse. If you have or can develop writing skills, it’s only a matter of time before you can monetize a health blog.

Once enough people are tuned in and your blog receives enough traffic, you can apply to online ad companies to have advertising on your blog. Ideally, you will want to have enough traffic off of high-quality blog posts to be able to qualify with Mediavine for ad placement.

45. Udemy Course Creation

The world’s biggest online course platform, Udemy, is another side gig that can quickly turn into a business. You shouldn’t expect instant earnings, but a high-quality nursing course can be a real best-seller. It may be a lot of work but the result is a passive income stream that requires minimal maintenance.

46. Video Content Creation

If long, comprehensive courses are not your style, you can always market shorter videos on YouTube. Whether your channel produces general health and wellness content or professional nursing advice, you can attract your first viewers based on the virtue of being an experienced RN.

47. Self-Published eBooks

Amazon has a full-service platform where you can write, self-publish and sell eBooks. If you enjoy writing, this is an opportunity to put your valuable knowledge on display. Amazon won’t charge you anything unless your book goes to print, in which case you will keep 60% of the profits.

The key is catering to nursing students or LPNs aspiring to be RNs. As you can imagine, they’re willing to pay good money for insight from someone who has already passed the NCLEX.

48. Nursing Printables Store

If you want to make serious money by selling printables, having an Etsy store is a good option. For this to be profitable, you will need to create high-specialty prints. Focus on a narrow niche within the nursing profession or even a single nursing task. For reference, one of the most successful nursing printables is as specific as “Travel Nurse: West Coast Packing & Compliance Checklist.”

49. Personal Care Aide

Not all seniors are satisfied with a standard personal care aide. Patients who require a higher level of care go with private-pay agencies for more qualified aides. Of course, no one is more qualified in elder care than a nurse, so you’ll be able to choose any case you like and make your own schedule. You can pick up a lot of hours and make this side hustle into a full time job or you can be a part-time caregiver.

There is always plenty of work, and no additional training is required.

50. Start a Home Care Agency

Last but not least, the most ambitious side hustle for a Registered Nurse is starting your own business. As the Nurse Supervisor of your own licensed home care agency, your goal is to grow by leveraging referral sources. And as an experienced RN, you’re already familiar with most of them.

Conclusion

Having a career in the nursing field is a great way to earn good money and have long-term stability. But even RNs and LPNs with full-time jobs find themselves searching for ways to get extra income. Looking through the above list of best side hustles for nurses, hopefully you will be able to easily decide which one is the perfect side hustle for you so you can start using your free time to earn additional income leveraging your nursing career.

Taking on a side hustle or two will essentially be like having a second job and will make for some long hours, but you will be able to set your own hours for the extra work, especially if you are taking on per diem shifts.

It’s also a good idea to give 100% to your primary position and work to learn and grow so you can get promoted and make more money through your career, making side gigs unnecessary (if that is what you choose). Alternatively, if you end up having a great side job, you might be so successful at it that you decide to do it full time.

It is a great time to be in the healthcare industry. You have a lot of options with your training and education. Best of luck to you!

About The Author
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.