Nurse’s Side Gig: TruCare Foot Health

Nurse’s Side Gig: TruCare Foot Health

If you’ve ever dreamed of having a side gig providing in-home patient care, Amanda Truffen, a Registered Palliative Care Nurse at Carpenter Hospice, is already doing just that.

Truffen used to work full-time in her hospice job, but now she works part-time there and spends her other time working in her side gig, TruCare Foot Health .

Truffen took time from her busy schedule to answer our questions about her business. What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.

Why did you start your side gig providing foot care for patients in their homes? How did you go about it, and had you worked in foot care before you began your own business?

I love my job at the hospice in my home city, although I found that I needed a plan to supplement my income. Taking advice from my friend, who was a Chiropodist, I went back to school and became certified in Basic and Advanced foot care. This would allow me to provide foot care for diabetic and non-diabetic clients. I called my side gig business TruCare Foot Health.

To get started and build experience in foot care, I worked on my days off for my friend, the chiropodist, in her clinic. This was an amazing opportunity for me. She was there to teach and guide me.

Her suggestion for me was to venture out on my own and provide foot care in client homes.

Many people in the community can’t get to an appointment or don’t want to. Many seniors rely on family to get them to their appointments. If a foot care nurse could go to their home, that would be one less thing they would have to request from them.

How did you know there was a need in the community for your service?

While working at the clinic, I would hear clients mention that they wished someone would come to their homes. It would make things easier for them. My friend was right! There was a need in the community.

I finally decided I was ready, then started spreading the word that I would go to the clients’ homes to provide foot care. A few of my first clients were from the foot clinic.

Some clients were those who had been taking taxis, had vision problems, and had difficulty walking. I also got other clients from the volunteers at the hospice.

I have built up close to 100 clients I see every six weeks. They are all seniors except two middle-aged men who work in construction and have feet that need some TLC. These men can claim their benefits, although coverage is tricky. Clients need to check with their insurance companies. Every policy is different. They may get full coverage, partial, or no coverage at all.

Do you have previous entrepreneurial experience or have you learned on the go? 

This is my first experience with my own business. I had no idea what I was doing.

My uncle has a marketing consultancy, and he helped me with my business cards, posters, website, and every other marketing need. I still get compliments on his great work.

What are your most significant rewards of having a side gig?

My business is growing quickly, and I’m glad I did it. I love it. I make my own hours and can take my four kids to appointments and activities.

I also love this new path because I enjoy people—especially seniors. I see the same clients over and over and build relationships with them. They fill me in on their lives and their families’ lives.

When I visit their homes, I feel that I am not just there for foot care. They look forward to having company and building a relationship. It’s more like an experience.

I most enjoy the stories of their lives; they love to reminisce. It’s often a special time with lots of laughs.

I would tell any nurse who enjoys people and makes them feel pampered to start their side gig.

Providing foot care in the comfort of their own home is the way to go. There is a huge need in the community, and once your name is out there, it will just snowball.

Nurse’s Side Gig: Skincare Blogger

Nurse’s Side Gig: Skincare Blogger

Have you ever wondered if you could have a side gig as a skincare blogger? Could you make money at it? Would you like it?

Christina Diferdinando, DNP, RN-BC, has done just that. While she’s had an amazing career from everything as an ER nurse to a nurse providing project management, digital strategy, and quality improvement, her full-time job now is as the director of product operations at the Digital Innovation Group within a large healthcare organization. She currently partners with leaders to uncover and understand their most significant pain points and opportunities to inform what digital solutions they build and to inform new features for their current solutions.

But her side gig, which is eponymously named, is Christina DiFerdinando. While blogging as a skincare specialist, she used her name as her brand if she chose to expand or pivot her niche.

She took time to answer our questions. What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.  

Why did you decide to start blogging about skincare? When did you start it, and how did you go about it? 

Blogging Interest

I’ve always been interested in owning my own business, but I was looking for a digital way to earn passive income. I wanted to avoid the overhead of investing and testing in a physical product business. I also enjoyed the flexibility to travel—one that didn’t require me to be at home fulfilling orders, managing inventory, etc.

I Googled different ways to earn passive income and found that blogging could be very profitable within a few years if done correctly.

I started to learn more about the blogging business and how to generate passive income via affiliate marketing and ad revenue.

