Maybe you are bedside nursing, working in the same position for the last decade or so. And, you now want to transition into the world of nurse entrepreneurship. Well, the good news is that you can do it without any hassle. But first, you need to know what nursing entrepreneurship is and what it involves. Nursing entrepreneurship is one of the fastest-growing sub-field in healthcare nowadays. A nursing entrepreneur is a nurse who uses his/her nursing experience to start their practice or business in the healthcare field. A nursing entrepreneur can start a business, such as developing medical products, providing home health services, consultation services, and much more.
However, it is not as simple as buying and property and running independent services from that location. You may have the experience of a nurse. But might not have the skills to be an entrepreneur alongside it. You need to have specific skills such as creativity, strong business skills, and the willingness to give your independent practice the time required to be a successful entrepreneur. The last thing you will want is to transition from bedside care and measurably failing as an entrepreneur. However, not to worry, as today we will help you make this transition a little less difficult for you. Follow these tips, and you will transition from your bedside nursing practice to nurse entrepreneurship without any hassle.
GET AN EDUCATION IN THE NURSING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP FIELD
It is a wise decision to educate yourself with both the latest nursing and entrepreneurship practices before you commit yourself to dive into the world of entrepreneurship. One way to do so is to acquire an ACLS certificate, degree, or license. Although you should not limit yourself to formal education, a nursing degree such as an Online BSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice program will keep you updated with the latest nursing practice.
Once you have that down, consider enrolling yourself into an entrepreneurship program, degree, or course to develop your business skills. If you can find one tailored specifically for nurses, it will provide you with the best of both worlds. But, if you cannot, do them separately. Equipping yourself with both nursing and entrepreneurship knowledge will make you a powerhouse of a businessman/woman. And it will allow you to transition easily into nursing entrepreneurship.
CONDUCT THOROUGH MARKET RESEARCH
Is the concept of a freelance nurse relevant in your community? Are there never-ending opportunities for self-employed nurses? Doing some research to find the answers to these questions will allow you to know if you should transition into the world of nursing entrepreneurship. A quick online search on Google will let you know if other nurses are doing the same thing.
If you see numerous independent nurses successfully operating businesses in your locality, do not take it as competition. Consider it as a sign there is a market out there for what you want to do. You can also contact these businesses and talk to their owner to find out how they transitioned from a registered nurse to a successful entrepreneur. They will be open to sharing their experiences with you, helping out a fellow nurse in the process.
WORK ON DEVELOPING YOUR TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS
If you consider yourself a great nurse practitioner, people will pay good money in return for your skills. So, chances are you will not have to work hard finding patients. However, nurses often overlook the most crucial side of nursing entrepreneurship- The technical side. The technological aspect of this field is becoming more complicated with every passing day. And you will have to brush up on your technical skills to be a successful nurse entrepreneur.
Scheduling and medical reporting through a pen and paper are a thing of the past now. Everything thing is moving online. And it is something that you would want to offer your patients for ease of communication. You will have to familiarize yourself with software, programs, and apps to run your own business’s day-to-day operations. You can put your technical skills to use by running a technology-based consultancy company if you already own such a skill-set. And sell your services to design companies in the medical field. Learning a few technical skills will allow you to transition into nursing entrepreneurship without a hassle.
THINK ABOVE AND BEYOND YOUR NURSING DUTIES
As a bedside nurse, you are probably following a strict schedule and work routine. One day you might work with patients while, on other days, you may take down medical histories. You can take advantage of numerous options in the entrepreneurial world with your healthcare knowledge. Do you have different passions that can complement your healthcare knowledge?
For example, you have a passion for cooking. In that case, you can come up with online cooking classes that tell people the benefits of healthy eating. If you have the desire of teaching or public speaking, start up your nurse training program. It will allow them to learn from your experience and become even better nurses than you.
LEARNING HOW TO MARKET YOUR IDEA
As a qualified nurse, you will have the skills and knowledge to help out your patients. However, the biggest obstacle you will face in your journey to become a nurse entrepreneur is learning how to market yourself or your business. After all, the better your marketing efforts, the more chances you will have of bringing in patients or customers to your business. Sure, word of mouth will give you the exposure you need, but do you want to rely on it solely?
A perfect idea to market your healthcare based business would be to use the latest and greatest marketing techniques. These include techniques such as online marketing, SEO, business cards, brochures, TV adverts, radio adverts, and much more. Create a marketing budget and spend it wisely, only utilizing the techniques you know will work well with attracting customers from your locality at the start. Consider hiring a marketing professional instead of taking on the role yourself if you still do not know how to utilize these marketing techniques.
CONCLUSION
As a bedside nurse, you possess both valuable and marketable skills. Many people in your local community will pay up good cash to avail the services or experience you have to offer. We are not saying that you quit the nursing field entirely and go into entrepreneurship as a whole. But, we are saying that you should use your nursing skills and instead of working for someone else, work for yourself. A perfect place to start is to go online and search healthcare-related businesses and see if the owners have a medical background. Once you decide to dive into the world of entrepreneurship, consider these tips to get you started.