10 Side Hustles for Nurses: How to Make Extra Money Online and Offline
Nursing is a tough job. You have to do long hours and night shifts. You care for everyone, yet sometimes it feels like your own needs come last. I totally understand this. Between paying bills, handling family life, and trying to rest. This question comes to mind: Is there a way to earn more without giving up my nursing job?
Yes, there is. Many nurses today are finding creative ways to make extra money using the same skills they already use at work. Some do it online during quiet night shifts, while others find offline opportunities due to their tight schedule.
In this guide, practical ways are shown how nurses can make extra money online and offline:
Table of Contents
How Nurses Can Make Extra Money: 10 Side Hustles For Nurses
1. Freelancing for Nurses
Freelancing is the easiest way from the list to make money during night shifts. You are probably thinking that you need to be an expert to do that. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a full-time writer or coder. You just need to be 1 step ahead of the normal person. Your nursing knowledge is in high demand online.
Services you can offer:
- Medical transcription: Turn voice notes or patient recordings into text.
- Health article writing: Websites and blogs always need nurses to write health content.
- Proofreading: If you’re detail-oriented, edit health-related papers or online content.
If you are good at writing, you can start offering content writing services. The average salary of a nurse writer is around $87,000 /year. If you’re starting your journey, here is how to start freelancing as a nurse. It’ll help you get your first client step by step.
You can also start on Fiverr and Upwork. There are dozens of platforms where you can sell your service or get a client. Hundreds of jobs are being posted every day on freelancing platforms. Check our guide on jobs you can do from home
2. Teaching & Tutoring
Have you ever thought about how much knowledge you already have as a nurse? All those long shifts, patient care experiences, and clinical lessons — they’re worth a lot more than you might think. So, why not turn that knowledge into income by teaching or tutoring others?
Think about it this way: there are thousands of nursing students out there who are struggling to understand what you already know. They’d love to learn from someone who’s been in their shoes — someone who can explain real-world nursing in simple, practical terms.
Platforms where you can teach:
Pros
- Good Extra income: Tutoring can pay anywhere from $25 to $60 an hour, depending on your subject and experience. Even a few sessions a week can bring in $400–$700 per month easily.
- You’re Already Qualified: You don’t have to learn something new. You’re teaching what you already know. All those patient interactions and clinical lessons? They become your teaching material.
Cons
- Time Management Can Be Tough: If you already work full-time or night shifts, finding time to teach can be tricky. You’ll need to plan sessions carefully so you don’t burn out.
- Competition: Many experienced RNs and nurse educators are already teaching online. Standing out requires good reviews and a strong profile.
3. Camp Nurse & Seasonal Opportunities
A camp nurse is a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN) who provides medical care at summer camps, school camps, or specialty camps. Their main role is to take care of the health and safety of campers and staff while they are away from home.
Pay & Benefits
- Hourly pay: $25–$40/hour depending on camp and location.
- You can earn $1200-$1500 per week.
- Benefits may include free room and board, meals, and a fun, outdoor environment.
Remember, this is a day job. So at night you can focus on other jobs. If you want to make more money. Other seasonal opportunities include vaccination clinics, flu shot campaigns, or PRN (per diem) nursing. These roles are usually less stressful than full-time hospital work. But they still pay well, so you must try at least once.
Pros
- Rewarding Work Environment: You get to work outdoors, interact with children, and make a positive impact on their camp.
Cons
- Limited Income Duration: Since camp nursing is usually seasonal, you only earn for the few weeks you work. It’s not a consistent year-round income.
4. Telehealth & Remote Nursing
Imagine you’re a nurse, but instead of going to a hospital, you help people using a computer, phone, or video call. That is what a Telehealth job is. You can check how someone is feeling, give advice, or tell them what medicine to take. And the interesting thing is, you can do this from your home or anywhere with internet access.
Its responsibilities include talking to patients over video calls or phone calls. Answering questions about medicines or health problems. Helping patients understand what their doctor told them and keeping records of all the advice you give.
Average Salary
- Telehealth nurses usually earn about $30–$50 per hour.
- That can add up to $3,000–$5,000 per month if you work full-time.
Pros
- Work From Anywhere: You can do it at home in your pajamas, no hospital stress. You can work from your own choice at your own place. No worries about travelling.
- Flexible Hours: You can choose shifts that fit your schedule. Basically, you are your own boss.
