A complete guide to paid physician surveys

Opportunities for paid physician surveys are a popular discussion point among physicians around the world. Paid online surveys are nothing new and are a common income stream considered by those wondering how to make money online as a doctor. In fact, paid medical surveys for physicians have been in existence since the Internet began. However, the majority of medical survey companies pay healthcare professionals mere cents to answer a few questions. 

In the past, physician paid surveys that offered lucrative compensation were often too good to be true. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Medical surveys for serious cash rewards are quickly growing in popularity, as credible online survey companies urgently seek the unique expertise of medical professionals—and are willing to pay for it.

Here’s how paid medical surveys work and how physicians can find the best surveys for money in exchange for their expertise.

What are paid physician surveys?

A physician survey is like other surveys, but they are created specifically for doctors who have expertise in certain fields and conditions. It is an opportunity for healthcare providers and healthcare professionals themselves to highlight the issues that are important to them and their patients. And at the same time, doctor’s surveys arm companies with valuable medical insights and accurate information that allow them to strategize based on what’s actually happening on the frontlines of medicine.

The goal of a paid physician survey for organizations is to receive valuable information from physicians and healthcare professionals about their opinions on various issues important to the management and practice of healthcare. In other words, the survey provides information from healthcare professionals that can be used to influence health policy or medical treatment decisions.

We often get asked “how much can you earn doing surveys”? Insights from paid medical surveys can pay exceptionally well, especially for certain physician specialties. For example, oncology is in high demand, with rough estimates revealing genuine medical surveys for money paying up to hundreds of dollars per hour for participation in online healthcare market research surveys.

Surveys vary in terms of how much they pay and how long they take to complete. Doctors’ surveys may take anywhere from a few minutes to complete or up to 60 minutes.

Generally, the more time a physicians’ survey takes to complete, the more it pays. In 2023, the majority of surveys are online medical surveys and allows you to complete them on your desktop or mobile device on your own time in the comfort of your own home, practice or anywhere.

Start benefiting from paid physician surveys

There are multiple benefits of taking part in medical surveys for physicians. Here are just a few of the top benefits for survey respondents and participants.

Supplemental income for physicians

Some Sermo members have individually made over $15K on surveys alone. Surveys allow physicians to generate an additional stream of income. Depending on the demand at the time, some fields will pay more than others. Dermatology and neurology are especially lucrative fields, and the top medical survey sites pay significant amounts to qualified experts who participate. 

Physicians use their earned money to treat themselves or their families to something special, pay off student loans or other bills. One pediatrician member told us they bought children’s toys for their office to make their patients happy. Paid medical surveys can be taken during off-hours and breaks, or whenever is most convenient for the physician. For this reason, the flexibility of medical surveys are a perfect fit for the busy schedule of a healthcare professional. 

If you’re looking for ways to increase your earnings, consider signing up for some physician surveys today.

Play a role in the latest medical developments

Never forget that these surveys contribute directly to the latest medical research studies and developments. By completing engaging surveys and offering real-world, valuable insights into patient treatment trends, physicians play an important role in future medical advancements and progress.

Paid medical surveys, therefore, also impact the everyday lives of other healthcare professionals and patients — as well as the future of medicine. Your insights affect the decisions of pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, healthcare professionals, lawmakers and even market research companies.

When playing a part in the latest medical developments, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, make sure that you’re only completing a paid medical survey from a reputable source like Sermo.

Secondly, don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. The more honest and candid you can be, the more helpful your feedback will be to other healthcare professionals, medical companies and patients. Finally, remember that your participation is completely confidential.

Give your patients a voice

Many healthcare professionals and top pharmaceutical companies rely on physician surveys to help them understand their patients’ experiences with their drug products. After all, patients have valuable feedback that can make healthcare professionals and companies understand more about how the drug works in real world scenarios. By participating in surveys, you can share information from healthcare providers about prescribing habits, patient usage of international company medications and attitudes towards the company’s products. Through paid medical surveys, you are advocating for your patients.

Keep up with the latest while getting paid

An increasing number of physicians are learning from surveys. By doing so, they can keep up with the latest medical market research and treatments to better treat their patients. 

One way physicians can learn from paid medical surveys is by getting up-to-date information about new medical research studies, technologies, insurance reimbursement issues as well as diagnostic and treatment options. These are just some of the trending topics of paid surveys.

