A recent post of mine asked the question: what if physician side gigs just make you want to be a doctor?
I’ll spare you the suspense, the answer is that it is OK — totally fine actually! Not all doctors need a side gig. However, since then, I’ve come across some interesting research suggesting that side hustles may actually help make you a better doctor!
Does this automatically mean that every doctor should have side hustles? No way. I stick to my prior conclusion.
But, I do think it is worth exploring. Because I certainly see these values when I reflect on my own ongoing experience with side gigs. Perhaps if you are stuck with some limiting beliefs about the value of side hustles as a doctor, this can help you out.
With that in mind, let’s jump right in. Here are three ways side hustles may make you a better doctor.
1. They Can Inspire More Positivity in Your Clinic Work
In 2021, Hudson Sessions and colleagues performed a study that broke previously held notions regarding side gigs.
Most people assume that side gigs will distract from one’s full-time work performance. On its face, that makes sense. Wouldn’t a side gig distract you from your “main” work? Don’t spread yourself too thin is the old adage.
The problem with this is that it’s actually not true. In their study of 337 employees, they actually found that side hustles enriched full-time employment.
Why did this happen? The main factors through which side jobs can improve full-time job performance include:
- Individual empowerment
- Moderation of one’s relationship with their full-time work
- Improvement in overall engagement
- A more positive affect during full-time work
They also examined negative impacts associated with side hustles, largely performance distraction. Ultimately, they found that any negative effects are much out-weighed by the positive impacts mentioned above.
What about doctors in particular?
This research and others supporting it have not, to my knowledge, been performed with doctors. But I’d argue that the findings would be similar.
What are some things at the root of burnout? Loss of autonomy. Dysfunctional relationship with clinical work. Lack of clinical engagement or satisfaction with clinical engagement. These lead the list in surveys of doctors on the topic of burnout.
These are all factors that are improved based on the study — why should they not also apply to doctors? I’ve certainly experienced this and seen this from other doctors with side hustles. They give us another avenue to express our entrepreneurial, creative, and business-minded selves. They force us to break out of the cycle of strict clinical thinking that dominates our day jobs.
And, maybe even more importantly, when we fail to see gains in our clinical careers, we can find them in our side hustles.
2. Side Gigs Can Help Manage and Prevent Stagnation
In his book “Hidden Potential,” Adam Grant dedicates an entire chapter to breaking free from stagnation.
We’ve all experienced this. Progress in any aspect of our lives is never linear. At some point we hit a plateau or a wall. The reality is that these plateaus or walls are not permanent. But that’s not always how our mind sees it. Perhaps an even better description for this condition is that we languish.
We languish when we don’t see enough progress to maintain our motivation. We feel empty. After reading Grant’s description of this, I don’t think I’ve ever met a burned-out doctor who wasn’t languishing.
Thankfully, there are actions we can take when we find ourselves languishing. Sometimes the courage to go backwards can help us find a new path forward. Other times we need to seek out mentors to provide scaffolds we can use to get past our obstacles. Yet, at other times, we may need someone to help give us direction.
However, doctor side hustles give us another strategy to use in the face of languishing burnout.
And, Adam Grant argues, languishing disrupts your focus and dulls your motivation. And a sense of progress is the greatest motivator to help us break this cycle of stagnation.
But there is a secret!
The sense of progress you need to break out of clinical stagnation and burnout doesn’t have to come from or be related to your main goal.
Making progress in your side gig can actually help kick start your motivation clinically! Seeing unrelated progress shows you that progress still exists in the world. And better yet, that you can achieve it. It increases our feelings of autonomy, competence, and value. All things that we can feel are lacking when we languish.
3. A Side Gig Can Give You a Financial Plan B
Alternative streams of income increase your financial flexibility and really throw gasoline on the fire on your path to financial freedom.
But side gigs also give you the unique chance to build entirely new streams of income to supplement and potentially replace your clinical income.
So, why would this make us better doctors?
This all goes way back to the importance of financial well-being and financial freedom for doctors to begin with.
By reaching financial freedom, we can practice medicine because we want to — not because we have to. We also gain the flexibility to change our clinical work/employment or leave altogether if we want.
These changes may not actually alter your clinical job much right away. But the intangible and mental implications are huge! No longer can you be forced to practice in a manner that is not congruent with your values. Because you can just leave if you want. No longer can extra work without a commensurate increase in pay be leveled. Because you can just leave.
Other Benefits — and a Caveat
There are a ton of other advantages to physician side gigs, beyond the ones we focused on here:
- Creating passive income
- Decreasing the amount of savings you need to retire
- Paying off your debts faster
- Investing more
- Utilizing tax breaks to your advantage
- Treating yo’ self!
But there is a major pitfall to watch out for that I’ve seen some doctors fall into.
A side hustle that promotes autonomy, gives you a more positive outlook on your clinical work, helps with stagnation, and brings in nice side income is fantastic. On the flip side, a side hustle that causes you more stress, eats up too much time, and actually leads to performance distraction is not fantastic. In fact, it will lead to more burnout, not less.
This can be a fine line, but ultimately, it’s a fairly recognizable one.
So, please beware. If this is happening to you, maybe it’s time to step back, realign your goals, and take a new path forward. Make sure you are using your doctor side hustle to amplify and optimize yourself – personally and professionally!
Jordan Frey, MD, is a plastic surgeon at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York, and founder of The Prudent Plastic Surgeon.
Looking to improve your financial well-being? Check out Frey’s online course, Graduating to Success, a comprehensive and interactive 12-module course that helps doctors achieve personal, professional, and financial success during and after their transition from trainee to attending. Or read his best-selling book, “Money Matters in Medicine.”
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