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Side Gigs for Neurologists

Updated: May 5

Over the years, we’ve seen countless requests for side hustle ideas for doctors in specific specialties in our Physician Side Gigs Facebook group. We continue our series of unique side gigs by specialty with side gigs for neurologists. 


If you aren’t in neurology and want to learn more about side gigs for your specialty, check out our page of side gig ideas for different specialties. If your specialty hasn’t been featured in an article yet, follow the series on Instagram, where we’ve covered more specialties.


Disclosure/Disclaimer: Our content is for generalized educational purposes.  While we try to ensure it is accurate and updated, we cannot guarantee it. We are not formal financial, legal, or tax professionals and do not provide individualized advice specific to your situation. You should consult these as appropriate and/or do your own due diligence before making decisions based on this page. To learn more, visit our disclaimers and disclosures.


Unique side gigs for neurologists, including consulting, expert witness work, clinical research, and more

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Side Gigs for Neurologists


Remote reads for diagnostic studies (remote EEG reads)


This side gig is a great opportunity for neurologists to use their clinical skills in a relatively flexible way. As the volume of diagnostic testing increases across medical fields and in house neurologists struggle to keep up with interpretations given their busy clinical schedules, companies are looking for neurologists who can provide interpretations on a contract basis and help improve their turnaround times. There are several companies which have been set up to help hospitals and clinics handle this volume, and of course, if you are particularly entrepreneurial, you could contract directly with clinics instead of going through a middleman organization. 


The work is usually done remotely from the comfort of your home or in your spare time between patients. Work can be done after hours, on the weekend, or whenever you have time. Compensation is often paid on a per-study basis, and depending on the gig, can offer the ability to take on as much or as little work as you desire and have capacity for. Compensation by type of study varies, as does the amount of time each study takes to complete, so it’s hard to say how much you can expect to make, but we of course encourage you to know your worth - it’s not about how much time it takes you to do it, but about the expertise that allows you to do it.


It’s important to note that you may need to be licensed in the state where the service was provided. We have information about multi-state licensing for physicians, as well as a discount on related licensing services for those who need it.



Consulting


Consulting is another flexible side gig that allows neurologists to leverage their clinical expertise in new and exciting ways outside of direct patient care.


These opportunities are always popular amongst our members, as they generally tend to pay well and allow doctors to have a voice in the future of healthcare innovation. Opportunities exist in a variety of industries depending on your interests, from pharmaceutical companies to medical device companies to digital healthtech startups. Some consulting opportunities require a higher level of qualification, such as specific credentials or expert knowledge, but many only require your experience as a neurologist (which is already a lot!).


Consulting opportunities vary in time commitments and compensation. Some are one-time opportunities to provide your feedback on a product or to review a plan or content. Others are long-term advisory roles to consult for a company or healthcare startup. One-time projects are usually paid on a per-project or hourly basis, while long-term roles could be paid as a stipend. If you choose to get into advisory rules, compensation may include equity in a startup, which can have huge earnings potentials over time (or result in nothing if the company doesn’t do well, so try and ensure you at least get some cash portion to cover opportunity costs).


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Paid medical surveys


Participating in paid medical surveys is one of the most flexible and easiest side gigs available for neurologists, and neurologists are in high demand by market research companies given the steady drug development and research in this space. No extra skillset or training is required, as you simply need to have experience as a neurologist to complete most of these. Many doctors will add on this side gig in some capacity during their career, such as early attendings building up their practices or looking for some extra cash to help with student loans. Residents and fellows often don’t typically qualify for these surveys.


While some specialties complain that they don’t get many medical surveys, neurologists are one of the most sought out specialties for medical surveys, so tend to get a lot. It’s more up to them whether they enjoy the experience and pay associated with these opportunities than a question of volume.


You can take as many available medical surveys as you desire, and some are as short as 5 minutes, making them easy to fit into downtime in your day-to-day life. While there’s no guarantee on the amount of work, some members of our online physician community have reported making multiple five figure amounts a year. Signing up for multiple survey companies can increase your ability to find opportunities and thus your earnings potential. 


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Clinical research


Clinical research is a rewarding and needed opportunity for neurologists. It can be lucrative, especially for those looking to add an ancillary income stream to their private practice and get involved on a deeper level. Neurologists can serve as principal investigators (PIs) or sub-investigators on trials for treatments for conditions such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, MS, and Parkinson’s. As a bonus, engaging in this research can also provide options to, and potentially life-changing outcomes for, your patients. Clinical research is often conducted at academic institutions, but interest in establishing research at private practices has been increasing globally with the desire of studying a more diverse patient population and a greater variety of cases.


Participating through a dedicated research site at your practice is often the most lucrative option for this side gig, but opportunities exist with third-party independent research companies as a clinical research physician at an already established research site, which can be performed part time alongside your clinical work.


