Best 30 Side Hustles for Nurses [Updated for 2024]

Updated: February 22nd, 2024

Whether you're a nurse looking to make a little extra money on the side or just starting in your career, there are plenty of side hustles for nurses to choose from.

A side hustle is a great way to make extra money and can be a lot of fun.

So if you're looking for excellent and easy side hustles for nurses, Here are the best side hustles to help you make the most of your skills and knowledge as a nurse. So get ready to start earning!

1. Start a concierge nurse service as a side hustle

A Concierge Nurse Service is a nurse agency that is dedicated to providing personal service and care to clients and patients. The goal of concierge nurse service agencies is to give the elderly, those in the hospital, and group facilities the right care.

2. Start a psychotherapy talk show as a side hustle

If you enjoy helping people to eliminate and control troubling symptoms, so they function better and increase their well-being and healing, consider starting a psychotherapy talk show.

Psychotherapist talk shows focus on helping people with a wide variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties. The talk shows can focus on coping with daily life, trauma impact, medical diseases or loss of a lovened one, and other areas.

You can start a podcast or engage a popular radio station in your area, so you leverage their existing audience.

3. Start a nurse consulting business as a side hustle

Navigate the evolving healthcare landscape with a nurse consulting business. At its core, this concept involves leveraging your nursing expertise to advise healthcare providers, organizations, and even patients on best practices, compliance, and efficient care delivery.

By offering specialized knowledge in areas such as patient care coordination, regulatory compliance, or healthcare operations, you can carve out a niche in this burgeoning field. There’s a demand for experienced nurses to provide valuable insights that can improve service quality and operational efficiency.

Interested in a flexible work environment with substantial growth opportunities? Starting a nurse consulting business allows you to utilize your medical background in a new, impactful way while enjoying the autonomy that comes with entrepreneurship. If you’re passionate about improving healthcare systems and patient outcomes, this is a venture worth considering.

How much you can make: $150,000/month

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

4. Start a medical writing business as a side hustle ($32.3K/month)

A medical writing business involves creating various types of healthcare-related documents, such as research papers, medical articles, and regulatory documents.

The primary aim of this business is to serve pharmaceutical companies, healthcare professionals, and researchers by translating complex medical information into easily understandable content.

As the healthcare industry continues to grow, the demand for accurate and well-communicated health information is also increasing.

Hence, starting a medical writing business can be a lucrative opportunity.

The need for regulatory compliance and effective communication in the healthcare industry is rising, and this business offers a valuable service in meeting those needs. Therefore, it can be an attractive venture for those interested in the field.

How much you can make: $2,000 — $62,500/month

How much does it cost to start: $100 (?)

How long does it take to build: 150 days (?)

5. Become a nurse blogger as a side hustle

Nurses are lifelong learners and will always look for relevant career information. More important, being a nurse requires learning about changes in the field of medicine and being open to challenges.

If you are passionate about nursing, you can start a blog for nurses that covers current trends in the profession. Becoming a nursing blogger is a chance to share your knowledge with others. You can make money selling nursing e-books, equipment, and online classes for aspiring nurses.

6. Start a private nurse service as a side hustle

Private nurses provide one-on-one medical care to patients who are homebound or in an institution, such as a hospital, nursing home or other such facilities.

A private nursing attendant's responsibilities include taking care of the daily activities of patients like bathe, feed, maintain personal hygiene. Most of the private nurses live with the patient's family in their home, and may also work for long hours.

To become a private duty nurse, you will need to earn a registered nursing degree (RN) or a licensed practical nurse degree (LPN). Registered nurses with 2-3 years of relevant experience can then pursue their career as private duty nurses. Obtaining an advanced certification can also increase more career options.

Private nurses are usually hired by an individual or an agency. However, they work at a patient’s private residence and get paid by the individual. The career scope of private nursing practice is expected to increase by 7% in the coming years, with the increased aging population and the need for home care.

Pricing of a registered private nurse in the US would cost around $25+ an hour, which is approximately $4000 per month.

7. Start a teaching business as a side hustle ($15.8K/month)

A teaching business involves providing educational services to students of all ages, either in a group or individually. This can include tutoring, teaching language skills, music lessons, or providing educational workshops or classes.

