Nurse Health Coaching The 20 Best Side Hustles for Nurses – Ultimate Guide

There are countless nurses living with a burning desire to get more out of their profession. It isn’t that nursing isn’t fulfilling — it definitely is. But we all want to find new challenges, new ways to sharpen our talents and attain ever greater standards of excellence. 

That’s why we’d like you to think more about getting a side hustle. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a way to learn how to make $300,000 as a nurse (although that’s been known to happen). Side hustles are like personalized roads to personal growth; they’re powerful tools for cultivating your existing skills in ways you hadn’t thought of before. 

Unlock a new dimension in your nursing career with our Nurse Coach Board Certification Program. This program is designed to equip you with the skills needed to inspire, motivate, and guide patients towards optimal health. Learn more about how you can make a difference: Nurse Coach Board Certification Program.

After having invested so many years into this profession, it’s natural to embrace your passion. We think you can combine your unique interests with your hard-earned skills to take your career to new heights. 

Here’s our curated list of 20 possibilities to show you how. 

Why a Side Hustle Is So Important

Finding a side hustle in 2023 gives us a fresh opportunity to find passive income for nurses. The sheer number of online side hustles available makes it relatively easy to build a strong financial foundation for ourselves and our families. That can take a lot of stress off your shoulders and make you better at your job at the same time. 

Many don’t consider the benefits of learning how to think like a business owner. It fosters an independent, results-oriented frame of mind that can enhance every aspect of your nursing career. Entrepreneurs enter a sink-or-swim environment where they’re forced to think creatively and discover unexplored solutions to the most serious problems.

How is that not something for us all to strive for in the years ahead? 

Side hustles for nurses are one of the most popular discussion topics on Reddit, as you can see from threads like this. Although nurses are amply represented in major healthcare institutions, there’s a growing demand for their services in all health-related fields, and even in those only indirectly related to health. The possibilities for side hustles are nearly endless if you know where to start. 

For example, the Health Coaching Certification for Nurses & Clinicians offered by the National Society of Health Coaches is one of the best routes for current RNs to venture into a new career path. It’s the only program offering certifications tailored to the needs of licensed health practitioners. Nurses with deep backgrounds in clinical practice can excel in our Health Coaching program and gain the skills needed to propel their careers forward. 

There are many guides out there offering help finding a remote side hustle for nurses, but these are full of random suggestions that could apply to anyone — who wants to start yet another blog? Ours focuses on helping current RNs discover actionable and profitable side hustles that can supplement their career goals. 

What You Need To Consider First

There are many factors influencing the kind of side hustle you choose. You’ll want to look at the income potential, job flexibility, and how accessible the actual launch is. This is about finding practical sources of passive income for nurses that we could implement today, not “pie in the sky” dreams. 

Working as an RN means you’re already dealing with irregular hours and a difficult schedule. Yet, entering a new side hustle requires a strong initial commitment to get the business off the ground successfully. We know nurses can’t afford to be unrealistic, so we made it a point of selecting side hustles that leverage your existing experience for a powerful head start. 

And while money isn’t everything, no one can afford to sell their talents for free. The side hustles we’ve selected all have ample income potential, as evidenced by the many nurses who’ve found success in these fields. It’s just about finding one that matches your abilities and then persevering. 

THE # 1 BEST Side Hustle for Nurses

But before we dive into the other suggestions we’ve assembled, let’s talk a little more about becoming an NSHC Certified Health Coach. To put it simply, this is the best side hustle for licensed practitioners to get into, one that ticks all the boxes in terms of flexibility, income potential, and credibility. This program is: 

• Evidence-based. It’s designed around active research and real-world knowledge of health coaching trends, such as coding. 
• Self-paced. Because we’re geared toward working professionals, we offer the flexibility nurses need to complete the program on their own time. 
• Comprehensive. It dives deep into the basics of health coaching, including your own active listening skills, learning how to motivate behavioral changes in patients or clients and more. 

The other options we’ve provided are excellent, but this one is a cut above. It can be done on your own time in conjunction with your current responsibilities. It actively reinforces the skills you’re already using on a daily basis. Best of all, it’s built from the ground up for registered nurses to grow their professional toolbox. 

We think this program is right up your alley, so visit our site to learn more about NSHC Certification and apply. 

Side Hustles for Nurses From Home

2 — Immunization Nurse Jobs

Years of experience administering vaccines make immunization an ideal side hustle for registered nurses. This role simply involves giving out vaccines to patients, usually while working on-call for a private company. It’s an especially good gig around flu season. 

Anyone with experience delivering vaccines can offer this valuable service in the private sector. Keep an eye on private job boards or use your networking skills to find companies making either permanent or temporary hires. 

3 — Telehealth Jobs for Nurses

Modern technology makes it easier than ever to provide health services remotely. You can use video conferencing and even social media pages to provide private, one-on-one consulting to people in need of your services. That could mean educating them about various health conditions, providing advice about an illness they’re having, or many other things made possible with remote technology. 

Familiarity with the technology is the only real prerequisite for this role. If you have great communication skills and you know how to work a video call, you can apply your nursing skills to telehealth. Consider linking up with a staffing agency to help you find clients. 

