If you’re a nurse looking for ways to boost your income, you have many options. Your skills and expertise are in demand, and there are numerous jobs and side hustles tailored just for you. Check out these side hustles for nurses!
| Side Hustle | Earning Potential | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Child or Elderly Care | $15.42/hour |
| 2. | Lactation Consultant | $37/hour or over $79,000 annually for full-time |
| 3. | Birth Doula | $45/hour |
| 4. | Prenatal/Parenting Class Instructor | $22/hour |
| 5. | Tutoring Nursing Students | $20/.hour |
| 6. | First Aid Instructor | $38/hour |
| 7. | Health/Lifestyle Coach | $30/hour |
| 8. | Nursing Blog | $500-$2,000 per month |
| 9. | Podcasting | $500-$900 per month for around 10,000 downloads |
| 10. | Social Media Influencer | $10-$100 per post for 1,000 to 10,000 followers; up to $5,000 for larger followings |
| 11. | Medical Transcriptionist | $19/hour |
| 12. | Travel Nurse | $55/hour |
| 13. | Phlebotomist | $18/hour |
| 14. | Aesthetic Injector | $45/hour |
| 15. | Freelancing | $20/hour on Upwork |
1. Offer Child or Elderly Care
Caring for children and the elderly isn’t easy, and not everyone can do it. It takes the utmost patience and care and, more often than not, quite a bit of medical knowledge to do things right. That’s why child and elderly care could be just the perfect side gig for a nurse.
Different children and adults will have varying needs. You might be required to feed and bathe them, administer medications, assist them with daily tasks, and more.
💰 Earnings potential: On average, caregivers earn about $15.42 an hour, depending on the specific job requirements[1]. In some instances, caregivers might be required during the workweek, while in others, solely on weekends. So, you should be able to find clients to fit in with your work schedule.
2. Become a Lactation Consultant
If you have the required skills and experience, you could earn some extra cash by becoming a lactation consultant. Most commonly, lactation consultants must be registered nurses with a state license and necessary certifications and have at least three years of experience working in maternal/natal care.
As a lactation consultant, you would assist new moms with breastfeeding, developing and implementing lactation plans, and helping them get used to the process, whether through breastfeeding or pumping.
💰 Earnings potential: Full-time lactation consultants can earn well over $79,000 annually, and if you choose this as a side gig, you should get around $37 an hour[2].
3. Become a Birth Doula
If you don’t see yourself as a lactation consultant but would still like to offer care to expectant mothers and infants, you could consider becoming a birth doula.
Unlike midwives, birth doulas don’t need medical training, though it’s always a plus. They offer emotional and physical support to expectant mothers and ensure that the birthing process goes as smoothly as possible.
💰 Earnings potential: On average, birth doulas earn about $45 an hour, making this a potentially lucrative side hustle[3].
4. Start a Prenatal/Parenting Class
Another alternative in the maternity field is hosting prenatal or parenting classes. You can get a certification to become a parenting class instructor in a few weeks and start your side gig almost immediately.
You’ll work with expecting parents, preparing them for everything leading up to and following the birth. You’ll prepare the parents for everyday challenges, teach them how to care for their newborns, inform them about the developmental milestones they should keep track of and more.
💰 Earnings potential: On average, parenting class instructors earn $22 an hour, though that heavily depends on your location, experience, and whether you’re running your own classes or working for someone else[4].
5. Tutor Nursing Students
If you like teaching but don’t feel like running a parenting class is your calling, you could try tutoring nursing school students. After all, as a nurse with at least a few years of experience, you likely have all the skills and knowledge you need to pass on to a new generation of nurses.
You can approach this side hustle in a couple of different ways. Try setting up one-on-one tutoring classes with individuals you know, organizing in-person classes, or even offering online tutoring to both groups and individuals.
💰 Earnings potential: You could set your own rates, create a schedule that suits your day job, and enjoy earning some extra cash. On average, nursing tutors charge about $20 an hour, though it’s in your best interest to check what others in your area are charging, then set your rates accordingly[5].
6. Be a First Aid Instructor
As a nurse, you’re the perfect candidate for becoming a first aid or even a CPR instructor. Your job would be to teach others how to administer first aid, handle injuries, or perform CPR in an emergency.
First aid instructors can work with schools, teaching teens, or with organizations that offer classes to adults. Additionally, you would hand out certifications once your students finish the course.
💰 Earnings potential: The job is relatively straightforward, especially for someone with nursing experience, and it pays pretty well, around $38 an hour[6].
7. Try Your Hand as a Health/Lifestyle Coach
In all likelihood, you spend much of your time as a nurse giving your patients advice on what they should do to improve their quality of life, how they can improve their health, how they should change their diet, and more. So, why not monetize this?
Becoming a health or lifestyle coach isn’t easy, but it’s well worth it. You’d spend your time working closely with your clients, helping them improve virtually every aspect of their life – their physical and mental health, relationships, and even their careers.
💰 Earnings potential: You can get about $30 or more an hour, depending on your experience and effectiveness. Of course, you’ll be able to significantly increase your earnings by properly marketing yourself. Put your social media to use and advertise your services there[7].
Spread the word to your friends and family, and start offering services to your close friends and acquaintances. Your client base will increase slowly as you prove your worth.
8. Run a Nursing Blog
Though most professionals have regular nine-to-five shifts that allow them to find second jobs or side gigs that fit into their routine relatively easily, nurses don’t typically have this luxury. Shifts can be highly unpredictable, so you’ll need to prioritize flexibility when you’re looking for a side hustle.
That’s precisely what you’re getting with blogging.
