Urologist side gigs: How to earn more beyond your clinical practice

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

In a Sermo survey, 54% of physicians said they already work a side gig, and the most popular category is medical support work like expert witness testimony, chart review, and consulting. Urologists are unusually well-positioned for this kind of work, because your specialty combines surgical training, a device-heavy practice, and an understanding of anatomy few other physicians can match. Device makers, attorneys, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies all need answers only a practicing urologist can give, and often pay accordingly.

When Sermo asked why physicians take on side work, extra income led at 41%, followed by improving skills (21%), expanding a professional network (17%), and building reputation (12%). One urologist on Sermo described the calculation behind side gigs: “It’s a balance between extra income vs your free time. Some are more worth it than others and it’s finding those that do not require too much of a time commitment.”

So what side gigs can urologists do? They range from premium work like expert witness testimony, device consulting, and pharmaceutical advisory boards to medical writing, telehealth, and niche roles like sperm bank medical director. This article is the urology-specific companion to Sermo’s broader physician side hustle guide, covering some of the best opportunities for urologists, what each involves, and what it might pay.

Physicians on Sermo compare notes on side gigs every day, including what the work actually pays. Join the community to see what your peers in urology are earning.

Urologist side gigs that leverage your specialty

The medical side gigs that tend to pay urologists best require niche urological judgment—like medicolegal review or expert testimony— and they can pay a premium because there are far fewer urologists than internists or family physicians, making your expertise scarce and valuable. Many counties in the US do not have local urology expertise, with the AUA reporting that more than 60% lack a practicing urologist.  

Device companies need surgeons who use their products regularly, attorneys need urologists for cases nobody else can speak to credibly, and pharmaceutical companies with drugs for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), erectile dysfunction (ED), overactive bladder (OAB), and prostate cancer want input from the urologists who prescribe them.

Before you begin work for any side gig, read your employment agreement closely, since consulting and advisory work may be the kind of arrangement your institution will expect you to disclose. Additionally, most payments and transfers of value from drug and device manufacturers must be reported in CMS Open Payments, subject to program thresholds and exclusions. 

Medical device consulting and advisory roles for urologists

Urology depends heavily on hardware, including robotic surgery systems, stents, catheters, laser lithotripsy, artificial sphincters, and penile prosthetics, all from companies that need practicing urologists to tell them what works (and what doesn’t) in a real operating room. The work spans advisory roles, design and usability input, and clinical trial oversight. Device consulting compensation is highly variable and usually negotiated by project, and equity is sometimes added or offered instead of cash at earlier-stage companies.

The most direct way in is through the device reps and medical science liaisons you already work with. Companies often recruit from the surgeons using their products and a rep who sees you regularly can put your name in front of the team that staffs advisory panels.

If you have an entrepreneurial streak, the more lucrative and longer-term version is identifying an unmet need in your own practice and partnering with engineers to build a solution.

Expert witness work in urological malpractice cases

Expert witness work pays better than many other physician side gigs, and urology commands some of the best rates in medicine at $600 to $735 an hour on average. At premium hourly rates, a full testimony day can approach five figures before preparation time. Attorneys look for urologists on cases involving surgical complications like ureteral injuries and prostate surgery outcomes, delayed cancer diagnoses in the prostate, bladder, or kidney, and genitourinary trauma.

You don’t have to testify to participate, and many physicians would rather not. Most of the work happens long before any courtroom appearance and involves reviewing records, writing an opinion on whether the standard of care was met, and giving a deposition if the case goes that far. 

Among physicians on Sermo, 27% said reviewing records without ever testifying offers the best balance of compensation and quality of life. The American Urological Association (AUA) runs an expert witness registry that attorneys search directly, open to members with five years of post-residency practice, an unrestricted license, and board certification.

Independent medical examinations for genitourinary injuries

Insurers, workers’ compensation programs, and attorneys can hire urologists for independent medical examinations (IMEs), which cover genitourinary injuries, disability determinations tied to urological conditions, and fitness-for-duty assessments.