By participating in medical surveys, doctors can also learn what other physicians think about what the latest research shows. It can help them better understand other physicians’ opinions, so they can better care for their patients.

Learn about new products

Medical research and pharmaceutical companies also want to get the word out about their new medications and other products. By completing doctor surveys you will earn while you learn about new treatments, other medical devices and innovative medical solutions. It’s an interactive way to keep up to date in your field.

Different types of physician surveys

There are two types of market research methods most commonly used for paid physician surveys: quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative paid health surveys

As the name suggests, quantitative research focuses on data and numbers, summarizing physicians’ responses to questions. This often includes statistical analysis that either proves or disproves a hypothesis. A quantitative survey gathers data to use in testing, so you won’t be asked to provide in-depth answers or opinions.  

Qualitative paid health surveys

Qualitative medical surveys are focused on gathering more abstract information, such as opinions or motivations. The goal of qualitative surveys tends to be focused on gaining insights into people, rather than numerical data. Be prepared to answer “why” and “how” questions and offer more in-depth answers than you would on a quantitative survey. 

How to start earning on Sermo (and so much more)

Sermo is not only a hub of legitimate online medical surveys for cash; it is a platform to talk about all things medical. With more than 1,000,000 physicians and counting, it is completely free to sign up.

Collectively, members at Sermo received more than $20 million in the last year from taking medical surveys.

Physicians may build their profile, or they may opt to join anonymously. To create an account, simply add your name, email address, and country of practice. You’ll then go through the verification process before your account is fully activated.

After creating an account, physicians are free to provide as much or as little information about themselves as they please.

How it works

Would you like to know how to get started? All it takes is three simple steps:

1. A paid medical survey tailored to your specific qualifications will be emailed to you.
2. You complete the online paid medical survey or interview.
3. Upon receiving your honoraria, you can redeem it in various ways, including direct deposit, Amazon gift cards or Mastercard debit cards. The choice is yours!

Questions and concerns about paid surveys for physicians

Naturally, health professionals are cautious about earning money online as a doctor. This includes participating in surveys for money. After all, many wonder about confidentiality and how the information will be used. This section addresses some of the most common questions and concerns about paid surveys for physicians.

Are paid physician surveys legitimate?

This is the most common question regarding paid physician surveys. Countless medical panels are claiming to offer surveys for physicians. While most are legitimate, payouts vary wildly. Many such panels are no more than online survey routers, which provide access to third-party surveys. You can trust the surveys that are presented to you on Sermo, as they have been vetted and verified for medical professionals. 

In 2021 alone, Sermo partnered with 500+ of the world’s most trusted companies in the healthcare space ranging from pharmaceutical manufacturers to healthcare consultancies, including 17 of the top 25 manufacturers globally.

How much can you earn doing surveys?

This is a common question asked about paid questionnaire surveys. It depends on your specialty, experience, the market research company, survey, site and how many surveys you complete. But, in general you can expect to make from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars each year. And to make things even better, you can roll your physician surveys for honorarium directly into an investment or separate 401k account to compound how much extra income you earn.

Do paid surveys count towards CME hours?

Medical survey opportunities are industry-sponsored and may relate to theoretical or unapproved products. For this reason, physicians generally cannot claim category 1 CME hours for time spent on filling in online surveys for cash.

While some experts claim category 2 CME credit, this is something that should be checked via your credentialing body.

What are the best paid physician surveys?

The best medical market research surveys provide a lot more than simple payouts to doctors for their expertise. The top surveys also give doctors a comprehensive view of the medical issue or topic in review, and amplify doctor’s viewpoints to impact other health professionals and patients around the world. The best surveys have accurate time estimates and they provide the doctor with sufficient honorarium for their time.

What do doctors think about surveys?

According to Sermo’s polled physicians the main benefits of medical surveys are: 54% said earning honorarium, 13% replied medical education, 13% want to know the latest information from the manufacturer’s perspective, 10% are interested in understanding what’s important to pharmaceutical companies, and 9% reported using the information to better their own practice.

