How Nurses Can Find Financial Freedom

Content courtesy of IntelyCare

From the moment you decided nursing was the path for you, you’ve dedicated countless hours to studying, training, and spending time caring for others. But it’s also essential to take care of yourself, not only mentally and physically, but also financially.

While many nursing roles provide job security and competitive pay, some nurses may not feel confident and in control of their personal finances. And stress around finances can only compound the additional stressors you face at work and at home.

Here are some tips to help you save, earn more, and finally find financial freedom.

Financial Freedom Begins With Managing Debt

Nursing school is expensive — and frankly, so is life. Like most nurses, you have to dip into your savings or take out a loan to pay for the expenses that come with a nursing degree. And even if you land a high-paying job, the thought of digging yourself out of debt can feel daunting. But paying off that debt isn’t impossible; here are a few key practices to help you chip away at it:

Seek Help for Student Loans

If you’re considering nursing school, you may have questions about its financial feasibility. There are various nursing school assistance programs you may be able to take advantage of that will help you pay off nursing student loans.

Scholarships offer another opportunity to pay for nursing school without the interest of school loans. While your nursing school of choice may offer scholarships of their own, there also are plenty of external nursing scholarships you should consider.

Find Per Diem Side Gigs

If you work full time but need a little extra income to help pay down your debt, consider working as a per diem nurse. Unlike full-time work, per diem nursing gives you the freedom to work where you want, allowing you to explore new units and facilities, which adds new experiences to your resume and gives you higher income potential.

Plus, there are easy-to-use apps out there that can make finding and picking up shifts when and where you want painless and lucrative. With tech-enabled nursing apps, you can apply, browse, and pick up shifts all from a mobile app and choose the days, times, and facilities that work for you.

While not all per diem employers are created equal, many offer W2 employee benefits, like direct deposit and next day pay, health and malpractice insurance, 401(k)s, and employer-paid taxes.

Save for Your Future

Saving for your future can be difficult when you have bills to pay. Thankfully, there are plenty of budgeting strategies and tools you can use, like online banking and budgeting apps, that can help keep you on track to your savings goals, no matter how small or big they are. Aside from budgeting, there are many other ways to cut costs to make saving that much easier.

Start Saving for Retirement

While there are many expenses in your early years as a nurse, you should consider saving …read more

Read full article here: nurse.com