Urology IME fees vary by payer, complexity, and jurisdiction; for example, New York’s NYSLRS schedule caps urology IMEs at $1,500 per evaluation, while other public fee schedules set lower fixed amounts. Unlike expert witness work, IMEs usually involve little to no testimony, so you can schedule them around your clinical week. Most assignments come through IME vendor networks that contract with insurers and recruit specialists directly.

Pharmaceutical advisory boards for urological products

Companies developing and marketing drugs for BPH, ED, OAB, prostate cancer, kidney stones, and UTIs need practicing urologists to review clinical data, explain how these drugs get prescribed in practice, shape messaging, and speak at company events. Typical physician advisory-board compensation can range from $1,000 to $4,000 per meeting depending on expertise level. Most of these relationships start in person, at the AUA annual meeting or regional conferences where medical affairs teams meet the physicians they later invite onto a board.

Flexible urologist side gigs you can do from home

The gigs above all take patience and relationship-building to land. This section covers remote, schedule-flexible work you could realistically start quickly. 

A Sermo member and family medicine physician described how doctors now think about this kind of work. “What used to be a niche ‘retirement’ job has officially become the go-to side hustle for early and mid-career physicians. The appeal is obvious: it’s the ultimate ‘pajama-compatible’ role that leverages your MD/DO without the emotional weight of a waiting room.”

Paid medical surveys on Sermo

About 33% of physicians on Sermo take paid surveys, and members collectively earned more than $25 million in honoraria last year, with no fixed scheduling commitment or additional licensing involved. Urology surveys are created specifically to capitalize on your day-to-day expertise, and can range in topics. Each survey you take helps to advance research and device or drug development in your specialty. Paid medical surveys are one of the easiest side gigs to get started with, and you can often start earning the day you sign up. Join Sermo to start earning. 

Chart review and utilization review for urological cases

Insurers and utilization management firms need reviewers who can judge whether a proposed robotic prostatectomy, lithotripsy, or cystoscopy meets medical necessity criteria. Rates can run $100 to $300 an hour, the work is typically fully remote on your own schedule, and board certification is often the only credential required. Start by registering with utilization review companies that serve payers with heavy urology volume.

A Sermo member shared how to keep it sustainable. “Chart review can be a sustainable, low-burnout side gig if boundaries are clear. The sweet spot is $150-$300/hour for steady insurer/QA work, higher for legal cases taken selectively. Aim for predictable volume (5-10 hrs/week) to avoid creep while preserving flexibility.”

Medical writing in urology journals and publications

About 12% of physicians on Sermo have done paid medical writing as a side gig. Urology publications like the Journal of Urology, BJU International, and European Urology need peer reviewers and contributors, and medical communications agencies can pay up to $500 an hour for physician writers with specialty expertise. Peer review for a journal you already read is the easiest place to begin, and the work expands from there into continuing medical education (CME) content, patient education materials, and pharmaceutical marketing review.

Telehealth urology consultations

Telehealth platforms offer urology-specific slots for second opinions, post-operative follow-ups, BPH management, and ED consultations. Pay runs either per consultation or per hour, and a multistate license widens your reach. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact can expedite licensure in multiple participating states. This gig suits experienced urologists who want to keep seeing patients without the overhead or a practice or surgical obligations.

Niche urologist side gigs most physicians don’t know about

These roles often aren’t listed on generic physician side gig lists, because they only make sense for someone with urological training.

Sperm bank medical director

Many sperm banks and andrology labs are subject to regulatory, accreditation, or organizational requirements that call for physician oversight, and the role is well suited to urologists with an interest in male reproductive medicine. Directors oversee donor screening protocols, specimen processing standards, and quality assurance, and they sign off on compliance with the federal rules governing human cells and tissues.

The commitment is small, usually 5 to 10 hours a month for steady, predictable pay, and since the roles are rarely advertised, a good starting point to finding these roles is contacting sperm banks, andrology labs, and fertility clinics in your region directly.

