Side Hustle Ideas for Nurses: 10 Ways to Amp Up Your Income

• The nature of most full-time nursing jobs allows practitioners to consider side hustle ideas.  
• Side hustle ideas range from clinical to remote.  
• As with any nursing job, income varies with experience, training/certification, and time spent working the side hustle.  

Who isn’t looking to bring in more cash in today’s inflated economy? Thankfully, the nature of most full-time nursing jobs allows nurses to set up a side hustle to make that much-needed extra money. Side hustles are an excellent opportunity to increase your income while allowing you to maintain your current employment. 

Are you one of the following — Staff nurse? Travel nurse? Contract nurse employed through a staffing agency? Nurse looking for non-traditional bedside nursing roles to increase your income?  

If so, this article exploring some of the most popular side hustle ideas for nurses is for you.   

Options range from hands-on patient care to non-clinical online work. You can perform many of these side hustles without extra training or certification—your RN license will do the trick! However, some of these opportunities may require extra training or certification.    

Clinical Side Hustle Ideas

• Per Diem/PRN position: Hospitals and clinics use these nursing positions to cover staffing shortages or supplement existing staffing during extra busy seasons and shifts – think pediatric emergency room during RSV and flu season. You can choose the shifts that work for your schedule, so you have the freedom and flexibility to supplement your income when it works for you.  
• IV Hydration/Mobile IV Nurse: Boutique hydration centers offer IV hydration and vitamin infusion in a brick-and-mortar location, the client’s home, or a location of choice. Strong PIV placement skills are a must.  
• Vaccine/Immunization Nurse: Work with local health departments, pharmacies, or health and wellness companies to provide immunizations in community settings. Look for these opportunities particularly around flu season.  
• Infusion Nurse: These nurses specialize in managing various vascular access devices such as PICC lines and ports. They may work in hospital and outpatient settings, oncology/infusion clinics, or home health to ensure proper care and management of the patient’s device and administer appropriate infusions using the device.   
• Breastfeeding/Lactation Support: If you have a strong background in labor and delivery and mother/baby, this side hustle is for you. Use your nursing knowledge to support new families with breastfeeding and lactation. Elevate your practice by obtaining credentials such as Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, Certified Breastfeeding Counselor, or the gold standard, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant.  

Non-Clinical Side Hustle & Remote Side Hustles

• Telehealth Nurse: This is a remote side hustle that uses technology such as video, phone, email, and messaging to provide nursing care. Various healthcare organizations, such as insurance companies, outpatient/ambulatory care clinics, and crisis hotlines, hire RNs to provide high-quality telehealth nursing services to their patients and clients.   
• Nursing Tutor: Tutor nursing students. Connect with your local nursing schools to work with their student support services. You can also seek out opportunities online through formal tutoring platforms (there are plenty!). Moreover, this is a side hustle you can feel extra good about — supporting a future generation of new nurses! 
• Freelance Nurse Writer: Are you a nurse who loves to write? This side hustle is most definitely for you. Nurses are healthcare experts, and almost every organization that provides health information to consumers wants experts to write their health content. That is us! This side hustle can be lucrative depending on how you leverage your skills and land clients. You can also create a nursing blog with affiliate links. Did someone say passive income?
• CPR/First Aid Instructor: Use your nursing knowledge to teach lifesaving skills to the general public. This side hustle requires certification as a primary life support/ CPR instructor through a credentialed program such as the American Heart Association or American Red Cross. You can offer classes independently or through a healthcare organization.  
• Nurse Health Coach: Nurses are perfectly positioned to side hustle as health coaches who help clients improve their health by promoting client-centered lifestyle and behavior changes. This is second nature for nurses — holistic healthcare providers. You can obtain certification as a nurse health coach through many online programs; check out The American Holistic Nurses Association for programs and certification options.   

You can find these side hustle opportunities in a variety of ways. Online job boards are a great place to start. Search for any of the side hustle titles discussed above. You can also connect with nurses on social media who have established supplemental income streams using many of the roles discussed in this article. 

Venture out and set up your own business to operate your side hustle. This applies especially to freelance health writing, nursing tutor, CPR/First Aid instructor, nurse health coaching, and breastfeeding/lactation support.  

Benefits   

As with any nursing job, income varies with experience, training/certification, and time spent working the side hustle. Hourly nurse wages for jobs such as nurse health coach, infusion, immunization, and telehealth nurses can range from $29 to $59 per hour, depending on your state of practice.

Per Diem or PRN nurses typically earn a higher hourly wage than staff nurses. Lactation consultants may charge $100-250 per visit, depending on the market and complexity of the case. The Affordable Care Act ensures that breastfeeding support is covered by insurance.   

Setting your rates is one upside of an independent side hustle such as freelance health writing, CPR/First aid instructor, and nursing tutor. You can make a pretty penny depending on the market and your target clients. 

Consequences

Time and money. Everyone wants more, but there is never enough. A potential drawback to having a side hustle is exchanging your free time to work the side hustle. This means you have less downtime from your full-time job to relax and recharge. Less downtime often contributes to nurse burnout. However, with careful planning, organization, and time management, balancing full-time employment and your side hustle is possible. Plus, you may find that your side hustle is exciting and fun, especially if it is a different type of nursing than your full-time job.  

The Bottom Line

There are many opportunities for nurses to generate extra income with a side hustle. This article explored 10 clinical, non-clinical, or remote side hustle opportunities. We hope these side hustle ideas spark your nursing passion and help you elevate your income streams. Happy hustling!  

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