Written By Kevin Payne
Side hustles have become a popular trend to earn extra money for student loan repayment. Filling out questionnaires on the internet is an easy way to earn quick cash. Several physician survey platforms exist that offer monetary incentives to healthcare professionals in exchange for their opinions in the form of online surveys, interviews and other tasks.
Payouts to survey respondents vary depending on the site, survey opportunities available, and health professionals’ qualifications. Some sites offer decent payouts, while others might not be worth the time and effort.
9 Physician survey sites that pay cash
Below is information on nine of the most popular physician survey sites that will pay cash (or gift cards) for your insights. Use the information below to research survey opportunities to determine if they’re a good option for extra cash.
1. All Global Circle
Key features:
- Free to join
- No minimum survey obligation
- Earn rewards toward merchandise and gift cards
- Physician compensation is revealed upfront before participating in a survey
All Global Circle is an international market research company primarily focused on the health care industry. Membership is open to most active practicing healthcare providers, but its primary focus is on physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and health system managers and administrators.
As you participate in studies, you can build up a cash rewards balance redeemable for various products, gift certificates and gift cards at popular retailers like Amazon. Most studies require either filling out an online survey or participating in a phone interview.
After joining you’ll be invited to participate in optional surveys that match your interests. There’s no minimum number of surveys required to be an All Global Circle member.
Unfortunately, it's unclear how much you can earn by participating in All Global Circle questionnaires. Study payouts vary based on the survey topic and the time required. Payout amounts are disclosed when you're invited to a study, and studies typically take 30 minutes to complete.
2. MedSurvey
Key features:
- Free to join
- Mobile-friendly surveys
- Chance to win extra prizes each month
MedSurvey offers paid surveys for a variety of healthcare professionals including physicians. The company has been around for over 40 years and offers some of the best opportunities to make money on the side as a physician.
There are no fees to sign up and participate in paid surveys. MedSurvey pays participants via bank checks instead of a rewards system. Payout amounts vary based on your specialty and the length of the survey. Participants can also win monthly prizes from MedSurvey.
MedSurvey’s interface makes it easy to participate in your spare time. Surveys are accessible from any device including your mobile phone. Instead of scrolling through social media in your downtime, you can quickly fill out a survey and make extra money throughout the day.
3. Medical Advisory Board
Key features:
- Free to join
- Earns points toward cash payouts
- Opportunities to receive free test products
Another free survey site for physicians is Medical Advisory Board. The Texas-based consulting firm has been around since 1978. Medical Advisory Board operates using a points reward system.
Each point is worth one cent. There's a 2,500 minimum balance to redeem your points.
Once you’ve earned the minimum points balance for redemption, you can cash out your points in several ways, including PayPal. You can also donate your points to charity, if desired.
Surveys typically take 10 minutes to complete. Short screen surveys earn 10 points. Longer surveys pay more based on the time commitment and other factors. Most payouts are between 700 to 1,000 points. You can earn points and receive free products to test, or get paid via cash, check or a gift.
Membership is limited to one person per household, so if you and your spouse both work in the health care system, only one of you can participate.
4. InCrowd Answers
Key features:
- Only available for specific healthcare professionals
- Offers short microsurveys and longer interviews
- Multiple payout options
InCrowd Answers is a survey site open to the following healthcare professionals:
- Active Physician
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Nurse (BSN, LPN, RN, CNA)
- Physician Assistant
- Hospital Administrator
- Psychology
- Optometry
- Pharmacists and Staff
- Managed Care
- Dentistry
- Practice Managers
- Dental Hygienists
- Medical Resident or Fellow
- Veterinarian
- Genetic Counselor
The survey site offers a chance to make money through microsurveys which take an average of 3.2 minutes to complete. Longer interviews take about 15 minutes to one hour to complete. Members can receive survey invitation notifications by email or on their phones.
Participants earn money every time they complete a survey or interview. InCrowd Answers pays respondents via Tango or PayPal once you’ve reached $25. Participants who choose Tango payouts have several redemption options, including e-gift cards to Walmart, iTunes, Amazon and more.
