As an infectious disease (ID) specialist you dedicated more than a decade to schooling, learning about the life cycle of parasites and mastering the nuances of gram-negative resistance mechanisms. If you’ve racked up student loan debt along the way—or have other expenses, like a mortgage or your kids’ schooling—a side hustle can sound worthwhile.
ID specialists possess a skillset that is critical to public health, but their compensation often lags behind procedural specialties. This has led many ID specialists to look beyond the hospital ward for opportunities that not only boost their income but apply their expertise in new and impactful ways.
Explore why ID specialists turn to side hustles, and learn about 11 viable options that leverage your unique training and experience.
Why do infectious disease physicians seek a side gig?
A Sermo poll found that financial gain is one of the most common motivators causing physicians to explore side hustles. When choosing the main benefit of a side hustle, 41% of Sermo members cited earning extra income as the primary driver, followed by improving skill sets (21%) and expanding their network (17%). “Side hustles are necessary with the current state of world economy,” a hematologist states on Sermo.
Notably, ID specialists have some of the lowest average salaries compared to other specialties, often making less than $300,000, as Sermo previously reported. ID specialists are tasked with highly complex clinical decision making relative to other specialties, and the work is often undervalued by current reimbursement models, according to a 2023 study.
Here’s a more detailed look at the forces driving ID specialists to take on side work:
Compensation lag and administrative load
As mentioned, ID specialists’ compensation often doesn’t match up to the complexity of their work. Billing codes often don’t reflect the hours they spend digging through patient histories, reviewing microbiology data and coordinating care. Furthermore, these specialists frequently shoulder a heavy burden of non-reimbursed tasks.
Monetizing epidemiology and public health skills
ID specialists receive training in clinical epidemiology and understand outbreaks, transmission dynamics and vaccine strategies. This skillset is marketable outside of the hospital. Government agencies, large corporations navigating post-pandemic workplaces, travel clinics and global health consulting firms are all willing to pay for your strategic foresight.
High demand in litigation and pharma
When things go wrong in a hospital, lawyers need experts to explain the standard of care. Your expertise in Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) and complex antibiotic regimens makes you a prime candidate for medicolegal consulting. Similarly, the pharmaceutical industry relies on ID expertise for research and development, particularly in the niche but critical field of anti-infectives.
Flexibility and autonomy
Burnout affects many healthcare professionals, and ID specialists are not immune. The constant demand of hospital rounds and on-call schedules can leave little room for a personal life. “It’s hard for me to get a good work life balance,” expresses one physician on Sermo.
Side gigs offer a reprieve. Many non-clinical ID physician side jobs—like tele-consulting or medical writing—can be done from home on your own schedule. This autonomy allows you to diversify your income stream without adding to your clinical burnout. For some, remote work may provide the freedom to reduce their clinical hours.
11 side gigs for infectious disease physicians in 2026
Members of the Sermo community have found a variety of ways to make money outside their main role, from a general practitioner who teaches medical students to a physician who engages in advocacy work, and an ID specialist who completes surveys on Sermo.
As an ID specialist, you have plenty of options. Here are 11 side gigs tailored specifically to your skills, ranging from low-barrier entry options to high-level consulting roles.
Sermo paid medical surveys
If you are looking for a flexible way to earn extra income without a massive time commitment, medical surveys stand out. Pharmaceutical companies and market research firms rely on specialists to guide drug development and marketing strategies. As an ID physician, you can weigh in on antibiotic usage, resistance trends and new therapeutics. Sermo surveys allow you to participate whenever you have a few spare minutes between rounds or while waiting for a consult. Medical surveys were the most common side hustle among Sermo members who responded to a poll, receiving 33% of votes.
Travel medicine consulting
Corporations with international footprints need to keep their employees safe. This goes beyond just recommending vaccines. It involves risk assessment for specific regions, malaria prophylaxis protocols and strategies for managing illness abroad. You can contract with companies, universities with study abroad programs or NGOs to provide high-level travel medicine policies and individual pre-travel consults.
