© 2026 SEAK, Inc.
James J. Mangraviti, Jr.
Introduction: Numerous work from home side gigs are available for physicians looking to supplement their clinical incomes. This blog post provides a brief overview of 14 well-established secondary employment/freelance/consulting opportunities for physicians.
1. Expert Witness/IMEs The most well-paying widely available freelance opportunity for physicians is without question expert witnessing/IMEs. Physician expert witnesses are typically compensated at $600-$1,000/hr or more. The vast majority of the work consists of chart review, research, report writing, and participating in Zoom calls and Zoom depositions. Trials are rare, but when they do occur, physician expert witnesses must often travel. Board certification and an active clinical practice may be a legal or practical requirement to succeed as an expert witness. Independent Medical Examinations are expert witness assignments where, in addition to reviewing records, the physician has the opportunity to take a history from and examine the person in question (a doctor-patient relationship is not established). Physician expert witnesses and independent medical examiners can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by working just a handful of hours per week. The key to success as a physician expert witness is being responsive and available and learning how to perform expert witness work at a high level – as this will earn repeat and word of mouth business. To learn how to perform expert witness work at the highest level and for the #1 rated resource to obtain expert witness case referrals visit www.testifyingtraining.com.
2. File Review/Chart Review Consulting There are a lot of opportunities out there for physicians to assist health and disability insurance companies and Independent Review Organization with chart reviews/peer reviews. This work is typically 100% remote/work-from-home. It pays significantly less than expert witness work ($85-$200/hr or so), but the physician file reviewer is almost never asked to testify. For health insurance chart reviews, physicians are tasked with reviewing medical records and offering a brief written opinion as to whether a proposed on past medical service or prescription drug is covered under the insurance policy in question. For disability insurance consulting/chart reviews, the physician is tasked with reviewing medical documentation on an insured claiming disability benefits to determine whether the medical record supports disability under the applicable insurance policy language. For both roles, active clinical practice and board certification are typically required. Physicians who learn to perform reviews at a high level can generate repeat business and a substantial secondary income source. Click here for additional resources to learn how to perform health insurance and disability insurance chart reviews at a high level.
3. Knowledge Consulting Knowledge consulting is an excellent work-from-home way for board certified, actively practicing physicians to generate freelance income. The work involves making yourself available to research companies serving businesses that sell or invest in products or services related to healthcare in general and your specialty in particular. Most of the work is done by intermediaries/agencies who work on behalf of various business entities such as investors, medical device companies, financial companies, etc. One such entity is GLG. There are various way you may be asked to share your expertise including written surveys, phone calls/Zooms, and focus groups. Physicians who are board certified in in demand specialties, who are responsive and provide valuable insights can earn repeat business and a significant physician side-income from knowledge consulting.
4. Medical Review Officer (MRO) Persons often are required to undergo drug testing – for example when applying for a job or when serving in a profession such as a truck driver. When initial drug test results come back these must be reviewed by a licensed physician serving as a Medical Review Officer (MRO). The MRO is responsible for determining if there is a legitimate reason for a positive test (e.g. a prescription drug the tested person is currently taking). Part of the MRO’s responsibility includes reaching out to the person in question via telephone to gather information which could support a legitimate medical reason for a positive test result. Although some full-time work as an MRO is available, most reviews are performed by physicians who spend only a portion of their time serving as a MRO. MRO work is well suited to be performed from home.
5. Real Estate Real estate related work is a common side hustle for physicians. Opportunities in real estate exist in all parts of the country. Board certification, active practice, and even a medical license are not required. Real estate related physician side jobs include buying and improving property and then flipping it, investing in commercial and residential real estate, and becoming a licensed real estate broker. Substantial tax benefits may be available to physicians who invest in real estate. Physician real estate brokers have a built in network of high-earning professionals in the medical field to tap into as potential clients and can often do quite well in this field.
6. Coaching Serving as a life, executive, nutrition and/or exercise coach is a great work-from- home side gig for physicians. Coaching is fee-for-service, does not involve a physician/patient relationship and typically involves meeting with clients regularly over Zoom to help organize, guide and educate them through life challenges such as achieving a work/life balance, being a better clinician, transitioning careers, having a healthier lifestyle, being a more effective leader/executive, etc. The number of physicians starting coaching practices has exploded in recent years. It’s a great fit for physicians who want to help others and are frustrated with the amount of time they are allowed to spend with their patients in their current practice. Neither board certification, an active clinical practice, nor an active medical license are required to be a physician coach.
