Combining medical expertise, practical skills, and public trust, nurses are well-positioned to become successful entrepreneurs. According to a Gallup poll, 76% of Americans consider nurses to be highly honest and ethical, making them the most trusted profession among the 23 occupations measured.

Read on to discover top business ideas for nurses where you can use your nursing skills and experience to build a successful venture.

Transferable business skills for nurses

Bedside nursing involves making life-and-death decisions while managing demanding patients, stressed families, and changing protocols. Those same high-pressure skills that keep hospital units functioning smoothly also make for great entrepreneurs:

• Problem-solving. As a nurse, you’ve likely had to improvise a quick fix when a piece of equipment malfunctions or a patient’s condition takes an unexpected turn. That same quick-on-your-feet problem-solving is an asset in entrepreneurship, where overcoming sudden challenges and finding creative solutions is part of the job description. 

• Communication. Nurses spend their days communicating clearly under pressure—that might mean translating medical jargon into plain language for a worried patient one minute, then briefing a doctor on a critical blood pressure update the next. This knack for clear and compassionate communication translates to business, whether you’re pitching your vision to potential investors or training your staff. 

• Adaptability. In nursing, one shift may bring an unexpected influx of patients, while the next involves suddenly learning a new electronic medical record system on the fly. Being able to adjust quickly and thrive in the face of change is just as fundamental in business, where nurse entrepreneurs must pivot or adapt to market surprises to keep their ventures on track.

• Empathy. Nurses show empathy in countless small ways each day, helping patients and families. That same genuine compassion becomes a powerful tool in business that can help you build relationships grounded in trust with clients and employees. 

• Leadership. On any given shift, an experienced nurse might coordinate a team during a hectic emergency or mentor a new nurse through their first tough night. This kind of natural leadership on the hospital floor prepares nurses to make tough calls, keep their team motivated, and navigate whatever startup curveballs come their way.

10 business ideas for nurses

1. Launch a nurse-designed workwear line
2. Start a home health care agency
3. Open a medical spa
4. Start a mobile IV service
5. Offer prenatal and postnatal support services
6. Establish a legal nurse consulting practice
7. Create a nursing tutoring, training, or education service
8. Develop a health and wellness coaching program
9. Become a content creator
10. Create a home care product line

Health care consumers are increasingly willing to pay out of pocket for services that feel more personal and convenient than traditional medical care—like mobile IV hydration at home (a $568.5 million market in the US in 2024). Your nursing license and clinical experience give you instant credibility in ventures where trust is everything: 

1. Launch a nurse-designed workwear line

Nurses spend long hours in uniforms, and there’s demand for scrubs and footwear that are more comfortable and functional. The global medical clothing market was worth $109.5 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $187.53 billion by 2032. Nurses have unique insight into what’s missing in scrubs and work accessories.

For example, nurse-founded brand OliveUs redesigned scrubs to include a specialized hip pocket that holds stethoscopes securely against the body, eliminating the need to wear them around the neck where they collect bacteria and create safety hazards.

Talk to colleagues about their gripes with current work attire—stiff fabrics, limited stretch, too few pockets, poor sizing—then use this feedback to design improvements. You can partner with a manufacturer or medical uniform supplier for small batch production, then have real nurses test prototypes during long shifts. After tweaking your designs based on feedback, create an online store and promote your brand in person and online.

2. Start a home health care agency

One in six Americans (16.8%) were aged 65 and over in 2020, and the decade from 2010 to 2020 saw the fastest growth rate for older adults in over a century. With an aging population, home health care is a fast-growing segment of health care, as many seniors would prefer to age at home rather than move to a facility. This trend fuels high demand for in-home care services, from basic nursing care to help with daily activities.

As a nurse entrepreneur, you can tap into this need by starting a home health care agency, coordinating a team of caregivers or nurses to provide medical support, therapy, and personal care to clients in their own homes. You’ll handle the business side—hiring qualified staff, managing schedules, and making sure clients get quality care. 

3. Open a medical spa

Medical spas offer services like Botox injections and laser treatments that often require clinical oversight that nurses or nurse practitioners can supply. The global medical spa industry was estimated at $18.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $49.4 billion by 2030, with North America holding a 41.1% market share. Nurses are at the forefront of this opportunity. In 2022, about 23% of single-owner med spas were nurse-owned businesses.

Opening a med spa involves securing and operating a physical space, setting up appointment booking infrastructure, and hiring staff. You can also expand the business by curating and selling facial care products, or even developing your own product offering.

4. Start a mobile IV service

IV hydration therapy has exploded in popularity as a wellness trend, and nurses are uniquely qualified to lead this kind of business. The idea is to provide IV infusions—saline hydration, vitamins, electrolytes, even medications like anti-nausea or mild pain relievers—to clients in convenient settings (like their home or office, or at events) rather than a clinic. As a registered nurse, you already have the core skill of inserting IV lines and monitoring patients, putting you ahead in this field.