Tele-antimicrobial stewardship
Many smaller community hospitals lack the resources to hire a full-time ID specialist, yet they are required by regulatory bodies (like The Joint Commission) to have antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP). This creates a market for tele-stewardship. From your home office, you can review antibiotic prescribing patterns, provide approval or recommendations on restricted antimicrobials and provide feedback to hospitalists in rural or underserved areas. You’ll extend your impact while earning a tele-stewardship salary.
Tele-ID consults
As with stewardship, you can deliver direct patient care remotely. Tele-ID allows you to consult on complex cases in rural hospitals that have no ID specialist on staff. You can guide the workup for a fever of unknown origin, help manage a complex bone infection or assist with HIV care via video conferencing.
Utilization review for high-cost antibiotics or infusion centers
Insurance companies and hospital systems need experts to review the medical necessity of high-cost treatments. In the ID world, this often involves long-term IV antibiotics or expensive antifungals. As a Utilization Reviewer, you apply your clinical judgment to determine if a proposed treatment plan is appropriate and evidence-based.
Expert witness
Lawsuits involving sepsis, missed meningitis diagnoses or surgical site infections hinge on whether the standard of care was met. Lawyers need an ID expert to review medical records and provide an objective opinion. While it requires detailed report writing and occasional depositions, the hourly rates can be substantial. Physician expert witnesses make an average of $105 per hour in the U.S., according to ZipRecruiter data.
Institutional review board (IRB) membership
Clinical research relies on IRBs to ensure ethical standards are met. Given the volume of trials involving vaccines, antibiotics and antivirals, ID expertise is crucial on these boards. You can serve on an IRB (either for a local academic center or a commercial IRB) to stay on the cutting edge of research while being compensated for your time.
Grant reviewer in infectious disease research
Funding agencies, from the NIH to private foundations, need peer reviewers to evaluate grant applications. While some government review panels are honorarium-based, many private foundations and international organizations offer competitive compensation for detailed scientific reviews.
Advisor for diagnostic lab companies
Diagnostic companies need clinical advisors to help them understand how clinicians use rapid molecular testing and syndromic panels, interpret results and identify where the clinical gaps lie. Your insight can help shape the next generation of diagnostic tools, ensuring they are clinically relevant and useful at the bedside.
Infection control consulting
Nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and correctional facilities often struggle with infection control but cannot afford a full-time epidemiologist. You can offer infection control consulting services on a contract basis. This might involve rewriting policies, preparing for state surveys or managing an outbreak of influenza or norovirus remotely.
Medical writing
The world of medical writing offers diverse opportunities. You could write Continuing Medical Education (CME) content, create patient education materials on HIV or Hepatitis C or contribute articles to health news websites. Medical communications agencies are often looking for MDs/DOs to ensure the scientific accuracy of their materials.
Sermo paid medical surveys as a means to reach your goals
To start a consulting business or find expert witness work takes time and networking. If you’re looking for a more immediate way to dip your toe into the side gig waters, Sermo paid medical surveys are a suitable option.
For many physicians, surveys constitute a viable revenue stream that accelerates professional or personal goals. The most active members of the community can make $15,000+ from participating. Whether you are saving for a specialized certification course, funding a trip to an international conference, or building wealth for retirement, your earnings can help. As one ID specialist in the community succinctly put it, “passive income is good to have.”
Ready to start earning?
Your understanding of complex systems makes you valuable outside hospital walls. By leveraging your epidemiological expertise, you can find financial autonomy and professional influence in sectors ranging from biotech to corporate consulting. You don’t have to choose between your passion for ID and your financial well-being.
As you continue exploring possibilities, you can use the Sermo community as a resource. It’s more than just a tool for finding paid medical surveys; it’s a global community where you can find peer support, share resources and navigate the evolving landscape of medicine together. Whether you’re looking to earn extra money or just vent about the latest antibiogram, Sermo is your place to connect.
