It’s nice to have a bit of extra money to spend, save, pay off debt, or just help you cope with inflation and the ever-rising cost of living.
But, as a nurse working long hours, taking on another job may not be feasible.
The good news is, there are plenty of lucrative side hustles for nurses available for you to choose from. I’ve researched dozens of viable options to make it easy for you to choose the right ones for you.
Some of the side hustles on this list are easy side jobs that you can do in your spare time to make some extra money. Others are work-from-home nursing jobs that you can eventually transform into a full-time income.
Read the rest of this guide to discover some exciting ideas for making money as a nurse. I have segmented the side hustles into different categories to make it easier for you to find what will work for you.
Online Jobs
In this section, I’ve listed some of the best-paying online jobs for registered nurses. I like these side gigs because there’s ample opportunity to scale them into full-time gigs. In fact, you can turn anhy of these side hustles into our own business that pays you more than your regular nursing job.
1. Start a Blog
This is one of the best second-job ideas for nurses to earn extra money.
As a nurse, you can run your own nurser blog built around a variety of topics, such as patient-focused education, sharing your views on medical care, or using your knowledge to create content that helps others achieve better health.
Alternatively, you can start a review blog for medical products and services. The options are endless.
Starting a blog doesn’t have to cost much, either. You can even start for free and slowly grow your blog to create an additional source of income.
And the best part? You get super flexible hours which means you can grow your nursing side hustle without affecting your regular job.
Where to Find Jobs:
Get my free IGNITION blogging course to learn how to start your own blog. You can have a fully functional blog up and running in a few days working just a few hours a day.
How Much Money Can You Make?
$500-$5,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
2. Create a YouTube Channel
Creating a YouTube channel is another way to earn extra money as a nurse. In fact, it can be a fun and fulfilling path to an ever-increasing side income.
Every day, YouTube has over 122 million visitors from across the world who watch 1 billion hours of content.
You can set up a channel to offer videos on health topics that your audience might be interested in, but your channel doesn’t even have to be about nursing or health coaching.
If you have a hobby or talent that you can share with the world, you can still make a lot of money with your videos.
Where to Find Jobs:
I offer a free YouTube Secrets course on how to start your own YouTube channel even if you don’t have any prior experience.
You can also watch this free training to learn how to create a channel without recording the videos yourself.
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
3. Create and Sell Courses Online
As a registered nurse, you can create and sell courses to make extra cash.
There are a number of directions you could go with this. For example, you can create a prenatal course to teach parents-to-be the basics of childcare. Or, you can be a health coach or tutor nursing students on how to pass their exams.
Whatever you’re good at or passionate about can be packaged into a sellable course.
Use platforms like Thinkific and Learnworlds to create and market your online course from one place without the need to get into all the technical nitty gritty.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$1,000-$6,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
4. Offer Consulting Services
Offering consulting services is one of the ways your side gig can tie back to your hospital job.
For instance, you can become a CPR instructor or first aid instructor. Offer your services as a lactation consultant, or tutoring nursing students to help learners in nursing school benefit from whatever expertise you have in the medical field.
You can also offer medical advice to anyone in need, and create a lucrative side hustle doing so.
There are lots of options available for anyone with an established nursing career, and you can get started by creating your own nurse coach website, advertising on social media, or signing up on one of the platforms below to start selling your consulting services online.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$80-$150/hour
Resource to Learn More:
5. Start a Podcast
Another awesome way to make money as a nurse is to join the audio revolution and start a podcast.
Similar to being a YouTuber, starting a podcast lets you create a reliable source of income while sharing valuable knowledge with your audience.
There are lots of nursing podcasts currently out there. Many of them are highly successful at generating income by sharing nursing education with the world.
You can use them for inspiration and sign up on the platforms below to start, promote, and monetize your own podcast.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$800-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
6. Start an eCommerce Site
eCommerce sites are easy to create thanks to platforms like Shopify and Etsy. You can sell digital products like printables or you can sell physical products.
You can either make the stuff yourself (think bath bombs, crafts, etc.), or you can source items from suppliers.
The best part about this side hustle is that you can use a dropshipping model where the supplier delivers the product directly to your customer so you don’t have to maintain an inventory.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$100-$400/week
Resource to Learn More:
RN Side Hustles
Here are some ways you can put your knowledge to good use and earn money on the side even if you have a demanding full-time job.
7. Per Diem Shifts
Consider per diem shifts as a way to supplement your registered nurse income.
Working per diem is a lot like freelancing and there are many short-staffed health facilities looking for people like you to take on extra shifts. You can even offer your services as a camp nurse or immunization nurse during flu season.
