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March 18, 2024

Lucrative Side Jobs for Nurses

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Dr. Shefiu Lanre Shittu

President of Daily Care Solutions

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You deserve to cash in. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states the median annual wage for nurses in the United States is $81,220. That may sound like a lot of money, but many nurses work three or more 12-hour shifts a week and live in expensive areas. 

If you want to earn money without working too hard, you should look at a few lucrative side jobs for nurses. Don’t pick the first side job you see. You have many options for great side jobs; some fit your personality, experience, and skills better than others. Here are the best side jobs for nurses.

Locum Tenens

Locum tenens nursing jobs are short-term nursing jobs to relieve staffing shortages at medical providers. You can fulfill a locum tenens job while holding your current position, especially if you pursue a specialized job. Some hospitals need people to administer immunizations, while others need nurses to perform telehealth appointments. 

Locum tenens jobs can pay better than standard nursing jobs, especially if you’re working as a locum tenens cardiologist. Pursue positions in your specialty and look for organizations that lack other professionals in your line of work, as they are more likely to pay you a higher salary.

You can apply for locum tenens jobs by yourself, but working with a locum tenens agency can be helpful. Daily Care Solutions partners with hospitals and medical providers throughout the Midwest. We can give you access to high-paying, competitive side jobs for nurses, and if you like your side job, we can help you with permanent placement.

Are you ready to work with trusted nursing professionals on locum tenens jobs? Contact Daily Care Solutions, and we’ll connect you with the best locum tenens positions in the Midwest.

Teaching

Some colleges seek adjunct nursing professors who can give lectures, teach classes, and grade assignments. These positions may last an academic quarter or semester, but they pay well, with the University of Iowa paying its adjunct professors over $40,000 a year. Most teaching jobs are after standard working hours, so you can hold your current position while working as a teacher.

The qualifications for adjunct teachers vary. Most positions require a bachelor’s degree in nursing, while others require a master’s degree in nursing or a teaching certificate or degree. Some schools require you to hold your nursing license for a year or more before teaching. 

Most schools don’t require you to have publications in scholarly journals or experience tutoring, but these qualifications can help you land better jobs. Try getting published or working informally with students before applying for adjunct positions. Talk to your nursing teachers and professionals who work at schools and use top networking strategies so you learn about great jobs immediately. 

Related: Credentials for Locum Tenens: Are They Necessary?

A nurse writing on a notebook

Freelance Writing

You can take on a few writing projects as a nurse. Some private practices and hospitals have blogs with tutorials, listicles, and short articles giving health advice to patients. Many of these institutions are looking for qualified nurses to write for them, so you can apply for a writing job and start producing content today. 

You can also write marketing materials for pharmaceutical companies, medical suppliers, and others. Some companies need bloggers, while others need email and social media copywriters. 

Medical journals publish peer-reviewed scientific papers, which can be hard to write as a freelancer. However, many journals have editorial sections, and some of them pay money for commentaries or personal essays on nursing. 

Some newspapers and national publications like The Nation accept investigative journalism, personal essays, and short stories from freelancers, including nurses. Some publications pay over $100 per piece, so you can make money and get attention for your work. However, these pieces should have national relevance and be well-written, so proofread your work carefully before submitting it. Writing about digital health trends like telehealth is popular, so consider writing about trends you have experience in.

Some nurses have their own self-published blogs. It is easy to start your blog and produce content whenever you want, but you must be very popular to make money. Develop a name for yourself through publications in medical journals and newspapers, then start a blog. 

Do you want to get in contact with medical providers looking for experienced nursing writers? Schedule an appointment with Daily Care Solutions, and we’ll put you in touch with great organizations near you.

Paid Surveys

Filling out paid surveys is the easiest side gig, especially if you complete online surveys. You can complete questionnaires for pharmaceutical companies, healthcare technology firms, and health insurance providers. You can also sign up with nursing focus groups and marketing companies to complete various surveys over time, including ones that don’t relate to nursing. 

You must provide your personal information so the survey provider knows you are a qualified professional. You may not qualify for certain surveys because you are not in the desired geographic area or in a particular demographic. Read the instructions for the survey closely to know if you qualify. 

Most surveys require less than an hour to complete, though they may pay less than $100. You may need to supplement your income with other side jobs if you have high expenses. 

a pile of medical supplies

Selling Medical Supplies

If you have scrubs and medical gear you don’t use, you can sell these items for money. eBay, Craigslist, and other online marketplaces let you sell gently used medical supplies for money. Some people earn more money than others, but you may be able to make hundreds of dollars off of high-quality items, especially if you sell textbooks and medical books

You must take several photos of your items and show they are not damaged. You should also write a detailed description that includes keywords people use to search for medical supplies. If you’re selling scrubs, your description should include terms like “clean scrubs,” “best scrubs,” and “high-quality scrubs.” 

You may need to wait several days to hear back from people, so be patient. There is no guarantee that you will be able to sell your items, so you should pursue other side jobs besides selling your supplies. 

Related: Balanced Careers: Doctors Embracing Part-Time Work

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Dr. Shefiu Lanre Shittu

President of Daily Care Solutions

Internal Medicine physician with over 10 years of experience in medical staffing solution. Completed medical education and residency in Columbia University. Provided expert oversight to private groups and hospitals. Contracted services organization and Take charge of establishing three hospitalist programs from inception to completion. Develop the scope of practice and negotiate contracts with other departments and specialties. Perform a wide range of tasks including contract negotiations, revenue cycle and human resource management, process improvement, and introduction of interdisciplinary rounding. Drove key efforts toward the reduction of cost of running programs by approximately 15-20%. Identified staffing needs while creating unique staffing plans for programs.

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