By Erica Carbajal

A survey of more than 1,300 U.S. nurses found about 50 percent have side hustles outside of nursing to earn extra income — and many of them plan on making side gigs their full-time job, according to newly released findings.

Findings were published Aug. 3. Thirty-nine percent of respondents were certified nursing assistants, 27 percent were licensed practical nurses and more than a third were registered nurses.

Four notes:

-Half of respondents who were new nurses, meaning they were in the profession for less than three years, said they plan to transition out of nursing and make their side hustle a full-time job. Among all respondents, this figure was 26 percent.

-Eighty percent of respondents said they have ambitions to start their own business.

-More than half of nurses indicated they want to further their education, but can't due to their schedule.

-For 90 percent of nurses, these were the top five factors they indicated were extremely important to them: maintaining their mental health; being present for family and friends; maintaining a work-life balance; maintaining their physical health; and excelling at work.

Pre-pandemic, it wasn't uncommon for hospital nurses to have side gigs on their days off, be it paid or volunteer work. In the past few years, however, the nature of the side gig landscape has changed, with many nurses pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors to either cut hours at the bedside or make it their full-time job.