This began with selecting a niche that wasn’t too competitive—e.g., focusing on a sub-niche within a broader niche to get more traffic and prove authority/expertise to Google–by doing some keyword research and analysis, determining what topic I could write at least 100+ articles and a niche that I wanted to grow/establish myself in.

I took a few courses to help me learn how to start a blogging business, develop my blogging strategy, and view this as a business rather than a side hobby.

These courses taught me about SEO, how to create a topical mapping (e.g., a plan to support your transactional posts—for example, money-making posts) with informational posts (which build authority and traffic), and which keywords to go after.

Right now, I’m learning more about writing sales copy and getting backlinks to help improve my domain authority to increase my post rankings by Google—to rank as one of the top three search listings on Google when searching for a specific keyword.

I love learning, testing to see what works, looking at my data to see how I can improve my posts, finding keywords to drive more traffic to my site, and seeing my business grow.

My future goal is to have the option to do this full-time, as well as generate enough revenue to feed back into my business to hire 1 or 2 writers to help my business grow.

Skincare

I’ve always been passionate and interested in learning about skincare products. What works and why? Is there any evidence to support marketing claims? Which ones will work best for my skin?

I’ve always struggled with acne and hyperpigmentation. While I was growing up, my family did not have the monetary means to see a dermatologist. So, I was reliant on trying various drugstore products to try to have clean skin. When I tried one product, it destroyed my skin, and I had to do a lot of research and testing to repair my skin barrier.

On another note, I was born in South Korea but was adopted when I was one year old. I grew up in a very small town in Pennsylvania in a predominately white neighborhood where few, if any, people looked like me.

Growing up, I hated being different and struggled with my ethnic identity. Even though I had a group of friends, I often felt alone, like an outsider who never really fit in.

I largely ignored my Korean heritage until I stumbled on Korean skin care. Learning more about their beauty philosophies, routines, and products was a gateway to exploring my Korean culture further and starting to accept/be proud of my Korean heritage.

I am now studying Korean. I have a tutor and took my first trip to Korea this year. I now have plans to visit every year moving forward.

So, my passion for skin care and helping others, my Korean heritage, and my drive to start a passive digital business all aligned with creating a skincare blogging business.

What kinds of topics do you cover? Why do you think it’s important to cover this kind of care? Do you interact with your readers?  

My blog content helps you to create a simple skincare routine that targets your unique skin.

Within my posts, I’ll share skincare routines for different skin types and concerns such as acne, hyperpigmentation, aging, sensitive skin, dehydrated skin, etc. I then infuse evidence/research to support my recommendations.

I’ll also provide product recommendations based on my experience and review the ingredient labels. I will also analyze customer feedback to give readers non-biased information to help them determine what products are worth trying and how to incorporate them into their routine.

Sharing this information with individuals is important since cutting through all the marketing hype makes it hard to determine if products are worth purchasing.

Also, with social media like TikTok, it can take time to find trustworthy information.

Since I’ve struggled with my skin, I’ve learned a lot over the years through my own experiences, including staying up-to-date with the latest trends, as well as always diving into the literature to debunk or validate claims.

If I were looking for this information, others would find it helpful.

The caring aspect of nursing still sticks with me. I love helping others and enabling individuals to make the best decisions based on the right information.

Did you have previous entrepreneurial experience? Or did you learn on the go? Did it take a lot of time or money to establish your business? How do you make money from this business? 

I’ve tried side hustles like Amazon FBA, and my husband and I started our own fitness company providing home workouts during COVID, but I’ve been learning on the go.

I spend a lot of time learning, testing, and figuring out which strategy will bring me the most value.

In each of my businesses, I’ve been able to earn a profit, which has been enough to cover the courses and the money I invested into each one—leaving a few thousand more to either invest in something new or pay for a few international trips.

Even though I’m no longer running my FBA and fitness business, I found the experience and knowledge invaluable.

I started my blogging business in October 2022, and I’ve had a little affiliate revenue come in, but I’m still early in my journey. It usually takes a few years to see all your work pay off, which is hard to do when you dedicate so much time and effort to your business.

What did you enjoy most about your side gig?

