Side Hustles for Doctors & Physicians

As a doctor, you have a unique talent: the ability to save and change lives. But you might be missing out on opportunities to make the most of your skills and earn at your greatest potential. Enter side hustles for doctors—opportunities to help more patients and increase your income. Flexibility, increased wealth, and a sense of professional fulfillment are just a few of the benefits of a side hustle for physicians. But where do you start on your side hustle journey? Read on to explore popular and lucrative side hustles for doctors and other licensed clinicians.

Telemedicine: expanding patient care beyond the clinic

Telemedicine is more popular than ever: in a recent study, nearly half of the 1,000+ participants had used a telehealth service before, and the vast majority of those patients were satisfied with their telemedicine care (Public Opinion Strategies).

While telehealth expands patients’ opportunities to access quality care, it also gives physicians the chance to:

• Expand their skill set (and stretch their virtual care muscles)
• See more patients
• Increase their income

The best part? The market for telehealth services is only expanding, making telemedicine an effective physician side gig (American Medical Association).

Leveraging expertise through medical blogging or vlogging

Another virtual side hustle for physicians? Starting a medical blog or vlog to share your knowledge. While the barrier to entry might seem high, getting started is pretty straightforward:

• Build your presence on the writing or video blogging platform of your choice.
• Create content and develop strategies for expanding your viewership.
• Seek sponsors and other monetization opportunities.

In the digital age, there’s a significant need for accessible, reliable health information online. Just look at Dr. Fran, an OB/GYN whose informational videos have skyrocketed in popularity over the last year (TikTok: Paging Dr. Fan).

Creating and selling online medical courses

Speaking of sharing reputable information, consider packaging your medical expertise into an online course made specifically for a medical professional. While clinicians have an opportunity to learn skills in formal settings, you likely have a special skill or niche experience that isn’t widely available in traditional professional development courses.

To share your knowledge, consider using a platform like Teachable or Udemy. These networks make it simple to design, market, and earn income from your valuable skills. Plus, making a website or developing a social media presence may help boost your course’s popularity.

Consulting and freelance medical writing

In the medical world, you’re a licensed clinician—but in the marketing and advertising world, you’re also a “subject matter expert.” Subject matter experts contribute to a wide variety of today’s media, including:

• Promotional blog content
• Marketing and advertising for medical products
• News and journalism articles
• Video blogs
• Live fact-checking

Consulting firms, digital agencies, new outlets, and more lean on subject matter experts (like doctors) to validate information supplied by writers, journalists, and ad designers—and these subject matter experts get paid.

You can even produce content yourself as a freelance medical writer.

To explore opportunities in these realms, connect with a digital marketing agency and pitch your services.

Starting a podcast on health and wellness

Speaking of content creation, consider a favorite method among influencers, celebrities, and professionals: podcasting.

While the podcasting market is flooded, listeners are only increasing their intake (Forbes). Podcasts are more popular than ever before, especially among Gen-Z.

Like blogging and vlogging, making money as a podcaster is all about finding ways to monetize, like selling ad space.

Tutoring and mentoring future medical professionals

Tutoring pre-medical or medical students can offer a sense of professional or personal fulfillment and expand your income. Physicians can take a variety of tutoring routes:

• Exam tutoring (e.g., MCAT and Board exam prep)
• Tutoring for undergraduate introductory courses in pre-med programs
• Helping recent medical graduates apply to residency or fellowship programs

To find opportunities, connect with a local university’s tutoring center or use a platform like Superprof.

Developing health-related mobile apps

If you’re tech-savvy, you can also invest time in medical software and app development. Consider taking one of two paths in this realm:

• Join an existing team – If you have ample experience with a piece of medical software, submit an application to be a part-time trainer, focus group participant, or consultant. The brand may leverage your medical expertise to develop new versions of the software.
• Create a new product – If you have an original idea for a medical app, you can assemble a team and start working toward development.

In either case, you’ll need to collaborate with tech professionals. You can establish connections in this industry via LinkedIn and in-person professional networking events.

Engaging in speaking engagements and workshops

If you’re a seasoned medical professional with years of care under your belt, you can contribute to the medical community via professional development opportunities.

To find speaking engagements and workshop leadership, reach out to:

• Local medical networking groups
• Professional development facilitators that offer courses
• State, national, and international professional conference organizers

While such opportunities can be lucrative, they can also help expand your network and connect with new and seasoned providers across specialties.

Building a professional website for your side hustle

No matter which physician side gig(s) you choose to pursue, you’ll need to market yourself and your services. The first step? Finding a domain name and creating a website to market yourself.

Start a side hustle with Name.com

When it comes to starting a lucrative side hustle for physicians, Name.com is your go-to resource. By saving time and money on website creation, marketing, and professional email, you can spend more time on the rewarding, profitable work you actually want to do.

Start your side hustle website with Name.com today.