Running a nursing blog takes time, effort, and dedication. However, it fits into your regular schedule seamlessly. You can update your blog and publish new posts whenever you have the time, whether that’s 2 pm, 2 am, or any time in between.
You can publish posts on general health advice, lifestyle topics, healthy diets, or anything you want, really.
💰 Earnings potential: Once you’ve attracted enough readers, you can start monetizing your blog by publishing sponsored posts, selling ad space, dabbling with affiliate marketing, and more. It could take a while for your blog to take off, but as long as you publish high-quality content, you could start earning anywhere between $500 and $2,000 a month before you know it[8].
9. Start a Podcast
If you’re not much for blogging or don’t feel like you can share your unique knowledge and insights in written form, podcasting might be more suitable for you. Podcasts and blogs are virtually the same: the only significant difference between them is that blogs are text-based while podcasts are published as audio files.
If you prefer, you can publish audio-only podcasts where you share your knowledge and insights. You could also release video podcasts and increase your viewership.
Podcasts can take various forms, from monologues to interviews, panel style, and co-hosting formats. The best option depends entirely on what you’re most comfortable with.
Like with blogging, you can earn through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, ads, subscriber support, and more.
💰 Earnings potential: Of course, how much you can earn depends on your downloads per episode. On average, podcasters with around 10,000 downloads earn between $500 and $900 a month[9].
10. Monetize Your Social Media
Another great way to earn extra cash as a nurse is by monetizing your social media, or better said, by becoming an influencer.
Most commonly, when we think of influencers, we think of fashion icons or makeup artists who do little else besides look pretty. However, the influencer industry is much more than this.
You can use your social media channels to share your medical knowledge and insights, thus educating your audiences. You could share humorous content based on your experiences as a nurse or offer advice through TikTok videos and Instagram stories.
All you have to do is find your niche, identify the type of content that suits you best, and start attracting audiences.
Then, you can monetize with product promotions, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and more.
💰 Earnings potential: As a general rule of thumb, your earnings will depend on your follower count. Nano influencers with 1,000 to 10,000 followers can earn about $10 to $100 per post, while mid-tier influencers with 50,000 to 500,000 followers can earn as much as $500 to $5,000[10].
11. Transcribe Medical Records
Not everyone enjoys becoming “internet-famous” through blogging, podcasting, and social media. Still, you can keep your anonymity and use the internet to earn some side money by looking for freelancing gigs on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.
One of the most in-demand freelancing gigs for nurses on these platforms is transcribing medical records.
As a transcriptionist, you would listen to the audio files of court proceedings or medical recordings, then type out everything you hear. All you need to get started with this kind of work is good listening comprehension and high-quality headphones.
💰 Earnings potential: On average, transcriptionists are paid $19 an hour, though your rates will depend on your clients and the difficulty of the task[11]. You’ll most commonly have to work with deadlines, but you can still set your schedule to suit your day job.
12. Offer Services as a Travel Nurse
Whether you have past nursing experience or are a current nurse with enough flexibility in your schedule, consider becoming a travel nurse.
Travel nurses generally work through an agency that sends them to hospitals and private practices that don’t have enough staff.
They frequently travel to different cities (or even states), filling in staffing gaps when needed, then heading back home (or to another location) when their services are no longer required. The agency usually handles food, housing, and travel costs, so you’d have no additional expenses.
💰 Earnings potential: As a travel nurse, you could earn an average of $55 an hour[12].
13. Become a Phlebotomist
Phlebotomists are always needed in hospitals, health centers, and private clinics alike. Many facilities will offer flexible, part-time employment for fair compensation, making this a great side hustle for nurses who need some extra money.
As a phlebotomist, you’d have to draw the patient’s blood, prepare the sample for testing, and keep all your samples nicely organized and properly labeled. Additionally, you might have to address any patient’s concerns and calm them down before drawing their blood.
After all, not everyone can handle the sight of blood or needles, so you’ll have to be gentle with your patients, especially if they’re children.
💰 Earnings potential: On average, phlebotomists earn around $18 an hour for their services[13].
14. Try Your Hand as an Aesthetic Injector
A while ago, cosmetic surgery was all the rage. Now, it’s all about filler and botox, and someone has to inject it.
If you want to become an aesthetic injector, it’s not enough to solely have experience as a nurse. You’ll likely have to undergo additional training, but it can be well worth it.
Your job as an aesthetic injector would be to prepare the solutions for injections and, at times, even administer them. You would assist the doctor in preparing the patient, sanitizing the equipment, performing facial treatments, and more.
With enough experience, you could even become an independent aesthetic injector, working at spas or seeing your patients privately.
💰 Earnings potential: Esthetic injectors earn an average of $45 an hour, which can make a big difference in your monthly budget[14].
15. Become a Freelancer
Finally, if none of the side gigs above seem like they’d suit you and your lifestyle, you should consider becoming a freelancer. Platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer can help freelancers across industries find lucrative side hustle opportunities.
As a freelancer, you can use some of your medical knowledge. You can write medical articles and blog posts for others, such as transcribing and editing medical documents or translating them into different languages if you have good foreign language skills.
Alternatively, you can pursue other passions unrelated to the nursing field. Sell stock photos, create music, sell digital art, and build websites. Any skill or talent you have, you can monetize as a freelancer.
💰 Earnings potential: The average freelancer on Upwork earns $20 an hour[15]. However, your pay will largely depend on the type of work you offer and the clients you find.
Final Thoughts
Increasing your disposable income is always beneficial. Whether you’re satisfied with your salary as a nurse or not, it never hurts to find a lucrative side hustle that can add to your budget. So, give some of the gigs on this list a try, find the one you like, and start earning more!
