Residency is characterized by long hours—without a high salary to match your efforts. It’s no wonder that many residents are exploring side gigs to supplement their income throughout their training.
Residents are allowed to have side jobs, but with important caveats. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sets an 80-hour weekly limit on clinical and educational work, averaged over four weeks. Any side gig, especially clinical work like moonlighting, must be factored into these hours. This means you will need to get approval from your program director before taking on any external work.
This article explores why residents often seek side gigs, and the best options to choose from to develop in your career and earn extra money.
Why do residents seek a side gig?
Among the greater Sermo community (which includes residents and trainees, among 1+ million verified physicians), nearly half (46%) of polled members said they currently have a passive income source. Residents are typically driven to side gigs for any of the following reasons:
High debt and low income
The path to becoming a physician is paved with significant financial investment. Many residents graduate with student loan debt—$200,000 on average in the U.S., according to the American Medical Association (AMA). When you compare this debt to the average resident salary (about $60,000 on average, according to the AMA), the financial strain becomes a daily reality.
The supplemental income from a side gig can reduce the need to rely on credit cards or personal loans for unexpected expenses. In a poll of the Sermo physician community, 41% cited extra income as the main benefit of a side hustle.
Skill diversification
Side gigs in fields like medical writing, tutoring or consulting can help you cultivate valuable non-clinical skills. These roles can sharpen your communication, teaching and business management abilities. In the Sermo poll, 21% of participants highlighted improved skill set as another benefit of side gigs. These transferable skills are not just resume-builders; they can help you advance in your career, whether you aim for a leadership role in a hospital, to enter academia or to launch your own practice.
Career exploration
If you’re considering a career outside of a clinic or hospital, side gigs offer a low-risk, low-commitment way to explore alternative career paths, as noted by a family medicine doctor on Sermo: “Side hustles are a great way to express your talents and desires outside of medicine,” they noted You can dip your toes into the worlds of health tech, medical communications or pharmaceutical consulting without leaving your residency program. “Once [my residency is] completed, I do not rule out the opportunity to carry out other activities outside the area of medicine,” shares another Sermo member.
6 side gigs for residents in 2026
The right side gig will balance your time, skills and program requirements. Here are some of the most popular and viable options for residents:
Sermo paid medical surveys
“Surveys are great during residency,” notes one general practitioner on Sermo. That’s because paid medical surveys are one of the most flexible and accessible side hustles. Sermo allows residents, fellows and attendings to access the full physician-only community where you can complete surveys to share your insights with market research firms and healthcare companies for compensation. You can complete these surveys on your own schedule—during a lunch break, on your commute or at home in your downtime.
In a Sermo poll, medical surveys were the most common side hustle for physicians. Earnings vary based on the number of surveys you qualify for, the complexity and length of time taken to complete. After residency, you can update your specialty on your Sermo profile to qualify for even more survey opportunities.
Beyond surveys, you can also boost your earnings through participating in community promotions, quick polls and referral opportunities.
Moonlighting
Moonlighting involves working extra clinical shifts, typically in an urgent care center, emergency room or hospital and is a viable side gig for residents with the appropriate licensure and program approval. These roles provide valuable experience in managing a wide range of common acute conditions in an outpatient setting.
Note that the practice comes with regulations. Moonlighting hours must be counted toward your 80-hour ACGME weekly limit, and may require written approval — some residency programs don’t allow moonlighting at all, according to the AMA.
Tutoring
Your journey through medical school and board exams has equipped you with a wealth of knowledge that can aid current students. Tutoring for the MCAT, USMLE or COMLEX can be a rewarding side gig. You can work for an established test prep company, find clients independently or follow the same path as one resident on Sermo: “I’m a medicine teacher at a university.”
Medical writing and content creation
You can find paid writing opportunities creating content for medical publications, health blogs, pharmaceutical companies or board review services. This could involve writing articles, creating practice questions or editing educational materials. In addition to earning money, you’ll hone your ability to communicate complex medical information clearly and concisely—a skill that is invaluable in any medical career. 12% of polled Sermo members have participated in writing as a side hustle.
Med school or residency admissions advising
Navigating the medical school and residency application process is daunting. As someone who has successfully done it, you can offer your services as an admissions advisor. This could involve helping applicants with their personal statements, conducting mock interviews, or providing overall strategic guidance. You can work through an agency or build your own independent client base through word-of-mouth.
Medical transcription
AI is changing this field, but a need for medical transcriptionists to convert voice-recorded medical reports into text still exists. This requires a strong understanding of medical terminology and attention to detail. It offers a high degree of flexibility, as transcriptionists can typically work from home on their own schedules.
Non-medical side gigs for residents
If you’re looking for jobs for resident physicians that take you completely outside the clinical setting, the gig economy offers a world of possibilities.
While clinical moonlighting often offers the highest hourly rate, its strict requirements make it inaccessible for many. Among non-clinical options, high-skill freelancing, such as medical writing or specialized consulting, can be very lucrative. However, the “highest-paying” gig is ultimately the one that you can perform consistently without compromising your residency duties.
Here are a few options to consider:
Ride sharing (Uber, Lyft, etc.)
You can drive for a ride-sharing service, which is one of the most flexible side gigs available. You are able to show that you’re active on the app whenever you have a few spare hours, making it easy to fit around your residency schedule. It requires minimal startup cost beyond having a reliable vehicle and passing a background check.
Delivery (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, etc.)
Similar to ride-sharing, delivering food or groceries offers complete control over your working hours. You can work for an hour between shifts or dedicate a full day off to it. All you need is a car, scooter or even a bike in some cities to get started.
Freelancing (TaskRabbit, Jobber, UpWork, etc.)
Platforms like Upwork connect freelancers with clients seeking a variety of services. You could offer your skills in writing, editing, data entry, research or even virtual assistance. TaskRabbit allows you to offer services like furniture assembly, moving help or handyman work in your area.
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is an e-commerce model where you sell products online without ever holding inventory yourself. When a customer places an order, you purchase the item from a third-party supplier who then ships it directly to the customer. It costs little to get started, as a general practitioner on Sermo noted. “Dropshipping, becoming a freelancer, affiliate marketing, selling photography, and print-on-demand are all side hustles you can start with little money,” they shared.
Sermo paid medical surveys as a means to reach your goals
Since Sermo surveys require no clinical hours and don’t take up much time, they offer a practical way to earn supplemental income without breaching ACGME limits. Some residents use their survey earnings to make extra payments on student loans, preventing interest from snowballing over time. Others put the money toward investments, savings accounts or emergency funds—resources that are difficult to grow when living on a resident salary alone. And Sermo rewards your professional progress: survey opportunities increase as you earn your MD certification and climb further as you become a specialist, reflecting the greater value of your expertise in market research. If you’re managing debt, trying to save or hoping to invest early, Sermo surveys transform spare minutes into momentum.
Chart your path to financial freedom
Resident side gigs can allow you to manage financial stress and gain valuable experience. Whether you choose to leverage your medical expertise through surveys and moonlighting or explore unrelated fields in the gig economy, the income you generate can be transformative.
Before you begin, remember to always prioritize your residency duties, adhere to ACGME work-hour regulations and get approval from your program director for any outside clinical and educational work.
As a first step, you can join the Sermo community for free. Not only can you start earning extra income through paid surveys, but you’ll also connect with a global network of more than one million physicians. Share insights, seek advice, and learn from peers who successfully completed residency. It’s a community built to support you on your journey, both clinically and financially.
