There was a time when being a nurse meant wearing a white cap and gown and tending to wounded patients at the bedside. While this portrayal of nursing is now only seen in cartoons, many nurses are still stuck at the bedside.

But guess what? It’s the 21st century and nurses can be whatever they want to be.

Are you tired of working at the bedside? Are you looking for a way to exercise your nursing skills outside the hospital setting? Do you want to be your own boss?

Home-based businesses for nurses are the future of nursing. As more and more professionals seek stay-at-home work, nurses in business for themselves are joining the trend and creating profitable nursing businesses that give them the freedom to exercise their passion for healthcare from the comfort of their homes.

Half of the trouble of starting profitable nursing businesses is just that, getting started. What can nurses actually do outside of the hospital setting? What home based businesses for nurses are actually profitable?

Self Employment Ideas for Nurses

If you are a nurse with an entrepreneurial spirit, then check out these nurse entrepreneur business ideas:

• Nurse Education

Nurse education is not only a job that is in high demand, but it is a job that you can do right from the comfort of your home. By bridging the gap between clinical practice and nursing studies, nurse educators prepare their students for the realities of the profession. Using their extensive experience as a foundation, nurse educators share their abundance of knowledge to prepare the next generation of nurses.

• In-Home Senior Care

If you have a passion for helping elderly patients then there are plenty of nursing business opportunities for you in senior care, such as in-home care services. In-home senior care can fall under many categories, including personal care services. transportation services, nurse directed care, etc. Regardless of the route you take with in-home senior care, the purpose remains the same, to provide convenient care services for an aging population.
Health Coaching  

Depending on your passion and abilities, you may be interested in taking the health coaching route. With options in both virtual and in-person health coaching services, depending on your preferences, health coaching offers one-on-one guidance to patients seeking to achieve certain health goals. Another facet of health coaching may include cannabis consulting and coaching, with aims to educate patients on the safe and effective use of cannabis to achieve health objectives.

• IV Hydration

Amongst popular self employment ideas for nurses includes intravenous hydration therapy. Mobile IV hydration businesses are gaining popularity as the IV hydration trend continues to grow. Commonly used to combat hangovers, improve athletic stamina, and as a beauty treatment, IV hydration can be performed mobile at the client’s location of choice–no need to rent out an office space.

• Nurse Researcher

If you enjoyed all the hard academic work that you had to complete in nursing school, then becoming a nurse researcher may be the right path. Conducting scientific studies related to illnesses, treatment plans, healthcare methodologies, etc. nurse researchers improve healthcare services and overall patient outcomes through data research, experiments, and collaboration with DNPs.

• Concierge Nursing Services

Concierge nursing services are not just common among elderly populations, they are ideal for anyone who needs an extra hand post operation. From plastic surgery, weight loss surgery, cosmetic surgery, etc., patients can hire a discreet concierge nursing service to assist them after surgery. Some common aspects of concierge nursing care include transportation assistance, pre-op planning, medication administration, and more.

• Nurse Advocacy

The primary role of a nurse advocate is to help defend a patient’s rights and ensure that they are receiving the optimal level of care that they deserve. With experience as healthcare professionals, nurse patient advocates also educate patients to help them understand medical orders given to them. If you are passionate about justice and equality, then this home-based business for nurses is the right choice for you!

• Legal Nurse Consulting

Another business that is at the top of the list in self employment ideas for nurses includes legal nurse consulting. Just as it sounds, legal nurse consultants lend their professional expertise to plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving legal claims. From locating expert witnesses, examining medical records, creating timelines, and more, it is a legal nurse consultant’s objective to simplify an attorney’s job by helping them understand the medical information at hand.

• Travel Nursing Agency

One of the most ambitious and profitable nursing business opportunities includes travel nursing agencies. Acting as a go-between for nurse staffing and healthcare professionals, nurse travel agencies connect employees with employers for the short-term to fill temporary staffing vacancies. Much like a temp agency, this lucrative business opportunity enables nurses in business for themselves to fill the void for candidates searching for work and organizations in need of skilled healthcare workers.