Cons
- No Hands-On Care: You can’t touch patients or give shots, so some people miss that part of nursing.
- Tech Problems: Sometimes computers or the internet break, which can make helping patients tricky.
5. Blogging
Blogging is writing articles on a website about a topic you’re knowledgeable about. As a nurse, you can write about what you see in hospitals, how to study for exams, tips for new nurses, or healthy living. There are literally thousands of topics to write on!
When you put those posts online with a human touch not just spammy content, people can read and genuinely learns from them. Over time, if many people visit your blog, you can earn money through ads, sponsorships, selling digital products, or promoting affiliate links.
Example: Real Food RN (Kate Doubler)
Kate Doubler is a nurse who started a health blog called Real Food RN. She used to blog part-time while working as a nurse. Slowly, her blog converted into a big audience by sharing recipes, health tips, and her own story. Over time the side business grew so much that she started earning $20,000-$40,000 per month on average, with some months higher.
If you want to check a site purely built on nursing. You can check this website for guides and ideas.
6. Legal Nurse Consultant
Legal nurse consultants work with lawyers and insurance companies to interpret medical records, testify in court, and review malpractice cases. They bridge the gap between legal and medical knowledge.
It is a rare hybrid field. Its work includes analyzing hospital records and injury claims, helping attorneys understand complex medical terms, and serving as expert witnesses in trials.
According to the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants (AALNC), the average consultant earns $75,000–$150,000/year part-time.
Pros
- High Pay: Legal nurse consultants often earn $50–$150 per hour, depending on experience and case type.
Cons
- Lots of Paperwork & Deadlines: The work involves reviewing detailed medical files, writing reports, and meeting strict legal deadlines. It can feel overwhelming if you’re used to hands-on patient care. But with time you will get used to it.
- It also requires training or a certification.
7. Private Duty Nurse for High-Net-Worth Clients
A concierge nurse (private duty nurse) provides personalized, one-on-one medical care to wealthy clients, often in their homes, hotels, or while traveling. Instead of caring for many patients in a hospital, you focus on just one client, offering high-quality nursing support.
Celebrities, executives, or individuals recovering from surgery who want privacy and comfort. All of these are your wealthy clients. You are gonna deal with every kind of person.
Average Salary
Concierge nurses can earn $80,000–$120,000 per year, and sometimes even $200,000+ if working full-time for a single high-profile client. That’s the power of working hard + smart. For short-term or travel assignments, nurses may make $50–$100 per hour plus bonuses, housing, or travel perks.
Pros
- High Income Potential: You can earn significantly more than hospital nurses.
- Luxurious Work Environment: You’re gonna work in private homes, resorts, or while traveling with clients in a comfortable, less stressful setting.
Cons
- High Expectations: Wealthy clients expect perfect service and professionalism 24/7. Which can burden your mind a little bit.
- Unpredictable Schedule: Your work hours depend on the client’s needs, which include late nights, travel, or sudden calls.
8. Health Workshop Instructor
A Health Workshop Instructor is a nurse who teaches people how to live healthier lives through community workshops. In the field of health, nurses are highly trusted and local businesses, gyms, and community centers often pay for wellness sessions on topics like stress management or healthy eating for shift workers.
You share your knowledge in simple way so people can take better care of themselves.
Pros
- You Make a Real Difference in People’s Lives: As a health workshop instructor, you’re not just giving lectures. You’re changing how people think about their health. When you see someone apply your advice, start eating better, or finally understand how to manage their stress, it feels incredibly rewarding.
- Freedom: This is one of the few nursing side hustles that lets you choose your own schedule and decide what topics you want to teach. You can partner with schools, fitness centers, local clinics, or even host online sessions from home
Cons
- You Need Confidence and Good Communication Skills: Standing in front of a group and explaining medical concepts can feel scary at first. You’ll need to learn how to make your workshops easy to follow.
- Income Can Be Unpredictable at First: Unlike hospital jobs, workshop income can vary a lot. Some events pay by the hour, others per session, and some might even be volunteer opportunities in the beginning.
It takes time to build a reputation in your field. But once you have repeat clients or partnerships with organizations, it can turn into an extra income. It’s like a compounding effect, where at the start everything looks very slow but after some time of consistent effort, everything explodes in a curve graph.
