A lesser known career path that some nurses take is to go into business for themselves. Now nurses, unlike doctors, do not commonly go into private practice. However, there are many other areas in which a nurse can go out to start a business and become a nurse entrepreneur.
Now being a nurse entrepreneur is not for everyone, you have to be willing to take some risk, and usually also have a small nest egg to tide you over during the lean times (especially when starting out). However, if you feel that you would like to start your own business as a nurse, then read on.
There are many different types of businesses that nurses can start, like, for example, a nursing consultancy in which a nurse can provide nursing consulting services to firms like law firms and/or provide health risk management advice for policies and procedures for various settings. This is a relatively low-cost business to start, in the beginning you might even be able to run it out of your own home, but it would be preferable to have an office.
Another good business area for nurse entrepreneurs is nursing education. There are many different areas where you can focus, like NCLEX test preparation, and the future is very bright for the industry due to the nursing shortage. On top of that, nursing education is a business that provides a valuable service to the community.
Finally, home-care is an industry that is growing by leaps and bounds. Some states may have laws that may pose some difficulty in getting setup and the initial setup costs may be a bit high due to the medical equipment that is required, however it is a lucrative and stable business.
Overall, nursing entrepreneurship is in its nascent stages but is a very promising field, as the nursing shortage worsens we will see more development in the field.
