Ways Nurses Can Make Extra Money

Nursing is a noble profession, and yet they have to work for a lousy pay with poor benefits. Their job is already stressful, and if they have to pay student loans, their inadequate salary makes things even worse. The good news is that nurses can earn extra by following the methods mentioned below.

Per Diem Shifts

Through nursing staffing agencies, nurses can pick up shifts whenever and wherever they want. These nursing agencies provide nursing staff to fulfill the staffing needs of an understaffed organization. This way, you can work on your off days and make some extra cash.

Work Overtime

Nurses can earn more by working overtime in their own organization; by doing so, you’ll also show the management that you are willing to pitch extra. But be cautious when you choose to work overtime, it could lead to extra fatigue or burnout, resulting in compromised health of yourself or your patient.

Advanced Degree

Getting an advances degree is the surest way to earn extra cash as a nurse; you can become a nurse manager or advanced practice registered nurse. Neonatal nurse earns a base salary of $107,500 while gerontology nurse earns $91,790, so consider getting an advanced degree if you want to earn more.

First Aid Instructor

A nurse can become first aid instructors after completing relevant certification from a reputable organization. After completing their certification, they can provide first aid instructions to schools, organizations, or parents of at-risk children, etc.

Tele-health Nurse

Technology has created new opportunities for workers of all fields; nurses can provide health advice to patients situated in remote areas through telephone or video chat platforms. This way, they can work part-time to earn extra money and help those in need.

Immunization Nurse

If you are looking for seasonal opportunities working as a nurse at an immunization clinic is the way to go. Immunization nurses are required around September before the flu season starts. Several grocery stores, companies, churches, and other organizations sign up to provide flu shots and require the assistance of doctors and nurses to manage these programs.

Medical Coding

You can work as a medical coder after finishing the relevant certification. Medical coders classify medical diagnoses and list relevant medical billing codes for an insurance claim. You may be able to work from home if you choose to become a medical coder as these organizations often allow remote working.

Medical Transcription

A medical transcriptionist turns audio medical reports into written reports. Nurses can work part-time from anywhere they want as a medical transcriptionist to earn extra. All you need is a computer, a good internet connection, and a certification to qualify for the job.

Nursing Home

Nursing homes always require nurses who can take care of elderly patients with chronic illnesses. You can work part-time in these facilities by giving two-three hours a day or during weekends to earn extra money.

Phlebotomy Work

Insurance companies pay nurses to do phlebotomy work and physical exams. Phlebotomy work is a convenient way to earn extra as you may be able to work from the patient’s home. Not only will you be able to earn extra, but you’ll also be able to improve your skills as well.

Medical Writing

If you are passionate about writing, you can work as a health/medical writer to earn a little extra. Health-related articles are always in demand, as several health-related websites and magazines hire freelance writers to create fresh content for them.

What is critical thinking in nursing?

What does critical thinking mean in nursing? Are you doing all things right in nursing school? These are the burning questions in the minds of nursing students, so let’s break them down. There are two parts of critical thinking in nursing. Number 1: putting all the puzzle pieces together, and point number 2: planning ahead. Now, what does that mean? Here are some simple tips to follow them.

Step number one!

Putting all the pieces together means that when the nurses are at their nursing school clinics, they should not only excel in writing a care plan or a paper on the patient, but also understand the disease, processes, disorders, or health issues that the patient would be facing. They should be able to tie all of that information together and connect the dots. Critical thinking in nursing goes beyond just learning about heart failure, COPD, stroke, and all of those other medical-surgical disorders. The nurses need to understand all of these medical domains.

Critical thinking in nursing takes expertise one step further, as it demands nurses to apply all that knowledge into action in patient-care and figure out how that disorder relates to the other health issues they have, decide what they need to assess for or figure out what interventions should and should not be done.

A deep analytical understanding helps nursing students excel in academics but it also shapes the perspective of looking into the subject as well. Let’s walk through an example. The nurse has a patient who is overweight, has diabetes and hypertension. All of these three issues go hand in hand. The patient tells that his diabetic medications, as prescribed, will make him all better. Does that go to help solve all three problems? No! The nurse needs to critically think through the pathophysiology of each disorder and connect the dots to know what to do further. In this case, an anti-diabetic medication can help reduce blood sugar. Still, a healthy diet and exercise should be added to help lower blood pressure, and possibly an anti-hypertensive medication treatment as well.

Step number two!

How often do you get into a patient’s room and realize you don’t have everything you need or you have forgotten something. Planning helps you not to get tripped up and have to backtrack what you are doing. The nurses need to make sure before performing any task. Take a minute, think about the task requirements which are about to be done, walk through it and make sure that the game is all planned down before the commencement. Make a list of all the things needed in the execution of the patient assessment, wound care, giving medications and others. So, by planning, the nurses will have a list of all the things they need before they enter a room to assess the patient. This helps and prepares for the unexpected that is a huge consideration as a result of critical thinking. And of course, eventually, the more nurses do this better, the more they will be able to critically think through everything and automatically know what to do to be always prepared.