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Start With This
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
— Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president
A Good Read
Nurses are some of the most resourceful people alive at finding extra income. Travel contracts, per diem shifts, clinic work on days off, side businesses of every kind.
Almost all of it means putting on scrubs and showing up somewhere. Health writing doesn’t, and that single difference changes how it fits a nursing life.
Why it fits:
- It runs on deadlines, not on-call. You write when you have time, so it slots around rotating shifts and nights when most other side gigs can’t.
- It uses what you already know. Your clinical knowledge is the product; the writing just delivers it. That’s why the learning curve is shorter for a nurse than for almost anyone else.
- It costs almost nothing to start. A computer, a steady internet connection, and a willingness to learn. No inventory, no equipment, no license beyond the one you hold.
- It bends to your availability. One client or ten, one piece a month or twenty. The load adjusts to your life instead of demanding fixed hours.
It isn’t a perfect fit for everyone. You’ll likely do well if you:
- Like explaining things. If you’re the nurse who enjoys breaking a scary diagnosis down until it finally clicks, that instinct is the heart of good health writing.
- Can work without much structure. Freelance work is self-directed and nobody checks how your draft is coming, so self-motivated nurses settle in faster.
- Stay patient with the learning curve. The clinical knowledge is there; the business side (finding clients, setting rates, conducting outreach, invoicing) takes time. Treat it as a process and it holds.
If a few of those sound like you, it’s worth a closer look. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s built for the kind of person you already are.
Read the full post: Why Freelance Health Writing Is the Perfect Nurse Side Gig (And How to Know If It's Right for You)
One Small Step
Take five minutes for a desk check. Open a blank document on whatever computer you already own, type one paragraph explaining a condition you know cold, and read it out loud. That's the whole starter kit. If you just did that, you've used every tool the work requires.
Something Worth Knowing
For the nurses already earning from writing, a question that comes up fast: do I need an LLC? Short answer, ask your CPA.
Many writers don’t need one to start, but a CPA can map a timeline for filing that lowers your tax burden as your income grows. (None of this applies in Canada, where the business and tax setup is entirely different. Talking to an accountant when you start is still smart.)
The plain version of the options:
- Sole proprietor. You are the business. Nothing to register; you write, invoice, and report the income on your personal taxes. It’s the simplest setup and where almost every writer starts. The catch: no legal line between you and the business if you’re ever sued, which is rare for writers.
- LLC. It draws that line, so your personal savings get some protection if the business is sued. The real-world risk for a writer is small, which is why many grow into an LLC rather than form one on day one. It costs money to set up and a little upkeep each year.
- S-corp. Not a business type but a tax election your CPA may suggest once your writing income clears certain thresholds. Below that, the extra payroll and accounting cost more than they save.
The pattern most writers follow: sole proprietor first, an LLC when the income is steady, an S-corp only if a CPA says the numbers justify it.
So here’s the plain plan. Start as yourself. Talk to a CPA. Keep clean records and a separate bank account for the writing money. Forming an entity doesn’t make you more legitimate or more hireable. The work does that, and the paperwork can wait until the income tells you it’s time.
(I teach the framework, not the legal specifics. Let a tax pro in your state run your numbers.)
Take This With You
You spend your shifts deciding what other people need. The right dose, the next step, the hard truth said gently. You're good at it because you care, and because you've earned that judgment over years nobody saw.
Turn a little of it toward yourself. Choosing something for your own life, not the patient's, not the unit's, can be hard. It can feel selfish. It isn't. Wanting more than the bedside doesn't make you any less of a nurse.
You've spent years being the person everyone counts on. Your needs are worth counting, too.