7. Aviation Medical Examiner The Department of Transportation requires licensed pilots to obtain periodic medical examinations from Aviation Medical Examiners. The requirements to pass these aviation medical examinations vary according to the type of pilot license held by the examinee (e.g. pilots who fly passenger jets face stricter requirements than general aviation/recreational pilots). Training to become an AME is mandatory, but the FAA provides this training free of charge. When performing aviation medical examinations, physicians are free to charge whatever fees they like for this service. The market for AMEs is competitive, however, and pilots are free to shop around/compare prices when selecting an Aviation Medical Examiner.
8. Medical Spa The number of medical spas has exploded in recent years. Treatments are fee for service and physicians can earn substantial income by operating medical spas. The upfront and ongoing investment in operating a medical spa is very high however and competition in this area keeps increasing.
9. Veterans Examinations United States military veterans must prove a nexus between a current health problem and their military service to claim disability benefits. This nexus must be certified by a medical provider after an examination of the veteran. A medical license is required to conduct veterans examinations, but board certification is not. Travel opportunities may be available to conduct these examinations. There is a large demand for veterans examinations and physicians can earn good money if they perform a high volume of examinations. There are agencies that will hire physicians to perform veterans exams and refer physicians cases – for example VES.
10. Niche Consulting is a viable work-from-home freelancing endeavor for physicians to earn extra income. The work involves using the physician’s knowledge, expertise and experience to help their clients solve problems. Physician consulting is typically well paid, and physician consultants set their own fees. Physician niche consultants are typically compensated by the hour ($400-$800 or more) or by the project. Neither an active medical license, board certification, nor an active clinical practice are required. This work is most appropriate for self-starters who are not afraid of creating a side business involving advising clients in a niche area. Disadvantages of niche consulting include being responsible for finding an appropriate niche, marketing yourself, and business development. Potential niches could involve CME compliance, coding, staffing, setting up a medical practice, increasing reimbursements, drug safety, medical device development, hospital/staff relations or anything else where a client has a serious problem and is willing to pay for your expertise and assistance.
11. Teaching is a rewarding side gig for physicians. Teaching gigs can be obtained in many areas/settings including medical schools, residency programs, schools for allied professionals such as nurses, PAs, CRNAs, etc., and CME programs. Teaching can also raise a physician’s profile and help obtain consulting gigs (e.g. the physician teaches a course on X thereby establishing credibility in this area, and is then contacted for consulting work by a student, former student or someone who came across information about the course online). Teaching is typically not in and of itself a lucrative endeavor, but the consulting assignments teaching can generate can be quite lucrative.
12. Writing There are numerous work from home freelance opportunities for physician writers. Work for hire assignments for medical writers are available from pharmaceutical and medical communication companies on projects such as marketing materials, package inserts, CME slide decks, etc. This work is typically compensated at $100-$200/hr and can be done at high volume if a physician writer is in high-demand and learns how to market themselves. Physicians can also earn money as a writer by blogging, writing articles and writing books. Physicians who publish widely in an area and become seen as an expert in that area often create lucrative consulting, teaching, and career opportunities for themselves. Neither an active medical license, board certification, nor an active clinical practice are required.
Conclusion: The above 12 physician supplemental income activities are just some of the examples of the financially and intellectually rewarding opportunities available for physicians to generate side income. For those seeking a deeper dive, consider these additional resources from SEAK:
www.testifyingtraining.com
www.seakexperts.com
www.imedirectory.com
www.nonclinicalcareers.com
James J. Mangraviti, Jr., Esq., is the President of SEAK, Inc., The Expert Witness Training Company and the co-founder of SEAK’s #1 rated Expert Witness Directory. He has trained thousands of physician expert witnesses. Mr. Mangraviti received his BA degree in mathematics summa cum laude from Boston College and his JD degree cum laude from Boston College Law School. Mr. Mangraviti has designed dozens of expert witness training programs and has personally taught experts in a group setting over 250 times since 1997. He is the co-author of thirty books and was the co-creator of SEAK’s Annual Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians Conference.
