15 Side Gigs for Nurses Looking to Make Extra Money

The rise of telemedicine means new job opportunities for telehealth nurses. These nurses provide care remotely using videoconferencing, phone, or chat technologies. They may conduct virtual health assessments, communicate with patients about medical conditions, and recommend when to seek in-person care.

The average telehealth nurse salary was $83,000 in Feb. 2024, according to Payscale. You need a nursing license to work as a telehealth nurse, with additional opportunities for nurse practitioners. Strong communication skills and the ability to use technology also help.

While patients report several pros to telenursing, there are potential downsides to nurses, including regulatory requirements.

Nurses are critical in administering vaccines and protecting people from infectious diseases. Vaccination clinics, community health organizations, and local health centers hire nurses to give immunizations. Vaccination and immunization nurses also educate the public about the importance of immunization.

Vaccine and immunization nurses keep children up-to-date on their vaccines while administering flu and COVID-19 shots to adults. They use safe handling practices and keep records of vaccinations. Whether working in an immunization clinic, a pharmacy, or a mobile vaccine unit, these nurses promote public health.

Nurses use electronic health records to communicate patient information. As a medical biller or coder, you’ll use your knowledge of medical terminology to manage health records. That might include entering medical information into patient files, managing health insurance records, or flagging potential inaccuracies.

When it comes to side hustles for nurses, the medical billing and coding salary potential is lower. Medical record specialists earn a median annual pay of $47,180, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s less than most RN jobs. However, the field does report strong job growth projections.

Nurses with strong writing and communication skills can find work as freelance nurse writers. These nurses write content for websites, news outlets, and magazines that communicate health information. You can draw on your specialized clinical knowledge to stand out as a freelance nurse writer.

Depending on the job, you might work with an editor to hone a pitch, conduct interviews, and revise based on editor feedback.

In addition to writing side hustles for nurses, you can become a full-time nurse writer. And if you’re interested in freelance roles, you can also consider other nurse freelancer opportunities.

A background in nursing can help you break into the in-demand childcare field, especially if you have any pediatric nursing experience. Many childcare facilities and parents look for caregivers who can go beyond meeting children’s basic needs to promote their health and safety.

Depending on the age of the children, you might support infants and toddlers working on fine and gross motor skills or help school-aged children with homework. You may also implement lesson plans, report on each child’s day to parents, and create engaging activities.

Nursing school can be challenging. But if you’ve already graduated and earned your RN license, you can become a tutor and help other nursing students succeed.

As a health tutor or instructor, you might help a student prepare for a quiz, review material for the NCLEX-RN exam, or brush up on basic clinical skills. Nurses can also tutor many undergraduate health and science classes.

To become a health tutor, you’ll likely need a strong GPA and teaching skills. You can look for opportunities through nursing schools, local tutoring agencies, or websites where tutors market their services directly to students.

Many states report nursing faculty shortages. That means side hustle opportunities for nurses with a graduate degree and an interest in teaching. As an adjunct nursing instructor, you’ll supervise nursing students during clinicals and evaluate their nursing knowledge. Nursing instructors also teach classes in hospitals, nursing schools, and other settings.

Successful nursing instructors bring expertise in the field and a patient and encouraging learning approach. In addition to adjunct roles, you can consider several other nurse educator careers.

Home health nurses care for patients in their homes. They monitor vital signs, administer medication, and operate medical equipment. Some people might even hire a private NICU or PICU nurse to help monitor newborns overnight. Depending on your license, you might work under the supervision of an RN, nurse practitioner, or physician. Demand for home care continues to grow, meaning many opportunities for home health nurses.

These nurses provide palliative care, care for patients with disabilities, and help patients discharged from the hospital transition back into their homes. Learn more about how to become a home health nurse.

Camp nurses work at nature camps, retreats, and other outdoor settings where they care for people attending the camp. These nurses administer medications, provide basic medical care, and advise people on when to seek additional medical treatments. Camp nurses often work independently in locations far from hospitals.

As a camp nurse, you’ll work far away from the clinical environment. Instead, you’ll have nature at your back door, with chances to take advantage of your unique setting.

Medical transcriptionists listen to voice recordings from healthcare professionals and transcribe them into electronic reports. They also review medical records to ensure their accuracy.

As a medical transcriber, you’ll need to interpret patient information, results of physical exams, and discharge instructions. You may use tools such as speech recognition software to create drafts. You’ll bring a strong understanding of medical terminology and jargon thanks to your nursing background. You’ll also know how to follow confidentiality regulations.

Blend education with entertainment as a nurse influencer. Nurse influencers share their knowledge and experience on social media platforms to improve public health and wellness.

Whether sharing nursing school tips on TikTok or filming “day in the life” videos for Instagram, nurse influencers raise public awareness of their profession while communicating important information. However, you’ll need to watch out for potential HIPAA violations, including sharing any images or videos of patients without authorization.

Per diem nurses work on a temporary basis for as little as one day. Hospitals or other healthcare facilities may hire PRNs to cover busy times or fill in for nursing staff. Depending on the contract, per diem nurses may work on call or for multiple employers.

Taking a per diem RN job gives you some flexibility over your schedule. For example, you can filter jobs by location or hours. However, there are some downsides, including variability in schedule and a lack of benefits.

Many organizations turn to healthcare professionals to take surveys. As a nurse, you can pick up side work as a paid medical survey panelist.

Survey panels may require as little as 5-10 minutes or as long as a few hours. Pay also varies widely. However, this can be an easy side hustle for busy nurses since you can choose surveys based on availability. Depending on the opportunity, you can pick up a solid check for medical survey panels that require healthcare experience.

Traveling phlebotomists, or mobile phlebotomists, draw blood samples in non-clinical locations. For example, they may work at mobile blood drives, travel to nursing homes, or visit patients’ homes to take blood samples.

As a nurse, you likely already have the clinical skills to work in phlebotomy. Picking up side gigs in this field can mean extra money in your pocket. However, you’ll need to research opportunities for mobile phlebotomists in your area, which may be limited.

Clinical research nurses conduct studies on nursing practice and patient care. They also work directly with patients involved in research studies. You can break into research nursing by contributing to studies conducted in hospitals or academic settings.

In order to become a research nurse, you’ll typically need a BSN, while clinical research nurse jobs often require a master’s degree. Research roles also require strong analytical skills.