Sign up on a few platforms and you’ll get notifications whenever jobs for immunization nurses and other nursing services are available. You can take on work whenever you have the time and energy to do so.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$40-$42/hour
Resource to Learn More:
8. Door-to-Door Nurse
As a door-to-door nurse, your job will be to attend to people’s needs from the comfort of their homes.
You’ll do tasks like washing and bathing the elderly, delivering and/or administering medications, taking blood tests, and so on.
A mobile nurse can actually make much more than a regularly employed nurse. According to Salaries.com, door-to-door nurse salaries average $86,000 across the US, depending, of course, on the number of shifts you take.
This side hustle is more than worth it if you want to significantly boost your income. You can find shifts on sites like the ones below.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$2,000-$4,800/week
Resource to Learn More:
9. Part-Time Caregiver
Caregiving is different from nursing in that you’re focused on providing care for just one patient, which allows you to provide higher-quality care.
As a part-time caregiver, you can make money while building closer relationships with your patients, which can lead to a deeper sense of fulfillment as a nurse.
Your rate will vary depending on your location and patient care experience, but this is a flexible gig that allows you to earn your way, in your own time.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$15-$25/hour
Resource to Learn More:
10. Birth Doula
As a registered nurse, you can become a maternal care provider and make money working with new mothers and babies.
Birth doulas are in high demand, and you can also offer additional childcare services as a postpartum doula.
This means you’ll help new moms past the actual birth and into a productive routine during the first few months after the baby is born.
This work can be taxing, but if you have the necessary nursing skills and experience, it’s a very lucrative side hustle to try.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$80-$150/day
Resource to Learn More:
Freelance Side Gigs for Nurses
Freelancing comes with a lot of benefits. The work is flexible and you have full autonomy. You’re not tied to a single location which makes the side hustle ideal if you’re a traveling nurse.
11. Freelance Health Writer
If you have some writing skills in your arsenal, you can use them to earn extra income as a freelance health writer, in fact, writers have their own list of side hustles if that’s one of your greatest skills..
Experienced nurses are in demand for magazine articles and blog posts. You’ll be tasked with writing a variety of content, including:
- Blog articles
- Patient brochures
- Professional training materials
- Newsletters and emails
- Case studies
- White papers
… and much more.
You can advertise your freelance writing services on job boards or sign up to work at one of the many agencies available.
Healthcare writing is an excellent second job for creative nurses and you can take on as little or as much writing work as you can handle in your free time.
Where to Find Jobs:
- RN2Writer
- SkillGigs
- Association of Healthcare Journalists
- American Medical Writers Association
- The Savvy Nurse Writer
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$1,200/month
Resource to Learn More:
12. Freelance Social Media Manager
Another fun RN side hustle is to become a social media manager. This allows you to leverage the time you already spend on social media anyway and you can earn a healthy side income helping other individuals and businesses manage their social media profiles.
With this type of gig, you can take on multiple clients to boost your earnings. The better you get at managing and automating the tasks required for each account, the more clients you can sign on.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$400-$1,800/month
Resource to Learn More:
13. Freelance Medical Transcriber
As a medical transcriptionist, you can turn your knowledge into a money-making opportunity. You’ll be paid to type at home, working on your own time.
The job involves listening to medical recordings and typing everything you hear. This is a relatively easy side hustle that you can do in your spare time and you’ll make more and more money as your typing skills improve.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$12-$15/hour
Resource to Learn More:
14. Freelance Medical Coder
Medical coding involves analyzing clinical statements to assign standard codes to items so they’re billed correctly.
In the US, medical coders require an advanced degree in insurance practices in order to understand the various medical coding rules.
If you qualify, this can be a lucrative side gig to boost your income without taking up too much of your time.
You can also expand your services by becoming a medical scopist. Scopists are responsible for editing court reporter transcripts.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$15-$18/hour
Resource to Learn More:
15. Freelance Phlebotomist
As a phlebotomist, your job will be to draw blood from patients. This is one of the most lucrative side jobs in the nursing procession.
Jobs are readily available at hospitals, private clinics, blood donation organizations, research institutes, health centers, and any other type of medical facility you can think of.
Use your nurse qualification to sign up for a part-time gig at one of the websites below and start earning cash in your spare time.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$15-$18/hour
Resource to Learn More:
16. Telehealth Nurse
Telehealth nursing jobs are among the best ways to make money as a nurse from home. One of the reasons this side gig works so well is that it offers additional income to registered nurses while saving the healthcare industry time and money and reducing waiting room stays at healthcare facilities.
It’s a win-win for everybody, hence the constant demand for telehealth nurses. This is a relatively effortless side gig that you can do in your own hours, whenever you have a free evening or on your days off.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$80-$120/day
Resource to Learn More:
17. Freelance Cosmetic Injector
As a nurse, anything you can do to make money on the side while fulfilling your career goals of caring for those in need is a great option for a side gig.