4 — Nurse Practitioner Consulting

Nurse practitioner consulting simply means offering expert-level advice to people and organizations about clinical best practices. Nurses will work independently and usually with a great deal of autonomy in helping this role. Healthcare organizations and educational institutions often seek out nurse practitioner consultants to help implement their healthcare policy goals. 

Employers look for people with a strong background in nursing and clinical practice — registered nurses are in high demand. Treat this as an independent business, replete with its own business and marketing plan, as you get started in nurse practitioner consulting. Depending on where you live, you might need a few extra certifications to prove your credentials. 

Online Side Hustles for Nurses 

The internet offers many side hustle opportunities for nurses willing to put their skills to work. It’s all about tapping one’s own entrepreneurial spirit in this wide-open digital marketplace. New technologies give you the ability to diversify your income through many possible income streams, which we’ll discuss below. 

5 — Online Tutoring

There are many students out there looking for skilled tutors, and online tutoring gives registered nurses the chance to pay their knowledge forward. This job involves helping current nursing students with their studies, both for those just starting out and nearing graduation. It’s a high-demand field for a side hustle and also doesn’t require much of an upfront investment to get started. 

This is an excellent opportunity for anyone with the required knowledge and skills. To get started, look for online tutoring platforms where nursing students congregate. You can create a profile and advertise your services directly or post a message on a job board telling everyone you’re available for tutoring. 

6 — Freelance Health Writing

There are so many health websites looking for competent writers to help them out. Health website editors like freelance writers who can hit the ground running, so what better than a registered nurse who doubles as a freelance writer, who already knows the industry from the inside out? In this role, you’ll spend your days writing blog posts, articles, and more in cooperation with the site’s editor.  

Get used to looking at job boards on popular sites like LinkedIn. Filter for health companies and send your resume to anyone looking for a health writer to join their team. Once they learn of your credentials, they’ll be glad to have you aboard. 

7 – Telemedicine consulting

Looking for more flexible hours or the opportunity to work from anywhere? Simply use modern telecommunications to your advantage to give guided healthcare consulting to anyone willing to pay for it. You’d be surprised how many people out there are eager to find an alternative to in-person visits. 

Its easy adaptability makes this line of work readily compatible with a registered nurse’s day job. 

Other Good and Profitable Side Hustles for Nurses

Contrary to popular belief, working a side hustle isn’t just about making more money. This is a way for nurses to expand their already valuable skill sets even further, applying their advanced medical knowledge to new perspectives and industries. A side hustle can be a catalyst for extensive professional development when done correctly.

8 – Travel Nurse

Travel nurses accept temporary positions at healthcare institutions across the nation and beyond. They get to experience new sights, exercise their skills and help organizations of all stripes form healthier work environments for their employees. 

Staffing agencies usually fill vacancies for travel nurses and can assign them where they need to go. This job demands strong critical thinking and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to adapt quickly to a new environment. Having language or cultural skills is also a much-needed bonus. 

9 – Medical Transcription

Healthcare professionals produce mountains of dictation data. When this data comes in the form of an audio recording, professionals turn to medical transcription to create useful written documents out of their reports. A registered nurse with sufficient editing and literacy skills is the perfect person to transcribe this data into an accessible and compliant medical record. 

Since the job involves active listening, the ability to accurately understand what a doctor says is paramount. Good grammar is a must — this isn’t the place for anyone confused about comma placement. But nurses with a fondness for writing and proofreading can excel here. Look for transcriptionist jobs marketed on freelancing websites or join a professional network of transcriptions to get started here. 

10 – Elder Care

Elderly adults wish to live as long and as independently as they can, and they need an elder care professional to help them do that. This is a great side hustle for a registered nurse looking to make a significant difference in someone’s life. Any registered nurse passionate about helping people in their golden years can make a profound impact by choosing this as a side hustle. 

This role may demand a few extra certifications, such as a Certification in Gerontological Nursing. Elder care centers and even individual families often post their needs online, so search for fresh opportunities as they arise. 

11 – Tutor for Nursing Students

Working as a registered nurse means you know better than anyone how challenging nursing school is. Working with fledgling nursing students gives you the chance to pass your skills on to a new generation. You can teach them the ropes, impress upon them your hard-earned skills and earn a side income all at the same time. 

It’s a great opportunity for nurses with enough patience and empathy to work directly with students. Nursing tutors can set their own rates and hours as well, allowing you to easily work it into your daily schedule. You can create a profile on a tutoring network site like Wyzant if you’re interested. 

12 – Publish Your Own Book 

Those years of experience have given you a strong professional reputation. You can use that to become a powerful advocate for other nurses in the industry by publishing a book. It would give you the chance to detail the challenges nurses face, recommend areas of improvement and become a source of inspiration for the future. 

Publishing a book is a great endeavor but a rewarding one. You could start drafting a book today and work on it until you have a workable manuscript. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has an extensive nursing book publishing program that you might take advantage of. 

13 – Create YouTube Content 

Video channels with at least 1,000 subscribers on YouTube can monetize work with advertisements. If you’re looking for a side hustle, creating a video series dedicated to the nursing profession or educational resources about nursing can be a great path. 

Extraverted nurses who have a lot to say can do especially well on YouTube. Getting started is just a matter of acquiring basic film equipment (even the smartphone in your pocket would work), choosing a topic and uploading. Promote your channel on major social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook to increase its visibility.  

14 – Become a Virtual Assistant 

Virtual assistants provide remote administrative support to businesses, most often on a part-time basis. This could involve fielding phone calls, setting appointments and reminders and helping someone stay on top of their email. Nurses who have strong communication abilities and know how to organize their time well could make fine virtual assistants. 

In order to find a virtual assistant job, create a website advertising those services or make a detailed profile on LinkedIn. Highlight your nursing credentials and look for companies, ideally health-related, you’d be happy to work with. It could even be helpful to browse the job boards on a site like Remote Medical Jobs. 

15 – Sleep Health Consultant

Who better than you to know the impact sleep deprivation can have on job performance? Becoming a Sleep Health Consultant as a side hustle lets you help others be at their best performance and overcome their sleeping problems once and for all. Success as a Sleep Health Consultant means educating and guiding clients toward improved quality of sleep so that they can put their best face forward during the day. 

This is an especially fitting side hustle for nurses who already have a background in dealing with sleep disorders. If you don’t, you can attend a professional training workshop to bring you up to speed. These jobs are often advertised through certified sleep quality clinics or independent practices, so look for one near you. 

16 – Build Health Websites

Every health company needs a website to educate and serve its customers online. A nurse who knows how to build high-quality health websites would bring a rare combination of healthcare experience and technical expertise to the table. 

For this kind of work, it might be best to start small, looking for web design projects on common freelancing sites like Upwork. Your professional background frees you to charge more than average, but you should develop a small portfolio of excellent health websites before pitching yourself to larger clients. Even so, this is an exceptional side hustle for anyone with the right skills. 

17 – CPR Instruction

Offering instructional courses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an excellent way to help companies prioritize the wellness of their employees. You probably already have CPR certification, so why not put it to good use? 

This is an especially suitable option for nurses who like teaching. You’ll be instructing people in correct hand placement, breathing techniques and everything else that goes into successful CPR. The best way to find jobs in CPR instruction is through local community centers and even schools. 

18 – First Aid Instruction

There’s always a need for vital first-aid instruction in the business world. Nurses offering their years of expertise can help private and public sector organizations conduct their risk management responsibilities more effectively through first aid training. This is a proactive method of improving workplace safety and makes for an excellent side hustle to boot. 

Local community centers are often in need of first aid training. You might also check with your local American Red Cross chapters to look for upcoming events. 

19 – Maternal Care 

Expectant mothers have high expectations for their maternal care provider, and an experienced nurse fits the bill. Working outside your day-to-day nursing role, you’ll be offering guided prenatal education, advice for newborn care and more if you choose maternal care as a side hustle. 

The only requirement is obstetric care experience, which you probably already have. Look for expecting mothers about maternal care online or liaison with your professional network to find opportunities. 

20 – Cosmetic Injections

Aesthetic treatments like Botox are in high demand these days, but the skills needed to deliver safe injections are harder to come by. As an experienced nurse, you can perform cosmetic injections for clients in your area and make a healthy side income. 

Administering injections is a large part of the job, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you. Find local events pertaining to the aesthetic industry, such as conferences or workshops where industry professionals congregate. Mingling at these events is an excellent way to get your foot in the door. 

Bonus: Entrepreneurship for Nurses 

Entrepreneurial-minded nurses enjoy ample opportunities to expand their income. Finding the right side hustle is simply a matter of finding a niche or specialty that aligns with your background. That lets you tap into the skills you’ve already earned and apply them to a whole new set of challenges. 

You’ll be walking in the footsteps of many famous nurses when you do this. For instance, Rachel Silva is an RN turned entrepreneur who started Mommy Did You Know, a popular home healthcare consulting business. With appropriate efforts, Silva was able to turn her one-time side hustle into a full-fledged health consulting business, which is an admirable goal to aspire toward. 

Finding a profitable side hustle for nurses starts with making a business plan. You’ll want to find your strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur and begin planning around them. Once you’ve found the right market and a “need” that you can supply, you’re ready to start marketing your services. 

Remember that the American Nurses Association (ANA) is a great resource for professional mentoring and support. You’ll need help from other nursing entrepreneurs who know the ropes, so don’t be afraid to reach out when the road gets tough. 

Finding the Right Side Hustle

Searching for a well-paying and rewarding side hustle as a registered nurse isn’t exactly easy because there are so many opportunities. Many of them won’t be the best fit for your talents and interests, so take your time and weigh your options carefully. 

If you’d like to shortcut the quest for a profitable online side hustle, we highly recommend NSHC’s Health Coaching Certification for Nurses & Clinicians. It offers the best of both worlds in terms of opening up job opportunities and accessibility that works with your busy schedule. To find out more, visit us and sign up today.