Moonlighting, in other words working a secondary job/s in addition to a primary job, is a cold hard fact for many doctors and physicians. From medical residents and new physicians to mid-career physicians and those nearing their retirement, physicians throughout the U.S. are moonlighting in large numbers for an array of reasons.

The most obvious benefit of moonlighting physician jobs is financial, but there are some more benefits as well. These include the opportunity for physicians to add flavour to their career, to acquire experience in new settings, to teach, to volunteer, and to widen their career horizons in other, at times unexpected ways.

Physician Moonlighting Trends and Demographics

Although the traditional belief is that mainly young physicians and residents moonlight to help cover their medical school expenses, it’s many times older physicians who report a secondary income, concluded a recent physician survey by Medical Economics. The age group most probably to have a secondary income is the 50 to 54 group, trailed by 45 to 49, 55 to 59, and 60 to 64.

Having said that, medical moonlighting is acknowledged and embraced by physicians and practitioners across each age group. Almost one-third (30%) of the physicians actively giving a response to the Medical Economics survey in 2017 reported earning income from secondary sources.

In 2017, the top three annual earners in moonlighting physicians were:

• Internal medicine physicians – earning on an average $64,000 in the secondary income
• Family practice physicians – earning on an average $51,800 in the secondary income
• Cardiologists – earning on an average $42,000 in the secondary income
• Miscellaneous moonlighting doctors who often make the most of secondary jobs include hospitalists, pediatricians, gastroenterologists and many others.

Locum Tenens &Tertiary Physician Medical Moonlighting

When used cleverly, medical moonlighting is, by and large, embraced as an intrinsic part of the medical workplace, with many hospitals even encouraging their staff to moonlight within their facilities. Referred to as in-hospital physician moonlighting, doctors and practitioners undertake extra shifts in other departments of the facilities in which they are working at the moment. This is a fairly simple form of moonlighting, which probably doesn’t require going for the extra insurance or commuting to a second

Some healthcare employers even hire moonlighting professionals to assist with seasonal fluctuations, or to fill up specific jobs such as performing disability evaluations. And, for a lot of healthcare employers, locum tenens workers are a go-to method of employing moonlighting physicians in their facilities.

Sum Up

For physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners looking for moonlighting opportunities outside the facility in which they work, locum tenens assignments will open up various possibilities in various practice environments.