It’s the age of the side hustle. A 2023 survey reports a whopping 45 percent of working Americans now have a part-time job, gig or passion project averaging 13 hours per week in addition to their full-time careers.1 Generations Y and Z are the most likely to report maintaining one or more side hustles, a convoluted byproduct of both increasing digital opportunities and rapid economic inflation. For certain fields, however, landing a mobile side hustle seems a far-fetched dream. Healthcare professionals are all too familiar with the lack of work-from-home opportunities, especially after years spent operating within the often overburdened, “essential employees” class of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luckily, the tides are turning for essential health professionals. Companies like Haled Care are breaking the field of mobile, on-demand healthcare wide open, offering ample side hustle opportunities for nurses and phlebotomists seeking flexibility, extra income and more.
Side Hustles for Savings
Of the top-cited financial reasons for operating a side hustle, workers report a close split between directing the funds toward disposable income, regular living expenses and long-term savings.1 For workers under 35, the largest proportion of side-hustlers, rapid economic inflation has put a significant financial strain on their limited savings. Older Millennials, in particular, have already experienced two financial recessions during their time in the U.S. workforce, rendering side hustles a necessity rather than excess income for many individuals.
On-Demand Earning
Although creating and managing an extra revenue stream can be demanding, side hustlers find convenience in the specific types of secondary work they take on. Digital, mobile and on-demand earning opportunities tend to offer the most flexibility, a top priority for younger generations. That’s likely why ride-sharing snags the number one spot in top side hustles,1 with platforms like Uber and Lyft creating customizable working conditions for drivers with shifting daily schedules.
This data is where the backstory of Haled Care begins. Using ride-sharing platforms as a framework for success, our founders conceptualized a network of mobile healthcare examiners who drive to patients’ locations to complete in-home appointments, creating flexible healthcare options for both patients and professionals. Then, after designing a simplified mobile app experience, Haled Care’s unique combination of healthcare and on-demand services came to fruition.
Workplace Impact on Career Satisfaction
Another significant reason U.S. workers begin side hustles: a lack of satisfaction within their primary careers. In the healthcare industry, mounting pressures to pick up extra shifts coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic led to rapid burnout, resulting in a massive outflow of nurses exiting the profession over the past three years.
Yet even before the pandemic, a 2019 survey showed a lack of contentment already rippling through medical offices. Between 12 and 24 percent of surveyed nurses reported if given an educational do-over, they would not choose a career in nursing again.2 What, then, did the entire cohort of nurses identify as the least satisfying aspect of their job? An answer familiar to many professions: workplace politics.2
From Side Hustle to Full-Time
On a more positive note, when asked about the most rewarding part of their career, nurses reported helping people and making a difference kept them feeling fulfilled.2 The story this data seems to tell is that it isn’t the profession itself, but the work environment that keeps healthcare professionals like nurses questioning their careers. This uncertainty expands far beyond healthcare. Across the entire U.S. workforce, 73 percent of side-hustlers are actively considering leaving their full-time careers.1
For nurses and phlebotomists seeking options beyond hospital life, a defined path is already forming. Haled Care’s network of nurses and phlebotomists nix office politics entirely to deliver in-home health services on self-determined schedules. The result? Full- or part-time career fulfillment free of resentment.
Looking for a healthcare side hustle with the potential to become a primary career? Visit https://www.haledcare.com/nurse-network/ or https://www.haledcare.com/phlebotomist-network/ to receive more information about Haled Care’s expanding network. We can’t wait to have you on board!
Sources:
- https://www.zippia.com/advice/side-hustle-statistics/#:~:text=59.7%25%20of%20side%20hustlers%20spend,financially%20without%20their%20side%20hustle.
- https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2019/01/25/nurse-satisfaction#:~:text=Nurse’s%20job%20satisfaction&text=However%2C%20when%20asked%20if%20they,nursing%20as%20a%20career%20again.