Working in the health care industry requires a considerable time commitment, but the reward doesn’t always match the effort. This is why many in the field are now searching for lucrative side gigs in health care.
And few industries offer better options.
Side gigs in health care can involve everything from medical writing to picking up shifts at understaffed health care facilities. But they also can take you to the other side of the ecosystem, giving you first-hand experience in how it feels to be a patient.
Here are seven side hustles for medical professionals, including some that pay as much as $200 an hour.
Medical writing
Medical writing is among the most lucrative side gigs in health care, offering “standard” pay from $93 to $113 per hour, according to the American Medical Writer’s Association. However many medical writers earn considerably more. One semi-retiree, for example, tells us he earns about $170 an hour.
One of the reasons medical writing is so lucrative is because not everyone can do it. This job often involves writing about clinical research, scientific breakthroughs and new treatment options that are highly technical in nature. You need to understand the topic to explain it accurately to both patients and medical professionals. For instance, you could be writing explanatory vendor-to-doctor information about new drugs, dosages and treatments — or brochures designed for patients.
There’s also a broad regulatory side of this business that involves penning grant proposals and reports for the Food and Drug istration. And, of course, there’s a substantial sales, marketing and advertising side of the profession.
Where can you find medical writing gigs? ServiceScape, Contently and Skyword. You can also search LinkedIn for medical writing. However, many of the gigs you’ll find on LinkedIn are full-time positions, not side hustles.
Rehab and nursing home gigs
If you have the medical chops to work in rehab and skilled nursing facilities, you should check out IntelyCare.
Nurses sign on for per diem work, picking and choosing among available shifts, facilities, hours and pay. And, unlike most gig jobs, the site actually hires its part-time nurses, which makes them eligible for a wide array of employee benefits, including overtime and retirement s.
Nurses also report that the site pays considerably better than many of its competitors. IntelyCare says that certified nursing assistants earn $21 to $62 per hour; licensed practical nurses earn $33 to $80 an hour; and ed nurses earn $62 to $146 per hour.
Travel nursing
Want to combine a full-time gig with seeing new places? Consider travel nursing. It not only allows you to see new cities, it pays sometimes twice as much as a full-time gig in your hometown. Better yet, much of the pay is not taxable. (Why? Check out this primer on travel nursing.)
A great place to find such gigs is in TrustedHealth, which matches nurses to short-staffed medical centers for both full-time and temp positions. Depending on the medical facility, the position, and your credentials, you may earn $10,000 a month or more.
You have full control over the hours, services and locations that match your skills. You just need to regularly browse the TrustedHealth listings and hit “request interview” when you see a suitable opportunity.
Moonlighting
Just looking for extra shifts? ConnectRN and Medely connect understaffed health care facilities with the doctors, nurses, medical technicians and aides willing to work on call. Pay ranges are wide, depending on your credentials and skill level. But, generally speaking, you can earn 25 percent to 50 percent more than your ordinary hourly pay.
Home health nursing
Had enough of the hospital, but still happy to provide care?
Part-time home health care can be a very satisfying side hustle. It involves offering help to people in their own homes, whether that’s istering medications of simply assisting aging and ailing clients with activities of daily living. Unlike working in a hospital, where you juggle the needs of multiple patients at one time, this job gives you the ability to work one-on-one with your patients.
Two sites can help you find clients — CareLinx and Care.
CareLinx is tailored specifically for elder-care providers. The site charges caregivers nothing, pushing all fees to clients. Caregivers also set their own rates and availability. The one downside? CareLinx gets considerably less traffic than Care, which is the industry leader. And more traffic means more potential customers.
Care allows caregivers to sign up for free. But, if you want to communicate with clients, you need to buy a hip. The bright side? At $9 a month, the hip is affordable and gives you access to 32 million Care . Caregivers set their own rate of pay. Commonly, rates vary from $25 to $75 per hour, depending on what you’re doing and your credentials.
Other side gigs in health care
Health care professionals are also sought-after to participate in medical research and surrogacy.
You’re essentially on the other side of the health care system — experiencing it more as a patient than provider, with these side hustles. But as a health professional, you have a huge advantage. Both surrogacy and volunteering for clinical trials can be tough for a layman/woman because it’s hard to know what to expect.
But, health professionals can actually understand the medical jargon in the paperwork and also have the experience to know when something is amiss. That’s a big advantage when your side gig takes over your entire body.
Where can you find these gigs?
Surrogacy
ConceiveAbilities and Pinnacle Surrogacy are two platforms specifically designed to match donors and surrogates with prospective parents.
With ConceiveAbilities, you can work both as an egg donor or a surrogate. Egg donors earn $10,000 per donation and surrogates can earn up to $100,000. Registration is pretty standard, but the interview and qualification process is quite extensive.
For instance, egg donors must be 21 to 28 years old with a maximum BMI of 28, while surrogates must be younger than 43, having given birth at least one time with an uncomplicated pregnancy. You’ll also have to share details about your background, education, health and goals for ConceiveAbilities to determine if you’re fit to be a surrogate.
If you’re approved and matched, the entire process of medical evaluation, medication, and harvesting can take about 10 weeks. During this time, ConceiveAbilities will cover medical, travel and per diem expenses.
Pinnacle Surrogacy works similarly but only offers surrogacy services. First-time surrogates will earn up to $60,000, with the potential to earn much more in future pregnancies. To qualify, you need to be a woman under 40, with less than five previous pregnancies and less than three C-sections. Smoking, drug use and alcohol abuse will also disqualify you.
Participating in medical research
If you want to participate in clinical trials, you can sign up with Covance, Parexel, Altasciences and Fortrea Clinical Trials — or you can sign up with Linker, which aims to help you find paying clinical trials in your area.
Each study’s requirements and payment are clearly described, allowing you to withdraw from the process at any time you choose. Depending on the study, you can earn from several hundred dollars to more than $20,000, if you qualify.
Kristof is the editor of SideHusl.com, an independent website that reviews moneymaking opportunities in the gig economy.