5. MDforLives
Key features:
- Free to Join
- Several payout options, including money for continuing medical education
- Other continuing medical education opportunities
Another option for making money online through medical surveys is MDforLives. After you register and complete your profile, you'll receive survey invitations based on your expertise. There's no cost to join MDforLives.
Payouts, called honoraria, range from $50 to $500, depending on the survey. You can redeem honoraria via PayPal or Amazon vouchers.
Another payout option unique to MDforLives is to receive Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits at edX or Coursera to improve or learn new skills. MDforLives also provides several CME opportunities on top of its survey offerings.
6. MNOW
Key features:
- Free to join
- Membership is by invitation only
- Multiple payout options are available
MNOW is an online survey that is home to over 1.8 medical professionals. The site claims to conduct more healthcare surveys than any other single company worldwide. Qualified individuals can join MNOW and receive invitations to paid surveys.
Survey payouts vary based on the type and length of the survey. Participants receive payouts in the form of checks, vouchers, and prepaid debit cards.
Unfortunately, membership to MNOW is currently by invitation only, but you can submit a request to join online.
7. ZoomRx
Key features:
- Free to join
- ZoomRx mobile app available
- Can complete surveys in multiple sessions
ZoomRx is an online survey site for physicians. It's also one of the few survey sites with its own mobile app, available for iOS and Android.
Physicians can register to join ZoomRx. If approved, you'll receive invitations to surveys. Instead a minimum reward requirement to receive a payout, ZoomRx instantly pays you via PayPal after completing a survey.
Survey rates vary based on the type of questionnaire. Also, you can choose to donate a portion of your payout to support the medical treatment of patients in developing countries. ZoomRx will match all donations made.
If you've ever tried survey sites to make money, you know that sometimes it's difficult to find time to finish a survey in one sitting. ZoomRx knows that and provides simple solutions through its mobile app. For example, there's an option to record voicce answers instead of typing. Also, the intuitive app lets you stop and start surveys without losing any of your progress.
8. M3 Global Research
Key features:
- Free to join
- Cash payouts
- Other opportunities to make money besides online surveys
M3 Global Research pays healthcare professionals to share their thoughts through paid online surveys, discussion forums and other opportunities. Most of the surveys are online, but there are also opportunities to participate through phone interviews, focus groups, in-person and webcam interviews, and more.
Surveys typically take 20 to 30 minutes to complete. Compensation depends on the type of survey or other activity and is shared with you before you accept any task.
After you complete a survey or task, M3 Global Research deposits payment into your M3 Wallet. You can cash out funds from your M3 Wallet at any time. You can also choose your preferred currency while setting up your account.
9. Survey Junkie
Key features:
- Free to join
- Medical and other surveys and focus groups
- Multiple payout options
- Minimum redemption is 500 points
One of the most popular online survey sites in the world is Survey Junkie. Although it isn't specifically geared toward physicians and other healthcare professionals, it does offer paid medical online surveys and focus group options.
After completing your profile, you can complete surveys using any device. You'll earn points for each survey and can redeem them for cash via PayPal or bank transfer, or opt for Visa gift cards or major retailer e-gift cards. The minimum redemption amount starts at 500 points.
Refinancing ladder: An alternative strategy to online surveys
If your goal is to use online medical surveys to pay down student loans, there's another option to consider that can save you money.
Maximize your savings through lower interest rates by using a little-known loan repayment strategy called a student loan refinancing ladder. With a refinancing ladder, you want to quickly pay down a portion of your debt through prepayments, and then refinance to a shorter loan term at a lower rate.
Your monthly loan payment amount will probably stay close to your existing payment, but more of your money is going toward your loan principal. As you pay down your loan and make extra prepayments, you can refinance again to an even shorter term.
Instead of using your time on physician surveys that make a small dent on your medical debt, take advantage of lower interest rates offered by private lenders. If you refinance through Student Loan Planner's lending partners, you can also earn cash back bonuses that you can apply toward your debt.
The bottom line
How much you can earn through paid medical surveys depends on how frequently you participate and the type of payouts you receive. Unfortunately, in many cases, the money generated from physician surveys is modest so explore other physician side hustle ideas, too.