You’ll need the right supplies and legal foundation before launching your service. Prepare an IV kit with cannulas, IV fluids, antiseptics, gloves, and other personal protective equipment, plus a sharps container for safe needle disposal and emergency supplies in case of adverse reactions. You’ll likely need to obtain a local business license based on your jurisdiction and liability insurance to protect against potential complications. To take appointments with customers, create a website with booking functionality—for example, Shopify lets you integrate with booking apps like Cowlendar and Meety.

5. Offer prenatal and postnatal support 

Nurses with obstetrics or labor and delivery experience can turn their expertise into a venture by providing childbirth and newborn care classes and services. Many expectant parents are anxious about the birth process and caring for a newborn, seeking guidance outside their often-rushed doctor’s appointments.

A certified childbirth educator (which includes doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation educators) might teach weekly prenatal courses covering labor techniques, breastfeeding, and newborn baby care. In several states, clients may even be able to use Medicaid funds to pay for doula care services.

6. Establish a legal nurse consulting practice

If you have a detail-oriented mind and an interest in law, legal nurse consulting could be your niche. Legal nurse consultants are experienced RNs who help attorneys interpret medical records, understand medical protocols, and evaluate medical aspects of legal cases (like malpractice suits or personal injury claims). It’s a smaller field, but one with high earning potential: Legal nurse consultants earn an average of $103,453 per year, compared to the $86,070 per year median for registered nurses.

As an independent legal nurse consultant, you might review case files for law firms, sit as an expert witness in court, or advise on health care regulations. By marketing your services to attorneys and insurance companies, you can build a consulting business that taps into your clinical nursing knowledge in a whole new way.

7. Create a nursing tutoring, training, or education service

If you love teaching, consider starting a tutoring or training service for nursing students and new grads. Each year, tens of thousands of aspiring nurses are turned away from programs or fail to pass their licensure exams. By offering tutoring for modules like anatomy, pharmacology, or National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) prep, you can help fill an educational gap.

You could team up with nursing schools, offer one-on-one tutoring, or even write and sell digital products like study guides and courses. For example, some nurse entrepreneurs host NCLEX review bootcamps or run YouTube channels with nursing tips.

8. Develop a health and wellness coaching program

The wellness economy in North America is valued at a whopping $2.2 trillion across sectors; preventive health and lifestyle coaching is a slice of that. You can offer one-on-one coaching or group programs to help clients meet weight loss, nutrition, stress management, or fitness goals. You might create a 12-week wellness bootcamp or provide personalized health plans.

To stand out, focus on medical conditions where your nursing background gives you credibility that general wellness coaches lack—like helping diabetics manage blood sugar, coaching cardiac patients through recovery protocols, or supporting clients with chronic pain management. Your advantage is in understanding both the medical side and practical implementation; you can emphasize that you’ve seen what works and what doesn’t in real clinical settings.

Market your services through Facebook groups for specific conditions, local community centers where people with chronic conditions seek support, and Google Ads targeting search keywords in your area of focus, like “PCOS weight management” or “kidney disease nutrition.”

9. Become a content creator

Building a following through health and wellness content across channels like YouTube, TikTok, or your own blog allows you to speak to fellow nurses, nursing students, or the general public seeking reliable health and medical information.

As you establish an audience, you’ll have various options for monetizing your content. You can make money from digital advertising revenue, become an affiliate marketer for health and wellness products, or create sponsored content for health brands. YouTube channels allow you to earn money through revenue sharing, brand sponsorship, and promoting your own courses or consulting services. On social media, you can generate income through creator funds and brand partnerships.

You might even land a book deal. For example, Julie McFadden, known as Hospice Nurse Julie, has built more than 1.7 million TikTok followers by normalizing death and dying through educational content, which led to her writing a bestselling book.

10. Create a home care product line 

With more than 92.3 million surgeries performed in 2024 in the US, many patients have short hospital stays and are then discharged to recover fully at home. This creates an opportunity for nurses to develop specialized care kits based on their clinical experience. Patients recovering from surgeries like hip replacements or cesarean sections often need specialized supplies at home. While hospitals typically provide some items to last a few days, patients are left to hunt down the rest across different pharmacies, medical supply stores, and online retailers.

For example, the brand Frida offers a C-Section Recovery Kit that includes an upside-down peri bottle, disposable postpartum underwear, abdominal support binder, no-rinse body wipes, silicone scar patches, and grip socks.

To start developing your own product line, identify common discharge scenarios and source essential items from medical suppliers. Wound care kits might include medical-grade cleaner, gauze, and antimicrobial ointment, while post-surgical recovery packages might contain compression garments and mobility aids. Package your kits with nurse-written instruction cards, set up your online storefront, and consider reaching out to discharge planners or case managers who might recommend your kits to patients.d