Dr. Greg Hanson is making it easier than ever for physicians to find their next side job.
Moreover, this summer, Dr. Hanson and his wife Lauren Hanson co-founded flipMD, an innovative online platform that allows doctors from all over the country to connect remotely with businesses in need of physician consultants.
The idea for the business came during Dr. Hanson’s interventional radiology residency. When he found himself facing a common problem for many residents: cash-flow. With bills, a mortgage payment, and a toddler at home, he began looking for ways to supplement his residency income. Without the option of moonlighting, Dr. Hanson had to get creative with his job search.
“I found a bunch of jobs that I never knew existed, until I really put myself out there and looked for them.” Dr. Hanson explains, “I used my MD and MPH degrees to find consulting working in data analysis and medical writing. I even helped companies looking to be connected to resources for navigating Covid-19. After discovering all these opportunities, my wife Lauren said, ‘Why can’t we do this for other doctors?’”
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Postives of flipMD
Furthermore, with flipMD, the husband and wife team have done exactly that. flipMD is an open marketplace. Bringing together physicians interested in finding side jobs with businesses looking for freelance physician talent. In a few short months, the platform has already attracted over 850 physicians. Who are offering their skills and expertise to a broad range of clients and industries. This platform’s physician talent pool is composed of both training and seasoned doctors.
“The people who have joined the platform are an interesting mix of resident, fellow and attending physicians,” says Dr. Hanson. While many younger doctors are primarily drawn to the opportunity of an additional income stream, the platform has also drawn established physicians who are interested in exploring industries beyond medicine. “A lot of middle or late career physicians want to try something outside of clinical practice to work a new part of their brains.”
Related: 7 Alternative Jobs for Physicians
Therefore, with about 30 employer clients seeking talent on the platform, flipMD allows physicians to explore freelance opportunities in a wide array of fields. Clients include venture capital firms seeking due diligence support. As well as PR/marketing firms and start-up companies looking for consultants to assist with user testing projects, surveys, and focus groups. Interested physicians can communicate directly with clients on the platform to discuss availability, compensation, deadlines, and qualifications.
Additionally, Hanson says the platform has grown mostly from word-of-mouth and cold messaging physicians online. flipMD CEO Lauren Hanson’s professional background in corporate e-publishing has helped develop relationships with a growing base of clients.
Medical Talent
“We reach out directly to CEOs, COOs, or presidents and let them know that we have a marketplace from which they can source all of their medical talent,” Dr. Hanson says. “We did not start out with a true marketing strategy, but these conversations have brought a lot of clients to the platform because we are solving a real need.”
Popularity & Unique Features
Accordingly, the popularity of flipMD speaks to its unique features and revenue structure. While other physician consulting groups determine the pay rates for all consultants and charge clients before allowing them to even speak with a physician, flipMD has stripped out these fees and barriers. flipMD membership is completely free for both businesses and consultants. Therefore, the platform profits takes a fee from each awarded job out to physicians.
“The ease and affordability of access is a big differentiator in our market,” Dr. Hanson states. “It allows physicians to connect with meaningful opportunities faster with no hurdles for either side.” Without a centralized hub for physician-specific positions, it can be extremely time-consuming for physicians to sift through job boards and websites to find relevant consulting work. flipMD does this legwork on behalf of physicians, and provides a place for them to explore a variety of flexible, physician-specific opportunities all in one place.
Time Constraints
Furthermore, Dr. Hanson is well aware of the time constraints that most physicians face when looking for work on the side. He is completing his residency in Philadelphia. While continuing to work on flipMD in the evenings. As CEO, Lauren Hanson runs most aspects of the business, from web development to meeting with prospective clients. Despite the success of flipMD, Dr. Hanson says he has no plans to leave medicine.
“In the next five years, we’re looking to continue to build up more opportunities in the marketplace,” Dr. Hanson says. “We want to be the ultimate source of physician talent for any industry that needs medical expertise, whether that’s device companies, pharmaceutical companies, even law firms that may need expert medical witnesses for testimony or case review.”
Moreover, physicians who are curious about consulting or interested in earning additional income can sign up for free at flip-md.com to explore positions and stay updated on the growing list of physician consulting opportunities.
Related: Balancing Acts: Navigating Physician Moonlighting for Physicians in Residency & Practice
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