How I Went from Bedside Burnout to a Writing Business on My Terms

Alexandria Nyembwe
Jul 27
2 min read

I love the choice I made to become a nurse because it's provided me with financial freedom and opportunities to travel to places I never thought I'd visit. And, I've found that I love educating people about their health. But after years of back-to-back shifts, missed holidays, and barely enough time to eat between patients, something shifted. I became tired of sacrificing myself in the process.

I still remember my last night shift. I was exhausted and couldn’t take a single break because we didn't have a break nurse that night. It would take me another couple of years because I started Googling side hustles for nurses, unsure of what I was even looking for. Then, I stumbled across the world of freelance writing.

At first, I doubted myself. I wasn’t an English or Journalism major. I didn’t have any published clips. But I did have years of experience breaking down complicated health information for patients and families. Turns out, that’s exactly what many companies and health websites are looking for.

I started small. I wrote a sample blog post for Allnurses.com and started getting more active on LinkedIn. I told a few people I was trying my hand at writing and attended the Association for Healthcare Journalism conference after receiving the recommendation from a fellow nurse writer. I landed my first client at that conference. That one opportunity turned into more. Before I knew it, I was writing a few articles a month and making enough to cover some bills.

What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed it. Writing gave me a creative outlet and reminded me that my knowledge had value beyond the bedside. I wasn’t abandoning nursing; I was expanding my skillset and what being a nurse could look like for me.

Writing didn’t just give me extra income—it gave me back a part of myself I hadn’t realized I was missing. I had a say in my time, my voice, and my future. And that small, uncertain start? It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made.