Nursing Entrepreneurs

traumaRUs, MSN, APRN

This field is wide open for enterprising nurses. So many opportunities, so little time! Here are just a few of the possibilities:

Website Designer

Best example of this is the allnurses.com site owner, Brian Short. He started AN while in nursing school, nursed it throughout his first few years of nursing and soon was able to go full time with this venture! It has grown into the largest nursing website on the internet with 760,000 + members.

Life Care Planner

This role is a registered nurse who uses the nursing process to assist clients with their goals for their lives. This can encompass planning for future disability or can be planning during an acute event. These nurses provide resources such as independent living, assisted living, nursing home, hospice, hospice home and nursing home. They can also serve as navigators through the healthcare system for clients, explaining medical terms, treatment plans, options, and securing a second opinion. A Life Care Planner can also serve as an expert witness.

Legal Nurse Consultant

This title encompasses several roles: expert witness, medical records reviewer, consultant to attorney explaining nursing care provided to a patient.

Nurse Authors

Many people in general like to write. However, a nurse author has a special slant on writing. Audiences are always looking for authentic medical books or articles. Nurses have the edge here!

Other Possible Options

Infusion agency
Nursing assistant school
Foot care
Medical massage
Tutoring
Nursing staffing agency
Nurse concierge
Nurse navigator
Mother-baby home nurse
Private duty nurse

Duties/Responsibilities/Salary

These will vary tremendously with the individual job, whether full time or part time, number of clients served, ability to bill insurance and just the individual involved.

Education/Experience

This will vary by individual entrepreneurial endeavor. However, in general, a nurse that is going to develop a company and sell a product (themselves) needs to have experience and education in business. It is paramount when one is the owner of the business that you have planned for a reasonable debt/asset ratio and that you have a working understanding of the governmental rules/regulations regarding running a business. Although an MBA would be nice to have, especially in the start-up phase of a company, realistically few nurses wish to invest the time/money needed to earn this degree when they have already decided. Nursing experience is also needed. When you figure that you will have a deficit in business education, having extensive nursing experience can be a huge plus.

Resources

National Association of Nurse Life Care Planners: This organization serves as a policy maker and clearinghouse for nurse life care planners. They also provide resources for further education and information for prospective life care planners. Certification information is also available on this site.

Wound care, Ostomy and Continence Nurses: This organization provides multiple certification wound and ostomy exams and also offers a very specialized foot care exam.

The Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators provides education, certification and many resources for nurse navigators. They provide explanation, education, friendship and genuine care as a patient goes through the pathway of a cancer diagnosis