9. First Aid Instructor
In this job, you teach people how to save lives during emergencies for example, what to do if someone faints, or stops breathing?
You can work with schools, community centers, gyms, or companies that want to train their staff.
Fun fact: The American Heart Association says millions of people take CPR classes every year. And many of those classes are taught by nurses who turned their skills into a side hustle.
Pros
- You Literally Teach People How to Save Lives: This job is incredibly meaningful. Every time you teach someone CPR, you’re empowering them to help in an emergency. Many instructors say there’s no better feeling than knowing their students might one day save a life. Because if you saved one person, you actually saved a whole nation.
- Good Pay: You can teach on weekends, evenings, or your days off. Most instructors earn $25–$50 per hour, and if you get certified through organizations like the Red Cross or AHA, you can even start your own local training sessions or online workshops.
10. Create & Sell Printable Health Templates
This side hustle is perfect for creative nurses! It means making printable sheets or digital templates that help people keep track of their health like a blood pressure log, daily medication chart, or water intake tracker.
You design them once using tools like Canva, Notion, or Google Docs, and people can download and then print them anytime they want. You made the product once and then sell them forever. It becomes a passive income in the future if you market it the right way.
Pros
- Earn Money While You Sleep: You design your trackers once, and they keep selling again and again without any extra work.
Cons
- Requires Design & Marketing Skills: You’ll need to learn how to make your printables look nice and write good product descriptions to attract buyers.
You can sell Templates on:
- Etsy (best for beginners because it already has millions of buyers)
- Creative Market
- Gumroad (works great if you want to build your own brand)
- Payhip
- Sellfy
- Envato
Follow These Steps to Sell Trackers:
Step 1: Design Your Printables
Start by creating your designs using Canva, Google Docs, or Adobe Express. Think about what people really need for example, a Blood Sugar Tracker for diabetics or a Medication Reminder Sheet for busy parents. Make sure your design looks professional and clean. It attracts people.
Step 2: Save and Upload Your Files
Design is ready? Then download it as a high-quality PDF file (most buyers prefer printable PDFs) and upload your file to a platform like Etsy, Gumroad, or Payhip.
Step 3: Write The Product Description
Describe what your printable does and how it helps. Use simple words like:
“This easy-to-use Health Tracker helps you monitor your blood pressure and daily water intake.”
Add keywords like health planner, wellness tracker, or nurse printable so people can find your product in search results.
Step 4: Add Images & Mockups
People buy with their eyes first. Create sample images showing your tracker on a desk or in a planner. You can use Canva for ready-made mockup templates.
Step 5: Promote on Social Media
Everything is done. Now orders will not come on their own; you have to promote them aggressively everywhere. Share your printables on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook groups.
You can post small videos showing how your tracker works. You can also show before-and-after results. Because psychologically, people watch before and after content more than others.
Tip: Pinterest works especially well for digital downloads because people search for printable ideas there every day.
Step 6: Keep Adding New Products
Once your first printable starts selling. Start creating more templates. It can be for fitness, meal planning, or symptom tracking. The more designs you offer, the more chances people will buy multiple items from your shop. Think of it this way: the more items a shop offers, the more things people can buy from that store.
Conclusion
You can make a lot of money but you need to hustle harder than the average person. Working night shifts gives you an edge. While the world is sleeping, you are working.
Most people think night shifts drain energy but for some nurses, they become the quiet hours that build a second income stream. Remember your night shift is already proof of your strength. Now, it can also be proof of your growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can nurses work another job while doing night shifts?
Yes, you can as long as it doesn’t interfere with patient safety or violate your hospital’s policies. Many nurses pick side hustles like home health visits, CPR instruction, or part-time wellness coaching because they fit around night schedules.
2. What are the mistakes nurses make when starting side hustles?
They start overworking, not tracking income for taxes, and taking on too much too soon. You should start small, set clear limits on your work hours, and treat your side hustle like a business.
3. Why do nurses look for extra income during night shifts?
Because night shifts often come with fewer patient interactions, nurses use downtime to earn extra income or learn new skills. It’s also a way to combat fatigue by staying both mentally active and financially secure.
4. What can nurses sell online that uses their medical knowledge?
Nurses can create printable care planners, health-tracking sheets, or e-guides for new parents. These small digital products are sold easily on Etsy and Gumroad. You can generate passive income easily with one-time product creation.