What I enjoy most is learning how to create and implement the best business strategy to see if it works. It’s so rewarding to see positive results and gain knowledge/skillsets you never thought you’d have.

For me, it’s proving that I’m smart and capable enough that if I put my mind to it and constantly learn, grow, and tweak it, I can one day be my own boss and validate that my decisions and work were successful. It’s helping me be more confident and prove my value/self-worth to myself.

What are some of the challenges?  

Blogging is a long-term play. It takes several years to see the fruits of your labor. Also, you question yourself if you’re making the right decisions. Unlike working with a team that can help validate or address any questions you have, it’s up to you to research and make those decisions on your own. So, you always have this little voice asking, “Did I choose the right niche? Am I focusing on the right content to write? Is this bringing value to my readers? etc.”

It also takes a lot of dedication and time. Since I work full-time, I work on my blog after work, early in the mornings, and on the weekends. Balancing my life, work, and business can be challenging.

What are the most significant rewards of having your side gig?

I’m learning and growing, and I hope it results in my ability to have more work-life balance, manage my schedule, and be my own boss one day. That possibility is exciting, and I am opening myself up to other professional opportunities that might come my way.

I hope that one day, I’ll collaborate with a few Korean skincare brands and use my business to help connect me more to my Korean culture and heritage.

What would you say to someone considering blogging about skincare or another topic?   

It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re willing to work, are open to learning, and want a passive business/income, go for it. It doesn’t mean it was a waste if it doesn’t work out.

You can apply what you’ve learned to your next venture. There is no such thing as failing because you always learn something valuable from that experience that you can leverage and apply in the future.

I recommend researching courses and learning about blogging as a business, SEO, and affiliate marketing as much as possible.

Be sure to avoid the “get rich quick schemes” like the ones that read, “I made $60,000 per month within my first three months of blogging.” They never work and are a waste of your time.”

Nurses are Not Inherently Good at Writing, Yet are Invaluable to Content Creation

Nurses are Not Inherently Good at Writing, Yet are Invaluable to Content Creation

Speaking from personal experience, many terms (antecedent, parallelism, noun absolutes, etc.) used in perfecting the writings of the proper English language are foreign to nurses.

Granted, as advanced practice nurses, we have practically written a novel of information by the time we graduate from our master’s program and are still unfamiliar with many English language terms other than APA writing style. Despite crafting an impressive field study filled with facts, statistics, and numerous informative findings and formulating individualized daily clinical patient care plans, advanced practice nurses are talented communicators, though not always efficient in perfecting their manuscripts. Forgiving their potential writing inadequacies, many major companies still choose to employ nurse writers in pursuit of their clinical competence and superior evidenced-based knowledge.

How Nurses Obtain Skills to Write Professionally

Although the skills to author the next great novel may not be ingrained in the mind of the average nurse, all is not lost. Nurses are highly adept at communicating complex concepts on all levels of comprehension, whether talking to a physician or a patient; it’s what we do every day. There are several ways to develop the necessary proficiencies for transporting clinical expertise into written education for both public and professional audiences. A few examples are as follows:

  1. Review your favorite blogs or pertinent publications for style/content ideas
  2. Read books  targeting nurse writer tips, ‘how to’
  3. Familiarize yourself with content on nurse writer blogs for free information
  4. Take a writing course. Some are even nurse writer-specific
  5. Join a nurse writer Facebook group to learn from peers
  6. Choose a healthcare/nursing niche you know well to offer expert insight
  7. Choose a topic and write, write, write! ‘Practice makes perfect’

Whichever way (I recommend utilizing all available options) you decide to educate yourself and gain the confidence to dip your toes in the waters of being a nurse writer, the most imperative step is taking the first step: action. “As nursing and healthcare continue to grow, nurse writing is a promising field…(&) increasingly popular side hustle” (registerednursing.org) for nurses wanting to make extra money or graduate from the bedside into entrepreneurship.

Why Do Companies Want an Advance Practice Nurse to Write Content?

As nurses, we are not flawless when it comes to impeccable writing content (blog, website, informational brochure, etc.). Still, we know what patients and nurses aspire to know about healthcare and how to explain topics in an understandable manner.