There’s a reason 2 out of every 3 active Sermo members participate in our paid online surveys every month. At Sermo, we work with doctors to ensure their voices are heard in medical decisions. We send out paid medical surveys to crowd-source healthcare data and connect experts across the globe, positively impacting patient outcomes. Sermo gifts honorarium to our members to show our appreciation for their time and participation.

How many surveys can I qualify for?

In short, paid surveys are not an option for quitting your day job. The majority of physicians will be eligible for a few surveys per year. It largely depends on the specialty of the medical survey taker and the market research company.

However, don’t let this discourage you. These surveys exist for a reason: your expertise and knowledge are valuable and worth sharing and can add to your income.

Survey providers have strict screening criteria to ensure they reach exactly who they want to answer their questions.

How do participants get paid for taking a survey?

Payment is straightforward, and typically involves direct deposit, a bank check, Amazon gift card, Mastercard debit card, donations to charities, or local payment apps such as PayPal.

What are the best medical survey apps for physicians?

While there are various paid survey opportunities and apps for doctors to earn online, the best survey platforms are transparent, pay well, and connect you with the bigger context of the medical topic. Sermo has its own survey app on iOS and Android so you can complete doctor surveys for money from anywhere you like.

Are there opportunities for HCPs who aren’t physicians?

Yes, sign up here. Sermo has the world’s leading online community of active nurse practitioners, nurses, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, veterinarians, payers and other healthcare professionals who participate in online medical market research studies. We offer top paid medical surveys for physician assistants, paid medical surveys for nurses and paid surveys for many other medical professionals. All paid HCP surveys are directed toward the appropriate specialty.

How many panelists are on Sermo?

Sermo is a physician-only community with a focus on moving medicine forward, one conversation at a time. Members can participate in discussions on clinical topics, share best practices for improving care, or discuss changes in the healthcare industry. There are over 1 million members of Sermo from all over the world who are doctors, both general practitioners and specialists.

Are surveys convenient and easy to fit into my schedule? 

Of course! 

A paid medical survey can be taken while waiting for patients or between patients. Plus, most surveys take less than 30 minutes to complete. In fact, some surveys can even be completed in under 5 minutes and some pay very well for these short questionnaires.

When accepting a medical survey, the healthcare practitioner is expected to answer the questions to the best of their knowledge and complete all the questions. The payout will be based on completing the survey.

How does the Sunshine Act affect paid physician surveys?

The Sunshine Act is a component of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was enacted by Congress in March 2010. 

It was created to ensure transparency between drugs and device manufacturers as well as physicians to minimize any improper relationships. Federal law requires manufacturers to report certain payments to physicians to the government, which will publicly post those payments and the names of their recipients.

 A physician survey incentive payment is exempt from Sunshine Act reporting, provided the sponsoring manufacturer does not identify the participant physician, and the incentive payment is intermediated by a third party. Sermo ensures the identities of physicians remain blinded to sponsors through our practices and intermediates payments directly with physicians, thus preventing such payments from needing to be reported.

Certain surveys may be exempt due to research methodologies, in which case physicians will be informed of the implications of participating and asked to consent to having their information published. Payment information will never be shared with sponsors without informed consent from physicians.

Will I be paid instantly upon medical survey completion?

Once you become an active member of the Sermo medical community, we will begin matching you with paid survey opportunities relevant to your experience through our survey platform. After survey completion, you will get to choose from a number of digital payment tools, including direct deposit, gift card, PayPal, or charitable mission. You will receive payment from the completed medical survey as soon as 1-2 days.

Have your say. Boost your pay.

Taking a paid medical survey to earn extra cash is an excellent way of creating an additional income stream—while contributing to the betterment of medicine. Physicians often work long hours, and finding downtime can be a challenge. But the beauty of surveys is they can be completed whenever is most convenient to the clinician. 

It can be challenging to find legitimate paid medical surveys. Don’t waste your precious time with basic paid survey sites. Sermo’s physician platform makes it easy to get invited to the best paid medical studies. Join the world’s first online community specifically for physicians and gain access to top paid medical surveys that you can trust.

In between taking surveys, you can network with our global circle of physicians who are part of Sermo’s medical panel to discuss your professional lives and the latest news that impacts your jobs, all in open conversation.

We know that doctors are curious people who love to learn from one another and make new connections — so we decided to create a place where they could do just that.

To get started, create your free Sermo account now to start enjoying your paid survey and other member benefits today!