A nurse entrepreneur is a nurse who starts their own business. Nurse entrepreneurs can go into any area of business they think is viable, like consulting, IV therapy, or health writing. Nurses have a unique inside view of the healthcare system and a patient’s experience. These skills give nurses tools to educate and provide value to their clients in whichever area they choose.
Nurses who go into business for themselves can continue to work closely with patients, or they can leave patient care altogether. As entrepreneurs, nurses must take on a mountain of new responsibilities, but they also have flexibility and independence in when they work and what they do.
Where Do Nurse Entrepreneurs Work?
Nurses who go into business for themselves may start off working from home. They may visit clients as a part of their work and eventually open office space as their business grows. Nurse entrepreneurs can open up shop for a wide array of roles:
Freelance editor
Freelance health writer
Homecare agency owner
IV hydration
Lactation counseling
Legal nurse consultant
Massage therapy
Medical spa owner
Private practice (for nurse practitioners)
Wellness coach
Depending on what type of business a nurse chooses to launch, they may spend a lot of time visiting patients at home. Others, like those who open spas or private practices, will have a physical office or client-facing property. A nurse entrepreneur can work as much or as little as they’d like.
What Does a Nurse Entrepreneur Do?
Nurse entrepreneurs wear many hats. When they start their own business, they become the CEO, CFO, accountant, nurse, janitor, advertising department, and human resources officer. Even if they work alone, nurse entrepreneurs will have a lot of varying responsibilities compared to nurses who work for someone else.
To open a business, nurses must choose how they want to register with their local government. They can choose to be a corporation, single vs. multiple-member LLC, or partnership. Many nurses hire a lawyer to help them navigate these waters at the start of their business.
Nurse entrepreneurs either submit their own taxes to the state or federal government on a quarterly or monthly basis, and are responsible for keeping impeccable accounting records. If a nurse owns a larger business, they may decide to hire an accountant to delegate these tasks.
When nurses run their own businesses, they must figure out how to attract clients. They budget for advertising expenses and network with their professional and personal communities to find potential leads and streams of revenue.
When it comes to nursing work, a nurse entrepreneur may stay hands-on with patients and clients, or they can delegate these tasks and just handle the administrative side of things. If a nurse runs an IV hydration company, for example, they may:
Visit patients at home
Start IVs and deliver IV fluids
Order fluids and supplies
Troubleshoot customer service issues
Assure their practice aligns with local medical best practices
A freelance nurse writer, on the other hand, doesn’t see patients. Instead, they use their communication skills to educate with their writing. Their day might include:
Networking with other writers and potential clients
Outlining health articles
Writing and editing articles
Reading press releases and other health news
Pitching article ideas to editors
What a nurse entrepreneur does depends heavily on which area they choose to do business in. They can choose to see patients or not. They can go into an office or work from home. Nurse entrepreneurs can build their professional life from the ground up.
How Do I Become a Nurse Entrepreneur?
Nurse entrepreneurs must start by graduating from an accredited nursing program with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). As graduate nurses (GNs), they may apply to work as nurses-in-training at the bedside. Bedside experience will give nurse entrepreneurs credibility when they branch out on their own.
When a nurse passes the state licensing exam, the NCLEX-RN, they may practice as a registered nurse (RN). Prospective nurse entrepreneurs can benefit from all nursing specialties. Experience on units for cardiology, surgery, neurology, orthopedics, labor and delivery, and critical care will give nurses invaluable knowledge for the future.
Nurses who earn advanced degrees like a Master of Science in Nursing or a Doctor of Nursing Practice may be able to operate in a few more business options than nurses who stop with their BSN. Nurse practitioners have a masters-level education and can open an office to practice medicine just like a primary care doctor.
Legal nurse consultants can obtain their Legal Nurse Consultant Certification (LNCC) from the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants. To apply, nurses must have a current unrestricted license, have five years of experience as a practicing RN, and be able to prove 2,000 hours of legal nurse experience within the last five years.
If a nurse wants to open a lactation counseling business, they may test to become International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). To be eligible for this certification, nurses must:
Complete 14 Health Science Courses OR
95 hours of lactation education, including five hours focused on communication skills OR
1000 hours of lactation specific supervised clinical practice within the five years immediately prior to examination application
Complete an accredited academic program in human lactation and breastfeeding, plus 300 hours of supervised lactation specific clinical practice
Complete a preapproved mentorship with IBCLC, including 500 hours of directly supervised lactation specific clinical practice
Nurse entrepreneurs can seek out specialized education and certification in any area of medicine they choose. The more a nurse knows about their field, the better services they will be able to offer their clients.
How Much Does a Nurse Entrepreneur Make Per Year?
Nurse entrepreneur pay can vary depending on which field they go into. Legal nurse consultants, for example, can charge around $150/hour if they work independently. This rate can go up to $300-500/hour if they are asked to testify in court. Lactation consultants make $90,414 a year according to Salary.com, which shakes out to about $43/hour. As nurse entrepreneurs grow their businesses and expertise, they can charge more.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not specify salaries for nurse entrepreneurs, but the differences in compensation depend on the area lived in, just as it does for RNs. For example, a nurse entrepreneur can charge more on the west coast and New England, but these areas also have a higher cost of living.
Certified nurse entrepreneurs can be paid more than a nurse who is not certified, depending on their business and clients. In general, the more experience and proof of expertise, the more a nurse entrepreneur will be able to earn.
What Are the Benefits of Being a Nurse Entrepreneur?
For nurses who are organized, self-motivated, and ready to break out of the nursing grind, entrepreneurship may offer an exciting new path. Nurses who work for themselves have a lot of say in what they do, when and where they do it, and who they do business with.
Nurse entrepreneurs must stay up to date with the latest research and news in their field, and so are often apprised of the latest and greatest medicine has to offer. They can also earn more than a bedside nurse if their business becomes profitable.
Additional Resources About Becoming a Nurse Entrepreneur
To learn more about becoming a nurse entrepreneur, these additional resources may help:
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