27 Best Side Hustles For Nurses

Are you a nurse looking to increase your income?

In this post, I’ve compiled a list of 27 of the best side hustles for nurses.

This is the ultimate list because it not only covers side jobs for nurses in the healthcare industry, but also side gigs outside the medical industry as well.

All these ideas offer the flexible schedule you need since your schedule changes all the time too.

In many cases, you can earn anywhere from a couple hundred dollars a month to thousands doing these side jobs.

So let’s get started in helping you earn some additional income!

27 Best Side Hustles For Nurses

#1. Medical Transcriptionist

side hustles for nurses

Transcription is the practice of listening to audio and developing error-free scripts that illustrate the dialogue within the audio file.

For those in the medical industry, knowing certain terms and processes opens you up to more income as you’re familiar with what the people in the audio may be saying.

There are a host of medical transcription jobs that you can work for if you think that transcription might be the right side job for you.

Some of the companies worth looking into include GMR Transcription, Daily Transcription, and Rev.

Just make sure that you look at the rates as most organizations will pay you by the audio hour, not by the amount of work that you get done within an hour!

On average you can earn between $15 and $20 an hour with this side hustle.

#2. Picking Up Per Diem Shifts

Although working more in the same position may not be the preferred side job for nurses, it is the perfect side hustle for nurses.

Picking up a shift here and there is a great way to bring in some additional income. 

Working per diem shifts means picking up available shifts when they’re open to you.

It’s important to remember that you may not always be able to pick up extra shifts, so pursuing other side hustles on top of your extra shifts can allow you to earn steadier income in the event that there are no shifts to pick up.

If you ever get tired and want to take a break, you’ll then have something else on this list you can turn to so that you can make some extra money on the side.

#3. Become A Health Or Fitness Coach

With an extensive wealth of health education at your disposal, there is so much good in the world that you can do with all the experience you’ve gained.

One such idea that you may wish to pursue is offering health coaching.

Whether in-person or virtually, acting as a nurse health coach can allow you to provide others with the tools they need to thrive.

This can mean working with them to improve their physique or mobility or teaching them nutrition tips so that they’re eating a healthy diet that’s beneficial for their needs.

This side hustle will take a lot more marketing on your part as you will need to set up your own website and look for clients.

However, it can be very lucrative and rewarding if you put in the right amount of work and find clientele who value the advice that you have to offer!

This is because you can charge clients by the hour or per session.

Either of these methods could earn you upwards for $100 an hour.

#4. Personal Care Giver

Both children and seniors sometimes need help with care when no other caregivers are available.

This is where you come in!

Using platforms like Care.com can help you advertise your services as a part-time caregiver and connect with those who need help.

Senior care and child care both pay well and give you ample opportunity to make extra income as long as you can find time to make for the job.

Additionally, since you have medical experience and education, it can go a long way in whether or not a client in need of care chooses between you and someone.

#5. Coding For Medical Purposes

Almost all tech skills are constantly in demand.

When you combine tech and medicine, it almost always results in a rewarding gig both in terms of what impact you make and how much money you’re paid for your time.

If you’re someone who’s more technical in nature, you can look for organizations that need support coding programs or applications for their institution.

How? Try turning to freelance platforms like Upwork or Freelancer or even pitch local hospitals and other companies as well.

If you have the right degrees and certifications, becoming a medical coder is more than possible. 

#6. Becoming A First-Aid Course Or CPR Instructor

CPR and first-aid are necessary to know not only for ourselves but if we’re working in any position where we’re around people.

Becoming a course instructor for a CPR or first-aid class can allow you to still enjoy the medical field and teach others without taking on the same kind of work that you would see at your traditional job.

Many of these opportunities may be offered locally or even at your own hospital!

#7. Work At Seasonal Flu Clinics

Making sure that everyone gets vaccinated during flu season is essential, and flu clinics need staff that can properly vaccinate others with annual flu shots.

Although this opportunity only comes during flu season, see which clinics are offering vaccines and reach out to them to see whether or not they’re currently hiring. 

Because this side hustle is dependent on whether or not there’s any availability at these clinics, it’s best to pursue other side hustles as well.

If you can’t find a flu clinic nearby, you always have something else to rely on!

Of course, you could take this idea one step further and look for positions as an immunization nurse.

Here you would offer patients immunization shots if they didn’t get a vaccine in the first place or need a booster shot.

#8. Telehealth Nursing

Telehealth has become very popular in the last few years.

It gives people the opportunity to get medical support from home without having to see someone in person or spend their time in waiting rooms.

With these platforms, both medical professionals and patients get to take advantage of this new system.