Men’s health content creation and speaking

BPH, ED, testosterone, prostate cancer screening, and kidney stones draw enormous consumer interest, and very few credentialed voices are producing content about them. Urologists who build an audience on YouTube, podcasts, social media, or the speaking circuit turn that visibility into consulting fees, advisory seats, and paid engagements, and your personal brand can feed referrals back into your practice. Check your employer’s social media policy first, since content that names your institution may need approval.

Clinical trial principal investigator or sub-investigator

Pharmaceutical and device companies need urologist principal investigators (PIs) for trials in BPH, prostate cancer, OAB, ED, kidney stones, and new device development. PI roles pay per enrolled patient and put you in front of new treatments years before they reach general practice, which can also give your patients access to options they likely wouldn’t have otherwise. 

Running a trial takes a site that can support one, with a study coordinator, a regulatory binder, and room for study visits, so most urologists outside academic centers join a site that already has all three. Contact contract research organizations (CROs) and device companies directly, or work through AUA research networks to find sites already running urology trials.

Where to find urologist side gig opportunities

Many of these side gig opportunities are not advertised directly. Here’s where you can find side gigs suited to your expertise: 

• Paid surveys: Online platforms like Sermo
• Expert networks: GLG, Guidepoint, AlphaSights, and Tegus recruit specialists for paid consulting calls.
• Expert witness directories: SEAK and Expert Witness Profiler are where attorneys look for medical experts.
• Device companies and startups: LinkedIn, AUA conferences, and direct outreach to medical affairs teams.
• Pharmaceutical companies and CROs: Medical affairs and clinical operations teams keep their own rosters of practicing specialists, so a short email introducing yourself and your case volume beats an application.
• AUA annual meeting: The single best networking event for device and pharma contacts.

The best leads still come from urologists who have already done the work. On Sermo, physicians trade the names of companies worth answering, the rates they were offered, and side gigs that didn’t work out. Join the community to get real advice from other urologists. 

How to get started with a urologist side gig

Whichever roles interest you, the practical steps to getting started are very similar.

Check your contract and disclose early

Pull up your employment agreement and look for outside-income restrictions, non-compete radius, moonlighting approval requirements, and conflict-of-interest disclosure rules, since those clauses can decide which gigs are even open to you. Disclose any conflicts of interest to your primary employer, and get the go-ahead from HR on what is allowed under your current contract. Call your malpractice carrier too, since telehealth, IMEs, and expert witness opinions can each carry exposure your employer’s policy may not cover.

Begin with 5 to 10 hours a week

Pick one gig and hold it to a set number of hours for a full quarter before adding anything else, and see how it feels alongside a full clinical schedule. Two months in, you’ll know whether the work adds something or simply eats into your free time.

Form a limited liability company once your income is steady

Once side income becomes recurring, ask a physician-focused CPA and attorney whether an LLC/PLLC, separate business banking, and quarterly estimated taxes make sense in your state

It can separate side gig liability from your personal assets, makes business expenses cleaner to track, and introduces retirement plan design flexibility. A certified public accountant who works with physicians can tell you where that decision threshold falls and set up quarterly estimated taxes, which this income requires since it arrives on a 1099 with nothing withheld.

Sermo’s guides to finance tips for doctors and asset protection for physicians cover how this fits into the rest of your financial picture.

Key takeaways

• Urology expertise is highly valued in expert witness work, device consulting, IMEs, and advisory boards. 
• Surveys and chart review are the fastest starts, remote and open to any urologist.
• Check your contract and malpractice coverage before you accept any side-gig payments.
• Hold one gig to 5 to 10 hours a week to see what can fit realistically around your practice. 

Choosing the urologist side gig that fits your practice

More than half of physicians already earn outside their primary job, and urologists can command some of the best rates. Paid surveys are an easy way to start and cost nothing beyond the minutes you decide to give.

Start with whichever gig fits the hours you have. This might mean spending a few hours a week on flexible work like surveys or chart review while also opening up conversations with the reps, attorneys, and medical affairs teams already in your orbit.