What: ConnectRN hires medical professionals — nurses, clinicians, medical technicians and assistants — to fill vacant shifts at participating facilities.

Expected pay: $15-$45 per hour*

Husl$core: $$$$

Commissions & fees: 20% (charged to employers)

Where: Select cities on the East Coast and Midwest.

Requirements: Be over 18; have appropriate health care credentials; pass a background check and drug screening.

Review:

ConnectRN helps medical professionals take additional shifts. Although the site doesn’t offer full-time work, nor employee benefits, the company’s staff are W2 employees. That means the firm will pay the employer’s share of your Social Security and Medicare taxes, which saves you 7.65% of wages. (See our primer on self-employment and taxes.)

The site’s commissions are invisible to workers, since they’re charged to hospitals and health care facilities, not deducted from worker’s pay. Naturally, the hourly wage varies by position. The range, according to ConnectRN: $15-18 per hour for certified nursing assistants and med techs; $30 – $35 for LPNs; $40 – $45 for RNs.

ConnectRN pays weekly and can sometimes offer “stat-cash,” next-day payments.

The flip side

However, you cannot turn to this site for full-time work. Company officials say most nurses pick up a couple shifts a week. The site doesn’t allow its workers to take more than two 8-hour shifts in a row and discourages working more than 64 hours in a week total. (You can’t work overtime with ConnectRN, but most of their nurses work full-time elsewhere.)

If a shift is cancelled with less than a two-hour notice, the nurse gets paid 4 for hours. But there’s no pay for cancellations with more notice. Nurses, on the other hand, are required to give at least 8 hours notice before cancelling a shift. Medical staff is required to take one, unpaid, 30-minute break during every 8-hour shift. You won’t be paid for that break, even if you work through it. 

That said, we saw no other red flags in their worker contracts. ConnectRN also pays considerably better than Care.com, ElderCare and even CareLinx. However, these other sites don’t require medical credentials, so may be ideal if you want to provide caregiving services but don’t currently have the degree or certification. If you are in this market, also read our blog post on getting paid for eldercare directly through the government. 

What their workers say:

From Indeed:

They are always canceling shifts on nurses always had to travel an hour or more. Payroll is difficult to get in touch with. Poor place to work.

I’ve had nothing but a terrible experience. If you call about a facility they tell you to figure it out on your own. When you’re swamped and don’t get a break they still deduct it from your pay, even with Supervisor approval of not taking a break. No  Supervisor approval of your shift? You don’t get paid. They threaten to terminate you if cancel shifts but don’t try to resolve your issue with the facility AT ALL. 

Extremely flexible and manageable, able to work different hours very diverse community. Love the work and community. Enjoy working so much and open to change and other opportunities wonderful way to gain experience