Whether it’s explaining how to perform a procedure or how surgery is done, what to do before/after a procedure, and what to expect, content sourced from an advanced practice nurse creates confidence in knowing information came from a source experienced and well-versed in explaining these processes repeatedly. Although inexperienced in the equities of grammar, advanced practice nurses are committed to evolving into proficient writers of health as inspired by others. Whether it is rhetoric or scientific-based knowledge, nurses hold it all; you only need to unplug the medical jargon to expose the brilliance of nurses.

When a business is granted the opportunity to employ an advanced practice nurse for their content writing needs, the company will succeed others by considering clinical expertise over writing history when choosing new authors. With our combined education and experience, nurses, especially those with an advanced degree/certification, possess an in-depth understanding of health and its deterrents, making those in the profession firsthand experts on managing health situations and, therefore excellent at formulating health-related literature.

Nurse’s Side Gig: Teaching Nursing Students Dosage Calculations

Nurse’s Side Gig: Teaching Nursing Students Dosage Calculations

Have you ever seen a problem in the nursing field at work or in nursing school and thought, “I know just what to do to fix that?”

Latoya Smith did. She’s an RN who works with critically ill patients in a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH). She teaches nursing students at the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Health and Safety Education Training Center. (She was recognized as “Nurse of the Day” in both houses of the Oklahoma Congress in 2020.)

What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.

How did you develop the idea for teaching nursing students about dosage calculation? 

I kept seeing nursing students fail out of nursing school because of dosage calculations! I kept thinking they just needed it to be simple and fun—and then they would do great.

And that’s when I had my Steve Urkel moment and said, “I can do that!”

Why did you decide to start your side gig with this? When did you start it, and how did you go about it? When did you write the book, and why? Do students buy the book to go along with what you teach? 

I spent a year writing the book and ensuring all graphics were right. The goal was to make it fun, simple, and bright. It’s a dosage calculation that clicks and sticks! ™And it speaks to nursing students in a way that traditional texts do not.

The book was released in the fall of 2020 during the pandemic when nursing students were forced online, and it was a real struggle for them and nursing instructors, too.

No nursing student should fail dosage calculation.

My curriculum has been adopted by the Health and Safety Education Training Center in Tulsa, OK. I also consult other nursing instructors on the best techniques to teach dosage calculation.

When did you decide to create an app? What’s it called? How did you go about doing it? Is it solely for nursing students? If not, who else would benefit from using it? What does it do?

I created the app because nursing students were asking for it!

Nursing students need an app that is in touch with their needs, speaks to them in their language, and can take it anywhere they go. And the Dose Calc App does all of the above.

I took all of my knowledge and put it into this app. I also have an incredible partner named Carmen, who is building (coding) the app alongside me. What’s fantastic is that Carmen used to be a medication aide. So, both of us together make an excellent team.

The app is for nursing students, nurses, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy students. It’s for anyone who needs to be proficient in drug calculations.

Did you have previous entrepreneurial experience? Or did you learn on the go? Did it take a lot of time or money to establish your business? 

I have been learning on the go! What’s pretty awesome is that I use all my nursing skills as an entrepreneur. I did have a business where I created super cute merchandise for nurses, and then I pivoted during Covid and focused solely on helping nursing students.

Do you plan to add anything else to this side gig—in products, speaking/teaching more about dosage calculations, etc.? 

Yes! I will be headed to student nursing conferences this fall, so say hi if you see me out there.

I’m writing a pharmacology mnemonic book that will mesh well with The Trap Guide to Nursing Dosage Calculation. And if I am available, I’ll also speak at nursing schools and student nurses’ associations.

What did you enjoy most about your side gig? 

The thing I enjoy most is seeing nursing students make that connection! When they finally get it, it’s incredible. I love it so much.

It is a game-changing experience where they realize they can do anything. The confidence and motivation that they receive make my heart so happy!

What are some of the challenges?

I think one of the challenges is getting to nursing students before they’re at the point of failure. I want to help them way before failing on the table.

We need more nurses, and dosage calculation won’t be why they fail if I have anything to do with it!

Another challenge is that I still work full-time for three 12-hour weekly shifts. It can be challenging, but this is my purpose and passion, so I power through.

What are the most significant rewards of having your side gig? 

My biggest reward is doing something I love and am good at.

I have been tutoring and teaching students since college. It is a gift, and I am so thankful for it. I am energized and fulfilled by what I do. This is so cliche, but it doesn’t feel like work when you love what you do!