Although the system may be different for nurses than for doctors, as a telehealth nurse, you can still work with patients to better assess and understand their conditions to get them the help they need.

Telehealth platforms are a little bit harder to get started with than some of these other side hustles.

However, there are opportunities out there that you can use during your free time to apply your nursing experience effectively.

The bonus is that the average salary for a telehealth nurse is roughly $30 an hour.

#9. Sell Your Scrubs And Nurse Gear

Did you know you can earn some cash on the side selling your scrubs and nurse gear?

Places like eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace have nurses and other medical professionals selling nursing gear to people.

Some people use it for Halloween costumes.

Others use it for cleaning around the house.

And some just wear scrubs because they are comfortable.

So instead of tossing your scrubs in the trash, give them a good wash and sell them instead.

#10. Obtain A Certification

This idea won’t earn you income right away, but is a smart option if you love the nursing field.

Instead of spending your time earning extra money now, spend your time studying and getting additional certification or advanced degrees.

This could lead you to landing a promotion or taking another job that pays a higher salary.

An added bonus is that having more skills and education can help make it easier to find another job in the result you lose yours.

#11. Work As A Phlebotomist

Working in phlebotomy, you draw blood from patients for transfusions, testing, donation and research.

You also will verify patient data, screen applicants who need bloodwork, and prepare the specimens for laboratory testing.

While you can do this work at your typical outpatient labs, like Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp, you can also do it at hospitals and satellite hospital clinics, and third party clinics as well.

The pay is good, as you can earn on average of $15-$20 an hour doing this work.

#12. Camp Nurse

Summer camps need nurses on duty because it is inevitable that someone will get a cut, poison ivy, or some other injury.

If you enjoy working with children, this could be a great option for you.

Many summer camps now are just a few hours a day, and not sleepover camps.

This makes it easier for you to work this gig in to your daily schedule.

#13. Adjunct Professor

You can teach your knowledge at local community colleges as an adjunct professor.

If you live near a traditional college, you could also land a position there as well.

Schools and colleges are in need of experts teaching class material and since you can offer real work examples, you have a leg up.

Most classes will be taught at night allowing flexibility with your schedule.

Of all the college professors I had, my most favorite were adjunct professors.

One was a police officer who shared great stories, helping us to better understand the topics we were learning about.

The other was a CPA who was able to teach the complex IRS tax code in a simple manner.

#14. Expert Witness

Jury trials need expert witnesses to confirm or deny claims made by legal teams.

As a nurse, you have expertise in healthcare and can serve as an expert witness.

For a few hours of your time, you can make $100 or more as a legal nurse consultant.

The only downside is this is not a regular income producing job.

You might be an expert witness once or twice and then have to wait a few months until you are called in again.

The good news however is once you develop a reputation for being an honest witness and are reliable, you will be one of the first people prosecutors reach out to.

#15. Online Surveys

Online surveys are the perfect way to make a little extra cash on the side as you can easily do these activities during your breaks without overexerting yourself.

Some platforms that you can get started with include SurveyJunkie, Branded Surveys, and Vindale Research.

The extra cash you earn completing surveys isn’t going to be a game changer.

At most you can expect to earn around $100-$150 extra a month.

But the benefit is you can take them during your spare time.

This means lunch breaks, on your commute, even on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

#16. Paid Medical Surveys

While taking paid surveys isn’t very lucrative, you can earn more money taking surveys as a nurse.

This is because you have specialized knowledge in the field of healthcare.

And paid medical surveys are looking for your opinion.

Not only can you complete online medical surveys, but there are options for telephone surveys, and focus groups both in person and virtual.

Here are 3 options to look into if this is a side gig that interests you.

#17. Test Websites

If you’re looking for something that pays a bit more than surveys, testing websites through platforms like UserTesting is an option.

Website owners need people to look at their sites and find issues.

For around 10 minutes of your time, you will be asked to surf a website and provide feedback.

What don’t you like about it? Is anything hard to find? Did you find any pages that led to a dead end or images that didn’t load?

In some cases, the website owner will have you look at a specific page and provide feedback.

Once you submit your feedback, you get paid between $10-$20.

It’s not a lot, but considering you are only working for 10 minutes, it’s easy money.

#18. Freelance Writing

Having an education in medicine opens you up to a lot of opportunities, especially if you’re a registered nurse.

With your experience, you can become a freelance writer and help institutions develop medical content and copy that they need to increase their online exposure.

If you have yet to try freelance writing, you may wish to get your start with platforms like Textbroker.

However, if you’re a strong writer, you can start by pitching publications and building a portfolio to promote on platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.

To be most successful, a lot of new writers take an online course.

Not only does a course help with online writing, which is different than what most people are used to, but it helps with networking too.

Many writers share tips, tricks and leads with each other in a community.

A great course to look into is Freelance To 5K.

It walks you through the process of getting started as a freelance writer, how to land high paying jobs and the ability to network with other writers too.

Freelance 5K

#19. Creating Online Courses

If you prefer creating a course where people can learn time and time again, launching your own online courses through platforms like Teachable may be the way to go.

All you need is a high-quality camera, a good microphone, and some editing software.

Then, you can create a curriculum around any topic that you enjoy.

After that, it’s just a matter of marketing your online courses and encouraging others to sign up for them!

While there is a lot of work upfront, once you have your course created and are marketing it, it turns into passive income.

And since most courses charge between $100 and $500 for enrollment, you can see how quickly the extra cash you earn adds up.

#20. Writing Your Own eBook

Online courses can be very intensive, so they may not be for everyone.

However, one side gig that almost anyone can tackle is writing their own eBook.

As with online courses, an eBook gives you the ability to pursue any topic and allows you to provide more information to interested readers.

Additionally, there are a host of platforms where you can publish your book.

Some ideas include Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple iBooks, Smashwords, just to name a few.

eBooks can be great to develop passive income as they continue to sell over time after all your hard work is done.

On average, you can expect to earn around $2-$3 per eBook sold.

It doesn’t sound like much, but when you are on Amazon in front of millions of potential customers, it adds up.

#21. Start A Blog

Starting a blog gives you the chance to write about absolutely anything that you want within your niche.

If it’s medical, you can create an entire website based on your nursing experience and advice that you want to provide readers.

If you have another passion, however, you don’t have to restrict your blog posts to just one topic.

The only thing that’s important to know when starting a blog is that it’s a lot more work than people often think.

You have to handle all of the writing and marketing of your blog in order to help it grow!

As with course creation, it is a lot of work at first.

But once you get going, you can start building up an income.

It’s not out of the question to eventually be earning $5,000 a month or more with your own website.

#22. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a popular business model that’s been taking over the entrepreneurial community by storm.

Unlike traditional e-commerce, drop shipping allows you to skip over the packing and shipping process by having you forward your orders straight to the manufacturer.

Although you can always start an online store and forward your orders directly to a manufacturer, there are programs like Amazon’s Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) that can make the process far simpler for you.

Many dropshippers earn a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars a month on the side.

Here is a great guide that will show you how you can quickly get started selling on Amazon.

Amazon FBA

#23. Freelance Virtual Assistant

As a nurse, you likely deal with administrative work regularly.

You can use these skills to find virtual assistant work where these skills can be put to use to earn more.

Whether you want to find medical or other types of VA work, you can find it through platforms like Upwork and Freelancer as well.

#24. Grocery Shopping

When you are out doing your grocery shopping, you can grocery shop for others as well.

With Instacart, you fulfill customers grocery orders and prepare them for delivery.

If you want, you can also deliver the groceries as well.

Its easy work if you enjoy grocery shopping.

#25. Data Entry

Data entry is another great idea for nurses since you can create your own schedules.

Many companies now even outsource this work to remote workers, opening the door for many more job opportunities.

Now you can work for a company in California while you live in Florida!

Clickworker is a company that specifically hires data entry workers.

I also would encourage you to check out FlexJobs.

This is an online job board that only lists remote work positions.

Flex Jobs Button

Not only will you find remote data entry work, but other work from home positions as well.

#26. Tutor

If teaching at a college sounds too overwhelming for you, consider taking it down a notch and tutoring.

You can help those seeking their nursing degree, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree with their studies so they can pass their exams.

You get to control how many students you tutor, as well as the income you earn for doing this.

Reach out to local colleges to advertise your services or even at your workplace if you have nursing students working there.

You can easily make $50 to $100 an hour tutoring others.

#27. Resume Writer

A great side hustle that most nurses don’t consider is a resume writer.

You can help nursing students draft and create a resume that will stand out from others.

Since you are active in the medical field, you know what skills people are looking for.

You can help organize and draft a resume that highlights these skills which will help people get the interview for the job.

Wrapping Up

At the end of the day, there are plenty of options when it comes to side hustles for nurses.

It all comes down to figuring out what you enjoy doing most and then focusing on that area to boost your income.

This is critical and I can’t stress it enough.

You have to love the side job you pick.

When you do this, it won’t fell like work and you will earn a lot money doing it.

If you dislike it, you won’t put in as much effort, and as a result, won’t make much money.

So take the time to really understand what you want to do and then go do it.

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