To run a successful teaching business, it is important to have a strong background in the subject matter you will be teaching. This may involve obtaining a degree or certification in a particular field. Additionally, practical communication skills and the ability to adapt to different learning styles are essential in teaching.

Marketing and networking are also vital to growing a teaching business. Building relationships with schools, community centers, and other educational organizations can help to attract more students. Social media and other online platforms can also help promote your services and reach a larger audience.

Another tip for running a successful teaching business is to be organized and efficient with your time. Creating lesson plans and keeping track of student progress can help ensure that you provide the best possible education for your clients.

Overall, a teaching business can be a fulfilling and lucrative venture for entrepreneurs with a passion for education and a desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

How much you can make: $1,500 — $45,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 105 days (?)

8. Start a referral app business as a side hustle ($175K/month)

Starting a referral app business taps into the power of word-of-mouth marketing in the digital age.

Essentially, you'll be creating an app that enables users to easily refer products or services to others while earning rewards for successful recommendations. The concept is straightforward: businesses gain new customers and users earn incentives for their referrals.

This business can be quite appealing due to its scalability—you can work with multiple brands and industries while growing user engagement organically. As the app developer, solidifying partnerships with various companies and consistently updating the app to enhance user experience will be key aspects of your role.

If you have an interest in marketing and technology, starting a referral app could be a rewarding venture. It’s an opportunity to facilitate connections, drive sales for businesses, and create a dynamic platform that benefits all parties involved.

How much you can make: $100,000 — $250,000/month

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

9. Start a stock photography business as a side hustle ($14.6K/month)

Stock photography is typically sold on an exclusive basis to one buyer for a single usage fee. Stock photos are often available in different sizes, resolutions, and file formats. Businesses most commonly use stock photos for marketing purposes.

Stock photography is the supply of photographs often licensed for specific uses. Stock photos are the perfect marketing and advertising resource for website owners and bloggers.

You can build an impressive portfolio and earn a passive income by uploading high-quality stock photos.

To start a stock photography business , invest in some good photography gear and learn how to take stock photos. An excellent online presence can help you sell your stock photos faster and at profitable margins.

How much you can make: $1,200 — $45,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)

10. Start a food delivery business as a side hustle ($510K/month)

In today’s busy lifestyles and schedules, cooking is no longer a priority to many. People like to order-in food from their nearest restaurants or food joints and enjoy a meal in the comfort of their homes.

The food delivery business is like a courier service through which restaurants deliver food to their customers.

You can offer retail food delivery services to restaurants within your locality if you have a truck. Customers order through a restaurant or grocer’s website, and the owners contact you to deliver.

How much you can make: $14,000 — $1,800,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)

How long does it take to build: 90 days (?)

11. Start a proofreading service as a side hustle ($18.3K/month)

Finding typos and grammatical errors is a painstaking task, but it's essential for polished content. Welcome to the world of proofreading services, where your meticulous eye for detail can turn into a profitable venture.

In simple terms, a proofreading service involves reviewing documents to identify and correct errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting. As a proofreader, your role is to ensure that the final written content is coherent, error-free, and professional.

If you have a knack for spotting mistakes and a passion for words, this business idea offers significant potential. Start by seeking clients on freelance platforms, or directly reaching out to companies, authors, and academics. Once you've built a solid reputation, you can even hire additional proofreaders to expand your service offerings.

The need for high-quality written content is ever-increasing in our digital age. Opening a proofreading service can satisfy this demand while offering you a flexible, steady income stream.

How much you can make: $2,000 — $50,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 150 days (?)

12. Start a website flipping business as a side hustle ($575K/month)

Website flipping business helps people buy and sell online businesses. The website flipping business has a low barrier to entry and requires minimal investment. To start a website flipping business, make sure you have all the legal paperwork, buy a website, and improve and sell it for a profit.

How much you can make: $349,983 — $800,000/month

How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)

13. Start a soap making business as a side hustle ($10.6K/month)

Are you looking for an easy business you can start from home? Soap making is a relatively easy cottage business you can start today.

Soap is one of the products you will find in every household. Therefore, soap is a product that will remain in demand, making soap making business a lucrative idea.

To start a soap-making business from home, research the competition and choose the niche your business will focus on. You can make scented soaps mixed with essential oils or non-scented soaps for washing utensils.

Choose a business name and create a business plan indicating your entity type, mission statement, and soap marketing strategy.