What would you say to someone considering starting their side gig?

I recommend: DO IT! And I mean right now. Take whatever you have and get to work.

Too often, we wait for the right time, situation, or amount of funds. This is it for any nurse on the fence or waiting for a sign to start their side gig. Start your side gig today!

Anything else to share?

Readers need to know that nurses must be expert and confident calculators.

We are the line of defense between the patient and medication administration error. Dosage calculation is an integral part of what we do, and there is no shame if you need a little help learning dosage calculation after graduating. 

Nursing is the future! Look out for nurses changing the game in all arenas all over the world!

Study Finds 50% of Nurses Have Side Hustles for Extra Income 

Study Finds 50% of Nurses Have Side Hustles for Extra Income 

A new survey from connectRN and The Nursing Beat found half of over 1300 American nurses polled have side hustles outside of nursing to earn extra income. Additionally, nearly half of the new nurses (in the profession for less than three years) plan on transitioning their side hustle to their full-time job. Eight in ten of those nurses have ambitions to start their own businesses.

“It comes as no surprise that nurses are multifaceted and wish to pursue different opportunities. However, the amount of new nurses who surveyed that they plan to leave permanently for their side hustle is alarming. There is an enormous amount of work to be done to better support our young nurses, who are a different generation, requiring different standards. If we don’t begin to listen and solve archaic institutional employment requirements, we will ultimately loose our nursing workforce,” says Tamara AL-Yassin, former bedside nurse and CEO of The Nursing Beat.

The survey comes when nursing is seeing increasing popularity of per diem nursing due to burnout. Companies like connectRN aim to address the shortage by offering nurses flexibility in their jobs with options to work when and where they want to. This week, The Nursing Beat reported, “Burnout is among the common influences hurting healthcare workers. Routine shifts already last 12+ hours, and many involve overnight work. Workloads have become more intense than ever, with 62% of nurses reporting an increase since COVID started.”

“Today’s nurse – the “new nurse” – has a multi-dimensional life and is entrepreneurial. A side hustle allows them to explore interests outside of nursing and to take care of themselves and their families. For the “new nurse” side hustles provide financial support and the space to pursue the interests and relationships that contribute to their well being,” says Ted Jeanloz, CEO of connectRN. “Side hustles allow nurses to thrive and keep them in the profession.”

Nearly 90% of nurses surveyed felt these were the top five factors that were extremely important to them:

  • Maintaining their mental health
  • Being present for their family and friends
  • Maintaining a work/life balance
  • Maintaining their physical health
  • Excelling at work

Nearly 50% added that their work as a nurse impacted household management and health and fitness goals negatively. Additional areas that suffered were relationships with loved ones and time with friends. While about a quarter of nurses are pursuing additional educational opportunities, more than half are interested, but their current schedule makes it infeasible.

Read the entire survey findings at thenewnursebyconnectRN.com.

Nurse’s Side Gig: Nourished Beginnings–Postpartum Care

Nurse’s Side Gig: Nourished Beginnings–Postpartum Care

Rachel Ellis, RN, works in the ICU and, for the past five years, has primarily worked in the critical care setting, but on the side, though, she provides postpartum care to new moms.

Here’s her story. We edited the interview for length and clarity.

Why did you decide to start your postpartum side gig? When did you start it, and how did you go about it? 

The decision to start a side gig in postpartum care stems back to 2009, after the birth of my first child. At that time, I didn’t have the language for the postpartum experience I found myself in. Sadly, this is a common theme for most new mothers in modern-day America.

I had spent nine months planning for a beautiful water birth but had completely neglected to prepare for the postpartum time. In hindsight, I noticed how providers offered little-to-no education or care about the postpartum period. Because of my wonderful birth experience, I initially chose to go into the nursing field to become a midwife but ended up in bedside nursing instead. 

In 2020 while in my second pregnancy and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized that I wasn’t doing what I felt most passionate about. Although nursing is rewarding, I felt burnt out and began to remember my “why.” Why did I get into nursing in the first place?

Throughout my second pregnancy, I began researching and prepping for my postpartum time instead of planning for my birth. While exploring, I found a podcast episode featuring Rachelle Garcia Seliga, a New Mexico midwife speaking about postpartum care.

