Physician Surveys for Residents

[MWPsychGuy]

This topic has probably been beaten to death on here and other forums but I don't necessarily feel like I have found the adequate answers I am looking for.

I signed up for multiple survey companies and have received a few survey offers so far but have not pulled the trigger out of worry about the Sunshine act reminder that keeps popping up on each survey. From what I have gathered from Dr. Dahle's posts and others of other financial websites, names of physicians taking the surveys do not seem to be included in the online database if the physician is only taking surveys. My question is, why do I keep seeing this reminder popping up if they don't release our names? I would be less worried about it if I wasn't a resident. I am not to a PGY level where I can start moonlighting yet, but I have plenty of extra time to do a few of these surveys a week if I get enough of them sent my way. Since it isn't a clinical job, I couldn't imagine this going against the moonlighting policy.

Being a resident with a minimal salary and multiple life events coming up have made making some extra money more necessary than the past few years. I'm worried that somehow my institution would be upset if they found that residents were profiting from these survey companies and the groups behind the surveys.

In addition, I know in order to get past some of the screeners one may have to stretch the truth a bit. I'm less worried about this given I am in a specialty and feel like I have an opinion that could be valued by some of these companies. Now that I have an M.D., I feel like I should be able to use it to make a few extra hundred to a few thousand dollars with it.

Are there any other residents who do these surveys?

[bovie]

Surveys ≠ moonlighting.

[MWPsychGuy]

Surveys ≠ moonlighting.

Do you forsee a residency institution having a problem with finding a resident’s name online receiving honorarium from these surveys?

[nephron]

I don't see how they would figure it out/care enough to figure it out. I stopped doing surveys because I found that most of them would ask a bunch of questions and then say that you were not qualified to participate at the end. I also didn't want to bother with the tax implications. If you are concerned about it, it's going to be such a small amount that you might as well not do them. A few hundred dollars may seem like a lot when you are a resident, but it certainly isn't worth risking your future career over. I think that risk is probably negligible, but who knows. I can't imagine anyone doing anything more then telling you not to do them anymore if it is against the rules, and I don't even think that it is. Residency programs don't want to make the news for penalizing some resident for trying to supplement their low income by filling out surveys online.

[The White Coat Investor]

Here are some surveys to try: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/su...nline-surveys/

I doubt anyone cares at your institution even if you end up in the Sunshine Act listings. Not sure, however, if you will or won't.

[CordMcNally]

That’s a lot of worry and a long post for something you shouldn’t worry about. Nobody at your institution will care.

[pitt1166]

i understand the caution, but i believe you are overthinking this.

i did a lot of surveys, earned a few extra grand per year in training. nothing ever appeared in the sunshine act listing. i know some of the surveys indicate that that could happen but i have never had it happen. i would also be extremely surprised if your training institution looked into this or cared. i dont think it would be considered moonlighting either.

honestly i think training programs are more worried about what their trainees are posting on social media.

i say do all the surveys that you can.