7 Ways to Use Your Nursing License That Your Nursing School Never Mentioned
When I tell people I have nursing licenses in five jurisdictions, they usually ask: "Why would you need that many?"
When I tell them I run multiple businesses using my RN credential—none of which involve traditional bedside nursing—they look confused.
"Wait, you can DO that with a nursing license?"
Yes. Yes, you can.
Your nursing school probably painted a pretty narrow picture of what nursing looks like. Hospital. Clinic. Maybe home health if they were feeling adventurous.
But here's the truth: your nursing license is one of the most versatile professional credentials you can hold.
And most nurses have no idea what they're sitting on.
The licenses nobody talks about
Before we dive into the unconventional ways to use your license, let's talk about something most nurses don't consider: strategic licensing.
I'm licensed in Quebec, BC, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Minnesota. Not because I love paperwork (I definitely don't), but because each jurisdiction opened different opportunities.
Quebec? That's home base and where my ER trauma experience is rooted.
BC and the other Canadian provinces? Travel opportunities and access to different healthcare markets.
Minnesota? Gateway to US compact states and telehealth possibilities.
Each license cost me time and money upfront. But each one became a key to opportunities that single-state nurses couldn't access.
So before you roll your eyes at the idea of getting licensed somewhere new, consider: what doors could another license unlock for you?
Now, let's get to the unconventional part.
1. Legal Nurse Consulting
Lawyers need nurses. Desperately.
Medical malpractice cases, personal injury claims, workers' comp disputes—they all require someone who can translate medical records into language that makes sense in a courtroom.
That's where legal nurse consultants come in.
You review medical records, identify standards of care violations, help attorneys understand what actually happened clinically, and sometimes even testify as an expert witness.
Pay? Often $100-150+ per hour. And you can do it from home, on your own schedule.
Your ER trauma background? That's pure gold for personal injury and malpractice cases.
What it takes: Understanding of legal processes, attention to detail, and the ability to write clear reports. Certification available but not always required.
2. Medical Writing and Content Creation
Someone has to write all those patient education materials, pharmaceutical training modules, healthcare blog posts, and clinical guidelines.
Why not a nurse who actually understands the material?
I've watched nurses build entire businesses creating content for:
Healthcare tech companies
Pharmaceutical brands
Medical device companies
Patient advocacy organizations
Wellness brands
Other healthcare professionals
And here's the kicker: good medical writers are hard to find. Companies will pay well for nurses who can write clearly and accurately.
What it takes: Strong writing skills, ability to translate complex medical info into understandable content, and understanding of your audience.
3. Nurse Coaching and Consulting
This is where things get really interesting.
Patients are drowning in information but starving for guidance. They're Googling symptoms at 2am. They're confused about their diagnoses. They're trying to navigate specialists, medications, and lifestyle changes with zero support.
Enter: nurse coaches and health consultants.
You're not diagnosing or prescribing (that's outside your scope). But you ARE helping people:
Understand their conditions
Prepare questions for their doctors
Navigate the healthcare system
Make informed decisions about their care
Implement lifestyle changes that actually stick
I do this through HEAL—integrative health consultations that bridge holistic and modern medicine. My patients aren't looking for another doctor. They're looking for someone who understands BOTH worlds and can help them make sense of it all.
And because you're coaching, not treating? You can often work across state lines.
What it takes: Clear scope of practice boundaries, coaching certification (recommended), and passion for patient education.
4. Creating Digital Products for Patients
Remember all those questions patients ask you over and over?
"How do I manage my diabetes?"
"What should I eat after this surgery?"
"How do I know if this is an emergency?"
Those repeated questions? They're actually business opportunities.
Nurses are creating:
Digital courses teaching patients how to manage chronic conditions
Downloadable guides for post-op recovery, medication management, or symptom tracking
Membership communities for people with specific diagnoses
Apps and tools that help patients navigate their health
You create it once. It helps people forever. And you earn passive income while you sleep.
What it takes: Identifying a specific patient need, creating quality educational content, basic tech skills (or hiring someone who has them).
5. Corporate Wellness and Employee Health
Companies are desperate to keep their employees healthy and reduce insurance costs.
They need nurses to:
Run workplace wellness programs
Conduct health screenings and assessments
Provide one-on-one health coaching for employees
Design injury prevention programs
Manage workplace first aid and emergency response
Some nurses do this as consultants. Others get hired directly by corporations. Either way, you're using your clinical knowledge in a completely different environment.
No nights. No weekends. No bedpans.
What it takes: Understanding of occupational health, communication skills, and ability to work with non-clinical leadership.
6. Retreat and Event Medical Coverage
Music festivals. Marathons. Destination weddings. Corporate retreats. Wilderness expeditions.
All of these need medical coverage. And they're willing to pay nurses well to be on-site.
I've met nurses who:
Travel with bands on tour
Work film sets
Cover adventure races
Provide medical support at yoga retreats and wellness events
Staff cruise ships (not just for travel nursing—also for event coverage)
It's not steady income for most people. But it's an incredible way to combine nursing with travel, adventure, and experiences you'd never have at a hospital bedside.
What it takes: Flexibility, solid emergency skills, and comfort working independently with limited resources.
7. Creating and Selling Nursing Education
Here's something most nurses don't realize: other nurses will pay you to teach them.
New grads are terrified and desperate for mentorship. Experienced nurses want to level up their skills. Nurses exploring new specialties need guidance.
I built DISCOVER (my travel nursing mentorship program) because nurses kept asking me the same questions about licensing, contracts, and breaking into travel nursing. Now it's a core part of my business.
Other nurses are creating:
NCLEX prep programs (I have a 95% pass rate with my mentees)
Specialty certification courses
Skills workshops and bootcamps
Membership communities for ongoing education
One-on-one mentorship programs
Your 13 years of ER trauma experience? That's not just a resume line. That's expertise people will pay to learn from.
What it takes: Teaching skills, clear curriculum design, and understanding what nurses actually struggle with (hint: it's rarely what schools think it is).
The common thread
Notice what all of these have in common?
They all leverage your clinical expertise and your nursing license. But none of them require you to work bedside in a hospital if that's not what lights you up anymore.
Your license isn't just permission to hang IV bags and pass meds. It's proof that you have specialized knowledge that people desperately need—in lots of different ways.
The question is: are you limiting yourself to the conventional paths, or are you willing to explore what else is possible?
Where to start
If any of this sparked something in you, here's what I'd suggest:
Start with one small step. You don't have to quit your job tomorrow and launch a business.
But you could:
Research what legal nurse consulting looks like in your area
Write one blog post about something you know deeply
Offer to coach one person through a health challenge
Create one simple guide for patients with a condition you treat all the time
Reach out to a local company about workplace wellness needs
Your nursing license is already in your hand.
You just have to decide what doors you want to unlock with it.
Curious about building something beyond bedside? I help nurses explore unconventional career paths and build businesses around their clinical expertise through BUILD. Because your license is a key—and there are way more doors than they told you about in nursing school.
Care. Connect. Change.