After listening to a particular episode, I suddenly had the language missing from my previous postpartum experience. With intentional preparation, I went on to heal my story by having the most wonderful postpartum experience after the birth of my second child. I wanted everyone to know they could have the same experiences after birth. In 2022, I became a certified postpartum care practitioner through Innate Traditions and created a business called Nourished Beginnings. I had never worked in a postpartum care setting before this.

What need did you see in the community—so that you knew or at least thought this would work? What type of women uses your services? Why do they need assistance postpartum? Is this covered by insurance or a cash-based business?  

Innate Traditions was created by Rachelle Garcia Seliga, a midwife in New Mexico, to teach people traditional postpartum care. This model of care is unique in our modern-day society as her teachings weave together the common threads of postpartum care from cultures around the world.

For millennia, communities have been utilizing specific modalities to tend to postpartum mothers’ physiologic design resulting in optimal health. Today–especially in America–most people associate postpartum with depression when in reality, the postpartum time is when a woman heals and should come out on the other side thriving. Luckily, in most intact cultures (China, India, New Mexico, Somalia), these traditions are still carried on and passed down from generation to generation. We are looking to the wisdom of these cultures to relearn and remember how to take care of new mothers.

This is important work for the collective of humanity because “Mothers are the soil from which humanity grows,” to quote my teacher Rachelle. I often notice how negatively women speak about their postpartum bodies, experiences, etc. The need for this work is so dire, in my opinion, as I’ve seen new mothers in the darkest moments of their lives after having a baby. 

The type of women and families who seek out my services are typically not first-time mothers. They have already been through the trenches and realize the importance of having help outside their partners.

Most women seeking my services also live a holistic lifestyle and typically experience more natural ways of birthing, such as unmedicated or home birth. My type of service is not covered by insurance; however, I am connected to a large doula agency working in the tri-state area, which can match families looking to utilize health insurance or working on a sliding scale based on income.

Approximately how many patients do you serve? You can make it on a weekly/monthly basis. Is it challenging to balance your side gig and your full-time job? 

In terms of service, I typically take on 1-2 clients a month. I will work with a new mother for the first month after her baby is born. My offering emphasizes nourishment, as I am passionate about food as medicine and utilizing a lot of bodywork in my care with a new mother.

It can be challenging to balance my life as a bedside nurse, running my business, and being a full-time mother. Still, I am choosing to go per diem as a bedside nurse shortly to allow room for my business to blossom, as this work will change how our society cares for mothers.

Did you have previous entrepreneurial experience? Or did you learn on the go? Did it take a lot of time or money to establish your business?

As someone with no previous entrepreneurial experience before this, navigating details such as website design, marketing, and social media, has been interesting. The program I took through Innate Traditions was an investment and a nine-month commitment. However, beyond that, it hasn’t taken much financially to start going out there and working within my community. It has been more of a time commitment than anything else.

What did you enjoy most about your side- gig?

What I enjoy most about my side gig is the freedom to create hours that work for my lifestyle and family.

I also love teaching the education series “Innate Traditions Planning for the fourth trimester” with clients and their partners/friends/families because it genuinely brings that piece of the community into the postpartum time before a woman even arrives there. So many families appreciate this education series and have told me they feel way more prepared to care for their loved ones than ever.

What are some of the challenges?  

Some challenges I face are finding time to bulk cook for clients throughout the week with a toddler and infant at my side and learning certain things on the go since I am new at running my own business. Luckily, I have a great community that I’m a part of where I can ask questions when more support is needed.

What are the most significant rewards of having your side gig?

This work is gratifying because I witness new mothers come out of their postpartum cocoons feeling rejuvenated and wanting to do it all over again. It truly doesn’t feel like “work” at all. \

What would you say to someone considering starting a side gig like yours—with postpartum care?

Something I recommend to anyone looking to start a business like this is to remember your boundaries. It can be easy to become a babysitter to older children and occasionally perform some light household chores for new families. Remember to center the new mother and inform everyone in the new mother’s postpartum space what your role is. Education is so essential beforehand as this will help all parties recognize what you will be doing during that time.

Also, make sure you’re taking time to prioritize your needs. Remember that you can’t pour from an empty cup as you serve others.