Nurses often don’t realize how valuable their skillset and formation are until they get out into the real world.
Then they notice how many fields are aching for top talent, and how many opportunities there are for healthcare professionals.
There is a great demand for advanced services and innovation in the field, and there are also tons of business opportunities.
And experienced nurses are in a prime position to dominate some of them.
The first step is knowing what these opportunities are in the first place. Here are some great business ideas all aspiring nurse entrepreneurs should consider.
Nurse Health Coach
If you want to take a more personal approach to nursing and you have a natural love for well-being and alternative therapies, we suggest you check out nurse health coaching opportunities.
One of the things that is great about this is that you won’t need to get any kind of advanced degree or certification to start working as a nurse health coach. This means you could start with nothing but a bachelor’s or as a registered nurse.
However, if you want to improve your chances and look more legitimate, there is always the opportunity to get advanced training. These courses will make you a more well-rounded coach, and make sure you’re current with all the recent developments and trends in the field of wellness.
As a nurse health coach, you will be looking at the entire life of the people you’ll be working with and help them make better health decisions.
You might advise on things like stress management, and help them with both the medical and mental side.
You might also provide help with diet, for instance, and help them make better lifestyle choices. This is a great option if you want to truly make a difference in someone else’s life.
Fitness Nurse
If you have a natural love for fitness, and you love having a direct rapport with your clients, we suggest you look into fitness nursing as well.
This is a relatively new field that brings together sport, fitness, and wellness and has a strong disease prevention component. Fitness nurses are in growing demand and are also asked to work with people who might be in recovery for an injury, to work on a balanced nutrition and exercise plan to get them back on track.
As a fitness nurse, you might be asked to work with all sorts of employers. You might be asked to work with companies to help promote healthier habits within their workforce.
Other employers include spas, sports clubs, professional teams, and health centers, just to name a few.
Pharmaceutical Sales Rep
Ex-nurses often make exceptional sales reps either for pharmaceutical or medical supplies companies.
What makes them so great is that they have a real hands-on experience with different treatments.
They know what these do first-hand, the side effects, the challenges of working with them, their limitations, etc.
Nurses are also the best positioned to know certain pieces of equipment or knowing the real needs on the floor. This is why many pharmaceutical companies will be eager to hire any nurse with experience to fill their ranks.
Concierge Nursing
Concierge nurses offer a specialized service and provide either in-home core or niche solutions for particular patients.
In most cases, the client will be paying out of pocket. This might be people who are suffering from a particular illness that needs special treatment and constant medical attention.
Others will want a nurse by their side after they went through some sort of surgery.
For instance, it’s not uncommon for someone to hire a concierge nurse after an extensive plastic procedure.
You could even be asked to fly out with the patient if they decide to get the surgery from a renowned surgeon overseas. You could then be paid to stay in the area until they’ve recovered and have all your expenses covered.
Work in Academia
There is a lot of demand for qualified and experienced nurses in academia and training. You might decide to start a nursing school but could also decide to start as a teacher or offer continuing education classes.
Others decide to teach safety classes to non-healthcare professionals as well. Or others might decide to move into leadership and help form the next class of executives.
In most cases, getting a DNP would be a great way to get into the academic field. Thankfully, you don’t necessarily have to leave your current position and spend half a decade getting it.
You could look for certified DNP programs online that will allow you to get your credentials much faster than through most traditional programs.
Some of these courses also allow BSN students to move faster.
Become a Nurse Blogger
Nursing is also a very hot blogging niche, and there are plenty of ways that you can make money as a nurse blogger. The goal here is usually to build a solid brand and following and specialize yourself.
Some may want to concentrate on their particular field and give day to day accounts. Or you might cater specifically to one demographic, like nurses who happen to be single parents or nursing students.
You could then monetize your blog in a wide number of ways. You could score a sponsorship from a school or healthcare-related company. You might be paid to publish sponsored posts. Or you could work as an affiliate for a college referral service.
Another thing you should know is that your blog doesn’t have to be about nursing or the healthcare field per se. You could start a blog about healthy eating or fitness, for example.
Your career as a nurse will give you some extra authority, and people will be more inclined to trust your word and follow your advice.
The good news about becoming a nurse entrepreneur is the wide number of options that are open to you.
So, don’t be afraid to check a few of them out, and see if that could be something you would see yourself doing for the next coming years.