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Chart review 


Chart review is a popular nonclinical side gig that can offer opportunities to leverage your clinical expertise outside of the traditional clinical setting. These opportunities generally involve analyzing medical records for groups such as utilization review companies, law firms, and insurance companies for quality, legal, or administrative purposes. There are a variety of roles depending on your specific interests, including confirming the necessity of imaging services, insurance appeals, worker’s compensation, disability claims reviews, and more.


Many chart review opportunities can be done remotely on your own schedule and are either paid hourly or per chart. Some cases may be time sensitive, so you should be prepared for that. Some chart review companies with very high volume may ask for a larger time commitment, whereas others are more flexible.


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IMEs and disability exams 


We have had many companies come to us through our side gig matching services seeking neurologists to do IME work. This work can be quite lucrative, with compensation in some markets approaching 4 figures an hour, and provides a helpful service to patients. There are strict requirements to participate in this work, and it is possible that you’ll have to take an exam to qualify as well as learn how to appropriately structure your reports. Most physicians engage in this work through companies that can help train them, although it is possible to contract directly.


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Expert witness work


Expert witness work is popular amongst physicians given both its lucrative nature and the ability to use your clinical knowledge to do the work, without much in the way of additional needed qualifications. The opportunities generally involve reviewing charts and coming up with a position on a question that is asked of you by the attorney or law firm asking for your opinion. Most of the time, this is a remote side gig, although a small percentage of cases may progress to depositions or testimony. Make sure you charge accordingly for these, as these are significantly more time consuming and may require some preparation. 


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Locums or moonlighting


Locums and moonlighting opportunities are in some ways the most natural side gig for physicians who want to make additional money, as they allow you to just do more of what you do at your day job and get paid at a similar (or higher) rate. The obvious note here is to be careful not to overextend yourself, as this can be a major contributor to physician burnout. Just because you can make extra money doesn’t mean that it’s always the best option for long term career longevity, so when taking extra shifts, a balanced approach is key.


There can be a varying level of commitment to the gig depending on who you’re working with and what their needs are. Opportunities also vary in terms of length. You may be able to pick up the occasional moonlighting shift with your current hospital system or clinic on a per diem basis. You may also accept a short-term commitment to cover for a temporary shortage while your group or institution or another works to fill an empty role permanently, or while a full-time physician takes a leave of absence. Some gigs can even be multi-month or even year long agreements with a regular commitment to work specific shifts each week or month. 


Moonlighting with your current employer is usually covered under malpractice insurance offered by your employer, and many locums opportunities offer some sort of malpractice coverage, but it’s always important to check the coverage before committing. Your malpractice insurance through your current employer likely won’t cover you if you moonlight for another institution. If you can’t get coverage directly for your side gig, you’ll likely need to purchase your own policy. Visit our medical malpractice insurance page for more info and resources if needed.


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Telemedicine / telestroke / telenuerohospitalist opportunities


Telemedicine is an increasingly popular side gig for doctors, and neurologists are no exception. In neurology, several telemedicine opportunities have evolved, including direct patient care consultations and followups, second opinion services, and telestroke and teleneurohospitalist rounding services. 


Opportunities exist with telehealth platforms as well as collaborating with hospital systems. There are also options to set up your own telemedicine platform to see existing patients or to expand your patient roster, including seeing those in rural areas and underserved populations.

 Third-party telemedicine providers may have a required minimum hour commitment, but it can be as low as a few hours a month to a more regimented schedule depending on the needs of the client. Compensation will usually be 1099 and may be on a per-visit basis.


Again, rates as well as responsibilities can vary significantly, so we recommend exploring options to find the right fit. 


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Sleep consulting


Sleep consulting is a side gig uniquely fit for neurologists, particularly those with extra expertise and training specifically in sleep. It can be an excellent opportunity for those that want to expand their work outside of the traditional clinical setting. These opportunities can also be a great way to help patients improve their quality of life, and is an in demand service given how much people value their sleep. As a bonus, many people are willing to pay cash for these services.


With sleep consulting, neurologists assess current sleep behaviors and conditions, provide personalized treatment plans, and offer guidance to improve the patient’s sleep hygiene. This can be done independently using a brand that you build yourself, or by contracting with existing companies such as sleep centers and telehealth platforms. In most cases, this work is done remotely, offering flexibility. Compensation is often done on a per session/consultation basis and can vary depending on the situation and the volume of work available and desired.



Additional side hustle resources for neurologists


While we’ve outlined above some common side gig ideas for neurologists, there’s always room for creativity. If there’s something you’re passionate about and good at, look for ways 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 neurologists what they’ve enjoyed as their side gig.


You can also explore the following to learn more about our:

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