• Medical Publications

Do you have extensive experience as a nurse, and a passion for writing? You can combine the best of both worlds as a nurse copywriter. With the ability to complete work directly from your home computer, you can become a digital nomad offering medical writing from anywhere in the world on a range of topics including regulatory writing, medical communications, educational publications, and more creative medical outlets such as blogs, newsletters, etc.

• Holistic Nursing

As more and more individuals become in-tune with their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, the need for holistic nurse consultants grows. Based upon the foundation to find alternative healing modalities, holistic nurses work with their patients to balance all aspects of the health to achieve an optimal state of wellbeing. Some common healing modalities involved in holistic nursing include Reiki, massage, light-work, Yoga, acupuncture, and more.

• Doula Services

This nurse entrepreneur business idea is ideal for nurses who have experience in labor and delivery. As a type of nurse advocate, doulas help support a families birthing plan and advocate on their behalf to ensure a smooth birthing process. Doulas are also there before and after birth to ensure a smooth transition.

As you can see, there are several home-based businesses for nurses. From mobile businesses to businesses that are completely virtual, you can have a successful and thriving career outside of the hospital setting. Do you already have an idea brewing? Get in touch with us to learn how to turn it into a reality!

5 Considerations

Now that you have some good nurse entrepreneur business ideas to build off of, it is time to see if home based business for nurses is the right path for you. Just like every other profession, nurses in business for themselves need to examine themselves and see if starting a home based business is the right option.

Home based businesses are not for everyone. Check out these five considerations of home based businesses for nurses to determine if you are ready to leave your hospital job and join the world of nurse entrepreneurs working from home.

1. Are you disciplined enough to work outside of the hospital setting?

This is an important question that requires some introspection to answer. While there are several nurse entrepreneur business ideas to choose from, you need to really sit down and be honest with yourself and answer the question: am I disciplined enough to work from home?

There are a million and one distractions when you work from home. Whether it be family, the TV, the sudden urge to bake cookies in the middle of the day, pets, you get the idea.

When you are outside a traditional workplace setting, you are vulnerable to distractions. But knowing yourself means knowing your limitations. If working from home is going to be difficult, then perhaps you should not be working from home.

Now, this is not to say that you will miss out on nursing business opportunities! If you are distracted by working at home, then check out these common places where freelancer set up their daily office:

• Local Libraries- If noise is an issue for you, then working at your local library may be the best choice. With cozy chairs, private rooms, and a plethora of books at your disposal, libraries make a fantastic workspace for nurses in business for themselves.
• Coffee Shops & Bars- Believe it or not, some professionals thrive when working from busy bars and coffee shops. If you are easily distracted working at home, but noise is not an issue for you, working from a coffee shop or bar could be the way to go.
• Local Parks- Did you know that getting outside can actually increase your productivity? If you love the great outdoors, then a local park will make the best office for you.
• Universities- If you live close to a university you may be in luck. With libraries, computer labs, and rented rooms at your disposal, you can get some peace and quiet amongst other individuals that are hard at work.
• Coworking Space- If you miss the office setting and need structure to help you focus, then a coworking space may be the best place for you to get your business off the ground. Pro tip, coworking spaces are great places to meet other entrepreneurs, you may even make some friends or business partners along the way.

2. Do you have a designated home office space?

Even if you do not do well working from home, you still will need a home office for those times when you will have to work late, or have a client meeting. This is particularly important for self employment ideas for nurses that involve coaching and consulting (cannabis consulting, health coaching, etc).

Now, your home office can be a traditional home office, such as a separate room, or you can get creative with it. All you really need is a quiet space where you can easily concentrate and escape the chaos of the world.