But, there is also a range of side hustles focused on the aesthetic side of things that may provide a fun way to earn a living outside of the hospital.
For instance, you can find work as a cosmetic nurse and get paid to inject patients with cosmetic fillers like Botox or Juvederm at medspas or even private parties.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$200-$300/day
Resource to Learn More:
Low-Effort Side Hustles for Nurses
Wanting to know how to make money as a nurse from home is one thing. But, as a nurse, you work extremely hard, and the last thing you want is for your side gig to take up your precious evenings or weekends.
The side hustles below are simple and easy to complete. In fact, you can even do them while watching TV, working out, or on your daily commute.
18. Watch Videos Online
I know, it sounds too good to be true, right? Yet you can get paid to do something as super-simple as watching videos online.
All you need to do is sign up on sites like Kashkick and Swagbucks to start earning right away.
Relax on the couch and watch videos, ads, trailers, etc. to start earning points. You’ll be paid in cash or gift cards when you hit the minimum payout threshold.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$10-$15/hour
Resource to Learn More:
19. Take Medical Surveys Online
Online surveys are the perfect option for anyone looking for a simple way to make additional money on the side. As a nurse, you can earn even more by taking medical surveys online.
These surveys are not open to members of the general public which means you are more likely to find a consistent flow of work as a registered nurse.
The surveys generally take a few minutes to complete and you can do them whenever it’s convenient to you.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$5-$15/hour
Resource to Learn More:
20. Participate in Focus Groups
In addition to taking health surveys online, you can also join focus groups. They are always looking for medical professionals and you can get paid for your opinions.
These surveys are high-paying and readily available to qualified healthcare professionals who can participate in medical market research.
Although you may find some opportunities on general survey websites and apps, it’s better to register on dedicated platforms like the ones listed below so you don’t have to sift through dozens of surveys that aren’t relevant to your nursing background.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$50-$150/hour
Resource to Learn More:
21. Become a Product Tester
Companies don’t just roll out amazing products by luck. They do a lot of testing, and much of it involves consumers like you.
As a registered nurse, you can sign up to become part of a group of users hired to interact with specific products such as medical devices.
You will then get paid to provide honest feedback by answering a series of questions to help the company improve its product.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$23-$32/hour
Resource to Learn More:
22. Complete Micro Tasks
If you aren’t ready to commit to a time/effort-intensive side hustle, then you’ll love micro task websites.
You can complete simple tasks online or in your local area to make extra cash.
Micro tasks can include anything from visiting websites, downloading apps, and playing games to hanging up a painting, printing out documents, or helping someone move.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$20-$60/task
Resource to Learn More:
Non-Nursing-Related Side Hustles
The side hustles below don’t have anything to do with nursing, but they are still viable ways to earn extra income immediately.
23. Offer Baby, Senior, Or PetSitting
This is a great side hustle to do on your days off or between shifts.
Your background in nursing inspires trust which can help you land clients who need someone to watch their children or elderly parents while they are away.
You can also expand your services to offer pet sitting and housesitting to make even more money during your spare time.
Where to Find Jobs:
- Baby Sitting: Bambino, Sitter.com, Care.com
- Elderly Caretaking: FreedomCare, ASC Care, eCare21
- House Sitting: TrustedHouseSitters.com, Nomador, MindMyHouse
- Pet Sitting: Rover.com, Fetch!, PetExec
How Much Money Can You Make?
$20-$30/hour
Resource to Learn More:
24. Become a Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant, or VA, provides online administrative support to clients. This means you can work from your home office in your spare time to take care of the required tasks.
VA tasks can include things like publishing on social media or blogs, responding to emails, comments, social media posts, etc.
The work can also include things like data entry, content writing, and customer support. This side hustle is probably best if you have a flexible schedule to make it easier for you to keep up with your clients’ needs.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$800-$2,000/month
Resource to Learn More:
25. Become a Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping is a relatively brainless task that you can complete between shifts. There isn’t much to do, except sign up on mystery shopping apps like Field Agent and then choose tasks to complete whenever you have the time.
You’ll be required to do stuff like evaluating product displays, checking shelf inventory, and so on based on your location.
You can make the work easier for yourself by checking the app before you go out to run your own errands. This way, you can accept the tasks available at the same stores you’re already shopping at.
Where to Find Jobs:
How Much Money Can You Make?
$3-$25/task
Resource to Learn More:
There you have it. The best gigs to make extra cash as a nurse. Choose any of these side hustles that fit your own schedule and lifestyle to start making money right now.