The best side hustles for nurses in Canada use what you know, clinical knowledge, patient teaching, and calm under pressure, in work that isn’t hands-on nursing care: tutoring nursing students, writing health content, building courses, and remote admin or childcare. If a side gig involves providing nursing care, you’re practising nursing, and your college’s rules on registration, scope of practice, and liability protection apply. Check those and your employer’s outside-work policy before you start.
This page is part of the side hustles by skill series. If shift work makes fixed schedules hard, side hustles for introverts and side hustles without a car list flexible remote options. The most direct skill match is online tutoring.
| Nursing skill | Side hustle | Beginner guide |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching patients and students | Tutoring nursing students | Online tutoring |
| Explaining health topics plainly | Health writing | Freelance writing |
| Structured teaching | Online courses | Online courses |
| Charting and coordination | Remote admin | Virtual assistant |
| Caring for children | Babysitting | Babysitting |
What are the best side hustles for nurses in Canada?
The best side hustles for nurses in Canada fit irregular shifts and don’t involve delivering nursing care outside your job. The groups below are non-clinical.
Tutoring nursing students
Nursing students need help with pharmacology, care plans, and exam prep. Online tutoring lets you book sessions around shifts; the tutoring pricing guide helps you set a rate. If you also precept students at work, don’t tutor the same students privately for pay; that’s a conflict.
Health and medical writing
Health publishers, clinics, and wellness brands need accurate, plain-language content. Start with freelance writing and pick a niche you know. Don’t use patient stories or any information from work, and avoid giving individual medical advice in what you publish.
Courses and digital products
Study guides, exam-prep courses, and shift planners can sell over time. See online courses, printables, and Notion templates.
Remote admin and care work
Nurses are organised and good at documentation, which suits virtual assistant work. Off-shift babysitting is another option; tell parents you’re babysitting, not providing nursing care.
What professional rules apply to nurses with a side hustle?
Nursing is regulated provincially, so your own college’s rules apply. Ontario’s are a useful public example:
- Liability protection. The College of Nurses of Ontario says practising nurses must have professional liability protection (PLP). Nurses in the General, Extended, Temporary, Emergency Assignment and Special Assignment classes must hold it even if they aren’t currently practising, and those in non-clinical roles still need it.
- Minimum amounts. At least $1 million per claim for the General, Temporary, Emergency Assignment and Special Assignment classes, and $5 million per claim for the Extended Class (NPs). If coverage has a yearly maximum, it must be at least $2 million for those classes and $5 million for NPs.
- Employer coverage has limits. CNO says your employer’s insurance may cover you as staff, but you’re responsible for confirming it meets the minimum and fits your circumstances. It suggests considering your own PLP to avoid gaps. Ask whether it covers anything you do outside that job.
Your employer’s code of conduct matters too. Public-sector rules are a good illustration: the federal Directive on Conflict of Interest FAQ says outside activities should be on your own time, not use employer property, and not use non-public information from your job. Hospitals and health authorities set their own policies, so read yours.
How much can nurses earn from a side hustle?
It depends on the hustle, your hours, and your local market. This page doesn’t estimate earnings. The worked example below shows the arithmetic only.
Illustrative example
Assumed numbers: a nurse tutors 3 nursing students for an hour each on days off, at an assumed $45 per session, for 20 weeks.
- Sessions: 3 × 20 = 60
- Revenue: 60 × $45 = $2,700
- Less an assumed $150 for a video-call subscription and materials: $2,700 − $150 = $2,550 before tax
What mistakes do nurses make with side hustles?
- Drifting into clinical advice. Answering a client’s personal health question can blur into practice.
- Using work information. Never use patient details or employer materials.
- Assuming employer PLP covers side work. Confirm in writing, or get your own.
- Booking around a schedule you don’t control. Leave buffer for shift changes and overtime.
- Skipping the tax set-aside. Side income has no withholding.
How is a nurse’s side hustle taxed in Canada?
Report self-employment income and expenses on Form T2125. If net self-employment earnings exceed $3,500, you generally pay both halves of CPP contributions on that income outside Quebec. GST/HST registration only becomes mandatory above the $30,000 small-supplier threshold. Read how much tax to set aside and side hustle expense deductions. Tax software such as Wealthsimple Tax TODO-AFFILIATE supports the T2125.
This is not tax, legal, or professional regulatory advice.
Which guides sit next to side hustles for nurses in Canada?
Online tutoring first clients, freelance writing rates, side hustles for teachers, and side hustles for retired professionals for retired nurses. For the business side, read side hustle insurance and simple freelance contracts.
What are the common questions?
Can nurses have a side hustle in Canada?
Yes, as long as it follows your nursing college's rules and your employer's outside-work and conflict-of-interest policies. Non-clinical work like tutoring, writing, and online courses avoids most scope-of-practice questions.
Do nurses need their own liability insurance for side work?
In Ontario, CNO says practising nurses must have professional liability protection of at least $1 million per claim for the General Class, and nurses are responsible for confirming any employer coverage meets the minimum and fits their circumstances. Ask whether it covers work outside that job before starting.
Can a nurse tutor nursing students?
Yes. Tutoring is a common fit. Avoid privately tutoring students you supervise or precept at work, since that creates a conflict of interest.
Is health writing a good side hustle for nurses?
It can be. Nurses can write plain-language health content for publishers and clinics. Never use patient information, and avoid giving individual medical advice in published content.
How do nurses report side hustle income?
Self-employment income goes on Form T2125 with your tax return. If net self-employment earnings exceed $3,500, you generally pay both halves of CPP contributions on it outside Quebec.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Professional Liability Protection (PLP) — College of Nurses of Ontario
- Frequently asked questions: Directive on Conflict of Interest — Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
- Form T2125, Statement of Business or Professional Activities — Canada Revenue Agency
- Contributions to the Canada Pension Plan — Government of Canada
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency