Many of the physicians on our online communities, especially of course those on Physician Side Gigs Facebook group, are interested in developing additional revenue streams for a host of reasons. Certain specialties tend to gravitate towards certain side gigs, or may be uniquely positioned or qualified to succeed in a particular side gig. As such, we have our unique side gigs for doctors series that explores side gigs for each physician specialty specifically, in addition to our more general list of popular physician side gigs. We continue this series today with side gigs for anesthesiologists.
Anesthesiologists have skill sets and schedules that are particularly conducive to the side gig world. As there is a fair amount of flexibility in jobs in anesthesia and how they’re structured with the ability to do shift work, anesthesiologists are one of the specialties in medicine that we see engaging in side gigs more frequently. Below, we’ll explore popular side gigs for anesthesiologists.
If you're not an anesthesiologist and want to learn more about side gigs for your specific specialty, check out our side gigs page, which has a section that specifically lists side gig ideas for different specialties. If your specialty hasn’t been featured yet, follow the series on Instagram, where we roll out new specialties regularly.
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Side Gigs for Anesthesiologists
Sedation for Pediatric Dental Offices
There are several businesses, many of which were started by anesthesiologists, and individual anesthesiologists who focus on providing anesthesia and sedation for pediatric dental offices. This can be a great source of additional income, and depending on how many other people are in the pool, can be quite flexible, allowing you to sign up for cases when you’re free. Some companies may have minimum shift requirements, particularly if they have a large volume of clients that depend on them. A great feature of this side gig for physicians practicing anesthesia is that it allows them to take on a side gig that pays well (likely similar to their clinical rate) without requiring additional training. Additionally, physicians will have the satisfaction of addressing an underserved need, as many dental offices lack the resources or training to provide advanced sedation safely.
Note that providing anesthesia services in a dental office is very different from in an operating room, and anesthesiologists who choose to practice in this setting should be aware of that. In the OR, there are lots of procedures in place and backup personnel should there be any unfortunate complications. However, in a dental office you may be the only one present who is highly trained in how to handle major complications. It’s important to decide if you will feel comfortable providing anesthesia in this different environment and if you feel prepared to do so.
Office Based or Ambulatory Surgery Center Anesthesia for Other Specialties
Similar to providing anesthesia for dental offices, there are many physician specialties who may also want the help of an anesthesiologist to provide services within their facilities, whether they be in the office or in their group’s ambulatory surgical center. Office based anesthesia is increasingly popular as it offers patients the convenience of undergoing procedures outside traditional hospital or ambulatory surgery center settings. More and more practices are looking to do their work outside of hospital based settings as well as share in the profits of an ambulatory surgery center, and as regulations change, more ASCs are being built. Some specialities who might be looking for anesthesiologists for these services include plastic surgery, oral surgery, orthopedic surgery, and ophthalmology.
As with providing pediatric dental anesthesia, office based anesthesia requires you to be meticulous in your preparation for emergencies, including having the appropriate medications, resuscitation equipment, and transfer protocols in place. The physicians at these practices, though also physicians, are hiring you because they value your expertise in these areas and will look to you for guidance if something goes wrong.
Locums or Per Diem Work for Healthcare Facilities
If you’re a full-time anesthesiologist or work part-time, there are likely opportunities to take on locum tenens or per diem positions in your area. Many hospitals and healthcare facilities face challenges in maintaining adequate anesthesia coverage, leading to frequent openings for temporary or contract positions. The pay for these roles varies widely, depending on factors such as your experience level, the location of the assignment, and the type and volume of cases you'll handle. If you’re flexible with your schedule and open to a wide range of cases, these roles can offer substantial financial rewards, and be a win win for all involved. To gain a clearer picture of potential earnings, explore our locum compensation data to see trends for anesthesiologists across various regions and practice settings.
Learn more about locum tenens opportunities for doctors.
Concierge IV Hydration Businesses
Concierge IV hydration businesses present an intriguing opportunity for anesthesiologists to leverage their expertise in intravenous therapy and patient care. These services, which offer customizable IV infusions for hydration, wellness, recovery, and performance enhancement, have grown in popularity among clients seeking convenient and personalized care.
Anesthesiologists can administer these services, ensuring safe and effective delivery of fluids and nutrients while minimizing risks such as infection or adverse reactions. Expanding into this area can provide anesthesiologists with a flexible revenue stream and an opportunity to engage with a broader patient population outside traditional hospital or surgical settings.
It’s important to ensure you have the appropriate malpractice insurance before signing on to this new role, and to make sure you stay within the standard of care. Make sure you’re able to balance medical care that is convenient and personalized while establishing and maintaining important protocols.
Consulting and Medical Surveys
Medical surveys and consulting can be a flexible way for any physician to make extra money without the commitments of other more involved side gigs, and are often touted as a popular physician side gig. It’s important to note that anesthesiologists are not typically one of the physician specialties that get the most surveys, so you should have a reasonable expectation of how many surveys you will get and see this more as bonus money rather than a regular source of income. The more companies that you sign up for, the more opportunities will come across your plate.
Make sure you pay attention to which survey companies are reputable, as some can be slow to send you your payment or are more lucrative than others.
There are several areas where an anesthesiologist can get involved in as a consultant including advising a start up, giving feedback to a medical device or pharmaceutical company, or otherwise. If you’re interested in becoming a consultant, you can use our consulting database to find the right fit for you.
Learn more about medical consulting opportunities for physicians.
Learn more about paid medical surveys for physicians.
Investing
Investing can be one of the more “passive” side gigs that anesthesiologists can engage in. As anesthesiologists are one of the higher paid physician specialties, they are often in the fortunate position to be able to use the extra money they are able to save to invest that money to make more money. As such, it is a popular one.
There are many different realms within investing that can be explored based upon risk tolerance. While we’re fans of tried and true forms of investing that are more set it and forget it like the three fund portfolio, physicians with more time and energy to learn specific niche fields within investing (and the risk tolerance) may find that those efforts pay off. Some examples we’ve seen our anesthesiologists explore include:
Active real estate investing, which tends to come with more tax advantages
Options Trading or Day trading
Restaurants
Niche areas like art, music, and more
If you’re new to investing, a good place to start is our physician’s guide to different types of investments.
Learn more about investing for physicians.
Learn more about real estate investing for physicians.
Expert Witness
Expert witness work is a common side gig for many physicians regardless of their specialty, as there are always needs for medical experts in legal cases. It’s popular amongst many physicians as it doesn’t require developing another skill set, but instead leverages the expertise that you already have. Since anesthesiologists are such an integral part of surgery, and as many of the major complications that can lead to life or death situations are in surgery, anesthesiologists unfortunately also find themselves involved in lawsuits not infrequently. This means that there is often a role for expert witnesses that are anesthesiologists.
These side gigs are particularly lucrative, with the average anesthesiologist expert witness on our groups charging within the $450-600 range/hour. You can see the specifics of how much our physician members charge per specialty in our expert witness compensation resource.
You will need to make sure you feel comfortable taking the stand and are able to take the time off needed for depositions and testimony which can sometimes be difficult as an anesthesiologist. In addition, you need to be prepared to be both the defendant and the plaintiff as the opposing side will discredit you if you routinely only take work defending physicians. Some physicians are understandably not comfortable with this.
Learn more about expert witness opportunities for physicians.
Non-Medical Side Gigs or Starting a Business
Of all our specialties, given the schedule flexibility and income of anesthesiologists, anesthesiologists are amongst the more likely of our physicians to engage in a side gig. Examples of side gigs that anesthesiologist members of our physician community have elected to do things completely outside of medicine, such as:
Investing and related fields (mentioned above)
Selling art or music
Blogging or podcasting
Starting a medical education company
Starting their own wine label
Getting involved in the healthcare innovation space
And more!
Additional Side Hustle Resources for Anesthesiologists
While we’ve outlined above some common side gig ideas for anesthesiologists, you can always find other side gigs that cater best to your specific skill set or creative outlets. If there’s something you’re passionate about or find fulfilling, chances are you may be able to keep pursuing your passion while finding a way to monetize it.
Dive deeper into some of the side gigs featured above, including:
Need inspiration? Join our Physician Side Gigs Facebook group and ask other dermatologists what they’ve enjoyed as their side gig.
You can also explore the following to learn more about our:
Side gig articles on our blog
Self-employed finances and taxes primers to help manage your side gig income
Physician Facebook groups, which are free to join and aim to ensure a safe space for physicians to talk side gigs, finances, life in medicine, and everything in between