Don’t have a home office? Here are some common spaces in your home that you can repurpose as your home office:

• Attic/Basement- I’m sure that your attic and/or basement is currently being used as storage. But did you know that you can transform these spaces into a beautiful home office? All you will need is a fresh coat of paint and a desk.
• Closets- Do you have a walk-in closet that you’re currently not using? Closets can make a perfect little work nook for you, without the need to invest in home remodeling or construction.
• Dining Room- If you find that you eat most of your meals in the kitchen or the living room anyway, then you may want to consider turning your dining room into an office space.
• Under Your Stairs- Most staircases have a perfect little space that can act as a small home office.
• Corners- If you have a small space and you are fresh out of ideas, then place your home office in the corner. You can put a desk anywhere, and they even make special corner desks that fit perfectly into the sharp angles of your home.

3. Can you set realistic goals, and honor them?

It is one thing to set goals, and another to achieve them. While self employment ideas for nurses are many, it takes hard work to turn a home based business for nurses into a reality. What it all really boils down to is drive.

What steps are you taking to actually achieve your goals? How are you realistically pursuing nursing business opportunities? Are you just saying that you want to be a nurse entrepreneur, or are you actually doing something about it?

It takes tremendous dedication and passion for you to quit your bedside job and join the world of entrepreneurs. Yet time and time again, nurses are quitting their jobs to pursue nurse entrepreneur business ideas that are great in theory, but require realistic goal setting to achieve.

As dreamers, entrepreneurs like to skip ahead to the good stuff, which is totally understandable, but you have to put in the work first. If you are reading this and can admit that you have trouble with setting and achieving goals, here are some pro-tips that can help you be a better goal-setter and achiever:

• Be smart about setting goals. When you set achievable goals, you set yourself up for success.
• Visualize desired outcomes. Accomplishing your goals transcends the physical world, it all starts in your brain. Do yourself a favor and empower yourself to accomplish your goals by visualizing the desired outcome.

Create an action plan. Once you have your goal established, it is time to create an action plan and align your emotions with achieving your goals. 

• Hold yourself accountable. There will be many points down the road when you will need to hold yourself accountable. Without accountability, you will always blame circumstances for why you can’t achieve your goals.
• Celebrate your victories. Acknowledge your success and celebrate your victories with small rewards.

4. Do you know where you are going to meet with people in person?

If you thought that a home based business for nurses meant not meeting clients or other professionals in person, then you are gravely mistaken. From one-on-one appointments with clients to meeting with care coordinators, potential investors and more, there is nothing that can supplement a professional one-on-one meeting.

But you can’t keep up a professional countenance and ask someone to meet at your home, can you? So where are you to meet in-person? You can go with the obvious route and rent out short term office spaces, or you can get creative with these impressionable and unique ideas:

• Hotel Lobbies- Most convention-oriented hotels provide attractive meeting spaces for entrepreneurs, like you, to leave a good first impression in a professional setting.
• Museums- Depending on the nature of your business, meeting in a museum can be a creative and impressionable meeting space. Some museums even have rentable meeting rooms.
• Outdoor Spaces- A particularly attractive option for health coaches and holistic wellness coaches, meeting outside is a unique and beautiful space to hold a meeting. Note that mobile IV hydration services often provide outdoor drip therapies to athletes.
• Restaurants- Picking a quiet and attractive restaurant to meet a client or business partner is a great way to make an impression and share some yummy food. Want to make an extra good impression? Foot the bill!

5. Do the people closest to you support your goals?

Our final consideration is an important one. Do the people close to you support your dream to become a nurse entrepreneur? When you start a business it affects everyone in your household, it can also impact your friendships. It is important to balance family life and work life, but when you are working from home the lines often blur. Make sure that everyone in your household is on board, and if they are not, figure out a realistic compromise.

On the other hand if your friends and family are unsupportive, then try to listen to their reasoning. If they make some valid points, then come up with an action plan that your loved ones can be a part of to reach your goal of becoming a nurse entrepreneur.

Putting Ideas to Action

Now that you have some great ideas in nursing business opportunities, and some practical guidance for setting up your home based business, it is time to get started. But how?

At NursePreneurs we are passionate about helping nurses like you grow their businesses. With courses specifically designed to help nurses create profitable nursing businesses, we give you the blueprint to success. Are you ready to be your own boss and join thousands of other nurses in business for themselves? Schedule a discovery call and learn how!