Hi nursing friends,

Are you tired of working your butt off as a nurse only to be living pay check to pay check? You aren’t alone, but I have some good news. You can earn more, because you are worth more.

The future of nursing is changing, with traditional nursing duties becoming less common for many roles (e.g. toileting duties and showering patients). And as the population continues to grow, along with technology and education advances, we will see nurses given an increasing amount of responsibility, freedom and money.

I personally think simply being a nurse shouldn’t bind you to the profession in a traditional sense. There are so many more opportunities than just working on a ward, inserting suppositories, taking vitals and handing out medications. The standard nursing income often isn’t enough to pay the bills.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with working in a typical hospital ward, but as our education and skillset increases, so does our need to work in a challenging, stimulating and well paid environment.

Let’s be honest here. It’s 2021, and it’s expensive to be alive.

A degree in nursing will set you back around $7,000 per year, or $21,000 all together. That doesn’t include course related costs, uniforms, textbooks, and living expenses like rent…

Oh, and did I mention you don’t get paid to complete over 1100 hours of clinical placements? Not even for night shifts, petrol or accommodation? How and why is this still a thing? Is that even legal?!

As a nurse you are valuable, needed, and deserve to work in an environment that treats you as such.

So here you are - fresh out of nursing school, with a large student debt and you want to earn enough money to enjoy your life, go on holidays, and even save up for a house. Or maybe you’ve been a nurse for a few years and are still living paycheck to paycheck. What can you do to change that?

You can work as a nurse and own a business, be an entrepreneur, writer, traveler, or anything else that you want to do. The sky is the limit.

So what can you do to increase your income as a nurse? I’ve compiled some options for you, and none of them involve working more night shifts (phew).

FIVE Ways to Increase Your Income as a Nurse

Choose a Specialty and Stick With It

Highly skilled nurses are always in demand, especially ones with specialist skills that can only be learned through working in a certain area. Whether it’s ICU, theatre nursing, aesthetics, or forensic mental health, entering a specialist job will increase your worth and mean you can get a bigger salary.

If you have specific skills that someone else doesn’t have, it makes you more valuable and therefore worth more money.

Become a Manager

If you want to become a manager in your field without working for 20 years first, you have to be personable, well liked, and hold leadership qualities. You must be prepared to work hard and network, but you will definitely be able to become a manager in a short time frame.

If you want to be a manager and don’t know where to start, ask your current manager what her day-to-day duties are and what leadership/management courses she recommends.

Start now and you will be surprised at how quickly you can work your way up.

Side Hustle

If you have a passion or talent outside of nursing, and have some time on your hands between nursing shifts, why not pursue it?

If you have a knack for cooking then you could operate a food truck on the weekends, or maybe you want to start a clothing business, or tutor student nurses. The options are literally endless.

Side hustles can earn you more money on the side and every dollar can make a difference! And who knows… maybe your side hustle will eventually turn into a full-time gig (aka it’s okay if you change your mind and don’t want to be a nurse anymore - I won’t judge you for it).

Become a Writer

Ahem, hello! It’s me!

If you enjoy writing like I do, you should follow your passion. I have been paid to write articles for nursing websites in the past, getting around $200NZD per article. If you write one article per week, that could be half your rent paid!

Another option is to take a professional writing course and try to become a healthcare journalist, being paid to research and write articles and stories for large news companies. Or just create a blog for fun and see where that takes you!

Gain a Masters or Postgraduate Degree

I left this one for last purely because it would take the most time and effort, but would be well worth it!

Gaining a masters degree in your speciality will increase your abilities and skills as a nurse. You will be very sought after and can demand a high salary for your efforts. You usually will need at least 3-5+ years experience in one field before you can start a masters degree.

However, any postgraduate education is valuable and you can use this as a tool to leverage more income from your employer.

What other ideas do you have to increase income as a nurse?

Liv x