How much you can make: $1,200 — $20,000/month

How long does it take to build: 747 days (?)

14. Start a candle business as a side hustle ($188K/month)

The candle industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.

Candle making was one of the first industries to be industrialized, and now up to 90% of all candles are made by machinery. Yet most of us still make our own candles from home, creating a demand for handcrafted, high-quality candles from candle manufacturers even in today's automated world.

A candle business is a worthwhile idea for an entrepreneur who wants to make some extra money in their free time from the comfort of their own home. There are many opportunities for this type of business if you consider it seriously.

How much you can make: $500 — $1,000,000/month

How much does it cost to start: $1,000 (?)

How long does it take to build: 75 days (?)

Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week

15. Become a travel agent as a side hustle ($550K/month)

Travel agents offer advice on destinations, plan trips, and itineraries, and make travel arrangements for clients. In addition, travel agents sell transportation, lodging, and admission to entertainment activities.

Starting a travel agency can be fun and rewarding.

To get started, complete relevant tours and travel training, do market research and competitor analysis, then create a website so you can be found by travelers.

How much you can make: $165,000 — $1,500,000/month

How long does it take to build: 270 days (?)

16. Start a lactation consulting business as a side hustle

Lactation consulting is a business that helps new mothers with breastfeeding their infants. As a lactation consultant, you will be responsible for providing education, support, and guidance to mothers struggling with breastfeeding or having questions about the process.

To start a lactation consulting business, you must have a strong background in breastfeeding and lactation. This may include a degree in nursing, midwifery, or a related field and certification as a lactation consultant. In addition to your education and training, you will need to have excellent communication and problem-solving skills and the ability to empathize with your clients.

To run a successful lactation consulting business, you will need to be able to work with clients in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, and private homes. You will also need to be able to adapt your approach to each individual client, as every mother and baby is unique. Additionally, it will be important to stay up-to-date on the latest research and best practices in lactation and maintain strong relationships with other healthcare professionals in your community.

Lactation consulting is a rewarding business that allows you to help new mothers and their babies get off to a healthy start. With the right education, training, and skills, you can succeed in this field and make a real difference in your clients' lives.

More business ideas

  • 17. Start a first aid training business as a side hustle
  • 18. Start a caregiver as a side hustle
  • 19. Start a health education company as a side hustle

Merging healthcare and law, the business of being a legal nurse consultant can be a transformative professional venture. A legal nurse consultant is a seasoned healthcare professional specializing in aiding attorneys or legal experts on medical-related cases.

With a background in nursing, this individual scrutinizes medical records, identifies malpractice, and offers unprecedented insights due to their clinical experience. Unlike regular consultants, a legal nurse consultant has the authority and mastery to take on tasks in legal action or proceedings with a medical dimension.

The allure of this profession lies in its flexibility. Work hours can be tailored according to one's availability, with consultants collaborating directly with lawyers from the comfort of their home or on a contract basis with legal firms. As a legal nurse consultant, you would be utilizing your nursing background in a novel, exciting way while assisting in critical case outcomes. This profession combines the fast pace of the legal world with the human-centered focus of healthcare, making it an intriguing choice for those seeking a non-traditional nursing career.

More business ideas

  • 21. Start a childbirth service business as a side hustle
  • 22. Start a health and fitness youtube channel as a side hustle
  • 23. Start a telescope business as a side hustle

24. Start a podcast episode creation business as a side hustle ($23K/month)

Creating podcast episodes offers a unique opportunity to tap into the fast-growing world of audio content. This business idea revolves around producing high-quality podcast episodes for clients, from inception to final edit.

Start by understanding your client's vision, crafting engaging scripts, and handling all recording aspects. With robust editing software, polish each episode to ensure it resonates with audiences. Podcasts are an increasingly popular medium for sharing ideas, storytelling, and marketing, making this a versatile endeavor.

The market need is evident, with businesses, influencers, and individuals seeking ways to connect with audiences in an intimate, impactful manner. Establishing a reputation for delivering compelling, well-produced episodes can lead to substantial demand.

This venture is a blend of creative endeavor and technical skill, perfect for those with an ear for detail and a passion for storytelling. With consistent effort and dedication, creating podcast episodes can develop into a fulfilling and profitable business.

