Moonlighting Benefits: Primary Care & Urgent Care

From Urgent Care to Consulting – where to find the best opportunities…

In today’s economy, everybody’s trying to earn extra income. Due to this, most people have a “side hustle” of some kind, often to help meet financial needs. However, sometimes this is for the purpose of staying busy, enjoying a hobby or talent, or learning something new. Physicians are no exception. Many of today’s doctors take on extra work, a practice commonly referred to as “moonlighting,” for a number of reasons and in a variety of locations. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at where doctors are putting in extra hours and the benefits this extra work can bring.

What Types of Facilities Accept Moonlighting Physicians?

Option 1: Home Sweet Home – Hospital moonlighting

Oftentimes, physicians pick up extra shifts in the same location that they work their regular hours. This is especially common with doctors who work in hospitals as it can be easy to pick up extra shifts in their own department or, for variety, fill in wherever needs exist, providing a convenient way to pick up extra hours.

Option 2: Share that knowledge – Moonlighting as a consultant or teacher

Doctors have a wealth of healthcare knowledge. Because of this, consulting and teaching are great moonlighting options, with about a quarter of doctors taking on extra work through these avenues. Medical consulting work varies in the field, but one of the most popular is in the legal setting. Also, medical schools find doctors with a wealth of experience extremely valuable, therefore, many physicians moonlight in teaching.

Option 3: Take the lead – Doctor by day…medical director by night (Or on off days)

Doctor by day, Medical Director by night (or days off). Physicians try their hand in acting as a Medical Director at a variety of facilities including nursing homes, hospice centers, and non-profit clinics. As a result, these gigs allow doctors to share their medical knowledge and provide guidance, make extra money (unless it’s a volunteer position), and put in a smaller number of hours than with some other moonlighting positions.

Option 4: This is urgent – Urgent care moonlighting

Urgent care opportunities are plentiful with flexible hours and the opportunity for lots of variety with relatively little stress. Also, urgent care centers allow for a decidedly patient-centered approach that many doctors appreciate, as lots of patients visit urgent care because it’s the more cost-effective option. This allows physicians to work creatively with patients to ease their symptoms without breaking the bank. There’s also a low risk of burnout in urgent care centers because of the slower pace and lower incidence of on-call hours.

Why do Physicians Choose Moonlighting?

For the Financial Benefits of an Outside Job

Believe it or not, doctors need extra money too. Not to mention, becoming a doctor is expensive. This leaves many younger physicians looking for the ability to pay off large student loans as quickly as possible. As a result, even doctors approaching the later part of their career are moonlighting, looking to accelerate their savings before they retire. The specific financial benefits vary from position to position. Moreover, about half of moonlighting physicians make under $30,000 per year in extra income. A quarter of moonlighting physicians bring in between $30,000 and $75,000 extra per year. Yet, a very fortunate 5% of physicians bring in $150,000 in extra income per year through their moonlighting endeavors.

For Variety and New Learning Experiences

Doing the same things day in and day out gets boring for anyone and unused skills, like unused muscles, risk atrophy. Moonlighting allows a doctor to gain experience in a variety of settings and allows for the opportunity to use knowledge and skills that aren’t applicable in their regular practice.

For the Satisfaction of Helping Others

Many physicians want to pay it forward by sharing their knowledge with the next generation of doctors. Also, physicians enjoy providing health information to those who would benefit from their expertise, or the less fortunate. Teaching, consulting, and volunteer work all provide the ability to realize this goal.

More and more physicians choose to moonlight to bring in extra cash, keep their skills sharp, and learn new things. The opportunities to take on extra work for doctors are varied and unique. Consequently, the most available of these options is urgent care facilities. Moonlighting physicians gain varied experience in a relatively low stress environment, a relatively perfect scenario for that second job.

For more information on MicroMD’s Solutions and how our software is used in both primary and urgent care settings, visit micromd.com or call 1-800-624-8832.