How to Leave Nursing Behind Without Leaving Nursing Behind
By Elizabeth Hanes BSN RN
Freelance health journalist and founder of RN2writer
Elizabeth is a former nurse turned six-figure freelance writer. Her work has appeared in WebMD, Verywell Health, Cardinal Health, and many other major healthcare brands and publications. She now helps nurses transition to freelance writing through RN2writer - an accredited provider of Continuing Nursing Education.
Are you a nurse who loves the profession but finds yourself dreaming of life beyond the bedside? You're not alone. The 12-hour shifts, physical demands, and emotional toll of clinical nursing can eventually lead to burnout—even for the most passionate healthcare professionals.
But what if you could transfer your nursing expertise into a fulfilling home-based career without abandoning the essence of what drew you to nursing in the first place? Health writing offers exactly that opportunity.
Nursing Knowledge: Your Most Valuable Asset
As a nurse, you possess something incredibly valuable: specialized healthcare knowledge combined with real-world patient experience. This unique perspective is in high demand across numerous industries, from healthcare organizations to wellness publications.
Health writing allows you to continue practicing nursing—just with words instead of stethoscopes. You're still educating patients, translating complex medical concepts, and improving health outcomes. The medium has changed, but your mission remains the same.
Starting Your Side Hustle While Still at the Bedside
The beauty of transitioning to health writing is that you don't need to make a dramatic career leap overnight. Instead, you can build your writing business gradually while maintaining the security of your nursing position.
Here's how to begin:
- Identify your nursing niche. What area of healthcare are you most knowledgeable about? Pediatrics? Oncology? Mental health? Focusing on your specialty initially makes content creation easier and positions you as an expert.
- Create a simple portfolio. The proven RN2writer method for getting your first "clips" (portfolio pieces) involves volunteering to write for a nonprofit organization. It's a simple, ethical way to get clips that thousands of RN2writer students have used to start their portfolios and move on to paying work.
- Seek out clients. Send query letters to magazines or find corporations that publish web pages, blog posts, or downloadable case studies or white papers. If a company publishes content, they undoubtedly need writers. Introduce yourself!
- Network with other nurse writers. Join online communities like RN2writer's own Success Society, social media groups, and professional organizations for healthcare writers. These connections can lead to mentorship, job referrals, and valuable industry insights.
Scaling Up: From Side Hustle to Full-Time Health Writing
As your portfolio grows and your confidence builds, you can gradually increase your writing income while decreasing your clinical hours. This transition period might look like:
- Reducing to part-time nursing while taking on more consistent writing projects
- Specializing in content marketing for healthcare companies, which often pays better than journalism
- Developing relationships with regular clients who provide steady work
- Exploring different writing formats (newsletters, blog posts, white papers, social media content)
Many nurses find they can match or exceed their clinical income once they've established themselves as professional health writers. The key is building momentum before making the full leap.
Why Nurses Make Exceptional Health Writers
Your nursing background gives you distinct advantages in the health writing marketplace:
- You understand medical terminology and can translate it into plain language
- You have firsthand experience with patients and healthcare systems
- You recognize the importance of evidence-based information
- You bring credibility with your nursing credentials (RN, BSN, etc.)
- You're trained to communicate complex information with empathy
These skills make you invaluable to publications and companies seeking authentic healthcare content that connects with readers.
Beyond the Paycheck: The Benefits of Health Writing
While the financial aspects of health writing are appealing (flexible schedule, unlimited income potential, no commute), many nurse writers report that the intangible benefits are equally rewarding:
- The ability to impact thousands of patients through your writing
- Freedom to work around family commitments
- Opportunities to advocate for healthcare issues you're passionate about
- Reduced physical strain and workplace stress
- Continued connection to nursing without the burnout factors
Taking the First Step
The journey from bedside nurse to successful health writer begins with a single article. Look at the wealth of knowledge you've accumulated throughout your nursing career and consider how you might shape it into valuable content.
Remember that nursing has never been limited to direct patient care. The essence of nursing—education, advocacy, and compassion—translates perfectly to health writing. You're not leaving nursing behind; you're expanding its definition and carrying its values into a new arena.
Whether you're seeking a complete career change or just a fulfilling side hustle, health writing offers nurses a way to leverage their expertise, reclaim their work-life balance, and continue making a difference in patients' lives—just from the comfort of home.