How much you can make: $16,000 — $30,000/month

More business ideas

  • 25. Start a running courses as a side hustle
  • 26. Start a cashbacks sites business as a side hustle
  • 27. Start a rent out extra space as a side hustle
  • 28. Start a grocery delivery app business as a side hustle
  • 29. Start a maternity blog as a side hustle
  • 30. Sell cosmetics as a side hustle

How to pick the perfect side hustle for you?

Side hustles are great for you as a nurse. For some, it's about paying off debt or building savings. Others use it to take vacations and spend more money.

Apart from money, side gigs can open doors to new careers. So, as a nurse, you should consider your side hustle carefully rather than just finding one randomly.

Here are some tips for picking your side hustle as a nurse:

Pick a side hustle you enjoy

As a nurse, you likely spend 40 hours or more working on your main tasks each day, which means you are pretty tired at the end of the day. In addition, a nurse's life can be stressful, so finding a side hustle you enjoy is crucial.

Working 10 hours a week at a side hustle as a nurse will be challenging, so that side work should be something you enjoy. With this in mind, you could turn your hobby into an income source. This way, that side hustle won't seem so hard.

Prioritize choosing flexible side hustles

Having a side hustle shouldn't interfere with your nurse's duties. As a nurse, it pays to choose a side hustle that accommodates your schedule and deadlines. If you don't have predictable tasks as a nurse, you may need to prioritize choosing a side hustle that offers flexible hours.

Get a job with room for growth

It is not uncommon for nurses to turn their side gigs into full-time jobs. However, nurses' side hustles can be good to carry into retirenursest, especially if you start them later in life. As a result, you can earn a living and do something meaningful with your time.

For this reason, it's wise to take on a secondary gig with expansion potential. For instance, if you're a nurse who decides to do graphic design work on the side, you can grow the job as more clients discover you. However, if you work a seasonal job at a restaurant to make some money, you might find yourself unemployed soon.

Find a side hustle that pays

While you might like your side hustle as a nurse, chances are you're doing it to earn more. So, if you're going to work on top of your duties as a nurse, you should do something that lets you earn but you still enjoy it.

Try to find that sweet spot in between. It can make a noticeable difference in your finances as a nurse, but you'll also enjoy and learn from it.

Having a side hustle as a nurse is an excellent idea to boost your earnings. If you choose the proper gig, you'll hopefully have a rewarding experience.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work for myself as a nurse?

As a nurse, you can work for yourself, and you will improve your skills and abilities while improving your career prospects.

Having the ability to work on your own as a nurse can result in greater productivity. This is because besides the daily tasks you must complete as a nurse, you are challenged to do more.

How much time do I need to spend on a side hustle as a nurse?

The time you need to spend on a side hustle depends on your free time as a nurse. After all, a side hustle is meant for us to earn more using only the time we can spare. Therefore, as a nurse, you must maintain a balance of everything.

The goal here is to understand how much time you have besides the time you have to do your tasks as a nurse and the time for you to rest.

For instance, it takes around 8 hours daily to finish your tasks as a nurse, together with all your schedules. If the rest of the day is only spent doing leisure activities, then that's the potential hours for you to work for your side hustle.

Another essential thing to note as you consider the hours to spend on a side hustle is your resting time. As always, the last thing you'll want is to compromise your time to rest, as it can affect your health in all aspects, especially when you have tasks to finish as a nurse.

In short, please take it as a rule of thumb to evaluate your day. It includes your tasks as a nurse, your time to sleep and rest, and your spare time. Once you do so, you'll learn how much time to spend on a side hustle and pick one according to it.

How much can I make side hustling as a nurse?

Every side hustle has its potential income to offer. As a nurse, you can make as little or as high an income depending on your chosen side hustle.

In most cases, the potential income you can earn from side hustling as a nurse can be 10%, 20%, or 30% of your actual income if you're working full-time.

However, such a range depends mainly on your chosen side hustle, allotted work hours, and primary income. It's not even impossible for you to make more money from your side hustle over time than in your full-time job.

Conclusion

Nurses can find side hustles to make more money and have more job security. There are nursey opportunities for nurses to find a side hustle, including online options.

Side hustles can help nurses stay current in their field, learn new skills, and network with other professionals.

Nurses should consider their goals and needs when choosing a side hustle. The best way to start a side hustle is by researching and planning.

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meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.