Latest / The Side Hustle Career Podcast with Fexingo: Second Income, Freelancing While Employed / How a Nurse Built a 30K Side Hustle in Medical Writing
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, we've done 149 episodes of this show, and we've covered everything from Salesforce consulting to virtual staging. But today, episode 150, I wanted to dig into something that's a little closer to the bone for a lot of people: medical writing. Luna: Medical writing? That sounds like something only PhDs do. Lucas: That's the assumption, right? But our guest today is Sarah, an ICU nurse who built a thirty-thousand-dollar-a-month side hustle doing exactly that. No PhD. Just a nursing degree, a lot of late shifts, and a knack for translating complex medical jargon into clear, useful language. Luna: Thirty grand a month? From writing? How many hours a week is she putting in? Lucas: That's the part that blew my mind. She's still working full-time as a nurse. The writing is maybe fifteen to twenty hours a week, mostly evenings and weekends. But she's been at it for three years, and it's grown into a real business. Luna: Okay, so what exactly does a medical writer do? Because I imagine it's not just blog posts about vitamins. Lucas: Right, it's a huge range. Sarah started with patient education materials — the pamphlets you see in a doctor's office, the 'what to expect after surgery' handouts. Then she moved into continuing education modules for nurses and physicians. And now she does regulatory documents for a small biotech company, which pays significantly more. Luna: Regulatory documents, like the ones they submit to the FDA? That's intense. Lucas: Exactly, clinical study reports, protocols, safety summaries. She told me that a single clinical study report can run a hundred pages and command a five-figure fee. But you don't start there. You start with the small stuff and build credibility. Luna: So how did she go from writing pamphlets to regulatory docs? That's a big leap. Lucas: She actually used her nursing network. A former colleague from the ICU now works at a medical communications agency, and she needed a writer for a pharma client. Sarah's name came up because she was known for writing clear, precise notes and even helping with education sessions on the unit. That first project was a small one, but it opened the door. Luna: So it's about who you know, but also about being known for something specific. Lucas: Exactly. And Sarah was smart about it. She didn't just say 'I'm a nurse, I can write.' She built a portfolio of sample documents, even spec work, and she learned the regulatory writing style by studying publicly available FDA guidance documents. She basically reverse-engineered the format. Luna: That's the kind of initiative that separates a side hustle from a hobby. But what about the ethical side? Writing for pharma companies must come with some baggage. Lucas: She was really clear about that. She has a personal policy: she only writes documents that are accurate and science-based. She's turned down projects where the client wanted to overstate a drug's efficacy or hide side effects. That's a harder line to hold when the money's good, but she's managed to keep her reputation intact, and that's actually made her more valuable. Luna: I bet. Companies don't want someone who'll just say yes if it lands them in regulatory trouble. Lucas: Right, and that's a good point for anyone considering this. The barrier to entry is high, but so is the barrier to credibility. You're not just competing on price; you're competing on trust and accuracy. Luna: Let's talk numbers. How did she price her services? Because I've seen freelance writers charge twenty cents a word, but that's not going to get you to thirty grand a month. Lucas: She started with per-project pricing. A patient education brochure might be fifty dollars a page. A continuing education module might be a flat five hundred. But as she moved into regulatory writing, she shifted to an hourly rate that's now over a hundred fifty dollars an hour. And she's also done some retainer arrangements with a couple of small biotech firms. Luna: So the key is to move up the value chain. You can't just be a writer; you have to be a medical communications expert. Lucas: Exactly. And that means investing in yourself. She took an online certificate in medical writing, which cost about two thousand dollars, and she says it paid for itself within the first month. But more than that, she credits her nursing background for giving her a unique edge: she understands clinical workflows, patient behavior, and the real-world constraints that doctors face. Luna: That's the kind of insider knowledge you can't fake. So what does a typical week look like for her? I mean, she's working full-time as a nurse, right? Lucas: She gave me a breakdown. Three nights a week she works twelve-hour shifts in the ICU. On her days off, she blocks out four to five hours for writing. She's also learned to write in shorter sprints, because you can't focus deeply for eight hours straight. And she batch-produces small tasks, like emails and invoices, so she's not constantly switching gears. Luna: It sounds like she's running a business, not just writing on the side. Did she have to set up an LLC or anything like that? Lucas: She did, actually. Once she hit around five thousand dollars a month consistently, she formed an LLC and got professional liability insurance. That was a turning point. It made her look more legitimate to clients, and it protected her if a document ever led to a complaint. Luna: Smart. And I bet it also helped her negotiate better rates, because she's not just a side hobbyist. Lucas: For sure. She also told me that her nursing salary and benefits mean she doesn't need every project to pay the rent. That gives her the luxury to walk away from low-ball offers, which paradoxically makes clients value her more. Luna: There's a lesson there for any side hustler: your safety net is your leverage. Lucas: Exactly. But here's the thing that struck me most: Sarah says the writing itself is actually a form of rest for her. It's mentally demanding, but it's completely different from the physical and emotional intensity of the ICU. So it doesn't feel like burnout; it feels like a creative outlet that also happens to pay very well. Luna: That's a beautiful way to think about it. Your side hustle can be a counterbalance, not just a grind. Lucas: And that's a good reminder for all of us, especially as we hit episode 150. This show is a labor of love, and we're lucky that a small group of listeners supports us through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's what keeps these episodes ad-free and lets us bring you stories like Sarah's. So if you've gotten value from the show, that's one way to keep it going. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. And we're grateful for every cup of coffee, virtual or not. Lucas: Anyway, back to Sarah. She's now at a point where she's turning down more work than she takes. She's thinking about going part-time at the hospital next year, not because she has to, but because she wants to. The side hustle has given her that kind of control. Luna: That's the dream, right? Not necessarily quitting your job, but having the freedom to choose. Lucas: So for anyone listening who's a nurse or works in healthcare, the path is clearer than you think. Start with the writing you already do. Build a portfolio. Take a certificate if it helps. And then tap into your network for the first paid project. Luna: And for non-clinicians, is there any entry point? Because I'm not a nurse, but I do write. Lucas: Sure. There's a whole world of health content that doesn't require a clinical degree — like writing for health tech startups, wellness apps, or even medical marketing agencies. You just need to be willing to learn the science and, more importantly, the language. Sarah told me that some of her best clients are actually startups that don't care about her clinical background as much as they care about her ability to simplify complex ideas. Luna: So it's about translating, not just writing. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a skill you can cultivate. She recommends starting a blog or a LinkedIn presence where you break down a health topic in plain English. That's how she got her first few clients, actually — they found her posts about ICU life and patient safety. Luna: So the side hustle starts with showing your thinking, not just selling your service. Lucas: Right. And one more thing she stressed: don't underprice yourself just because you're new. She made that mistake early on, charging 25 cents a word, and she ended up doing a lot of work for very little money. It took her a while to realize that clients are actually paying for her expertise, not her typing speed. Luna: That's a lesson that applies to any niche. So what's next for Sarah? Is she going to write a book or start an agency? Lucas: She's actually considering creating a course for nurses who want to get into medical writing. She says there's a real demand, and she's already had a few mentees. But she's also cautious about scaling too fast, because she doesn't want to lose the parts of the work she loves. Luna: That's a good problem to have. Knowing when to stop growing. Lucas: And that might be the real lesson of episode 150: a side hustle isn't just about maximizing income. It's about designing a life where work feels intentional. Sarah didn't set out to make thirty thousand a month. She set out to use her skills in a way that felt meaningful, and the money followed. Luna: I love that. Here's to intentional side hustles. And here's to you, Sarah, for showing us how it's done.