Moonlighting in Orthodontic Residency

[Hockey_Ortho]

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For those of you who moonlight in residency, can you please share what it was like?

1) Did you start moonlighting right when you started residency?

2) How many hours a week?

3) What was your income goal/income while moonlighting in residency?

4) Did you feel burnt out after 5 days of residency + moonlighting?

 

[Pickle Dental]

I'm also curious about this... I was planning on just working Saturdays if I'm able to

 

[D1Bound]

I'm also curious about this... I was planning on just working Saturdays if I'm able to

I know a guy that trained ortho at a Florida school. He drove 1.5-2 hours out of town to moonlight since it was not permitted.

 

[New_Vegas]

I started moonlighting after I had about 8 months in residency. I worked about 6 hours every other week. I was paid based on production. I started out making around $800, and by the end of my third year I was making around $1.2k in 6 hours. I don't think I got burned out too bad, because I was motivated to work because I got paid. And I only did it every other week. But wow my back did hurt sometimes after doing 5 straight clinical days in residency then going and working a job on Saturdays. Which, by the way I was working way harder at my Saturday job than residency.

 

[Hockey_Ortho]

I started moonlighting after I had about 8 months in residency. I worked about 6-8 hours every other week. I was paid based on production. I started out making around $800, and by the end of my third year I was making around $1.2k in 6 hours. I don't think I got burned out too bad, because I was motivated to work because I got paid. And I only did it every other week. But wow my back did hurt sometimes after doing 5 straight clinical days in residency then going and working a job on Saturdays. Which, by the way I was working way harder at my Saturday job than residency.

So it basically paid for your living expenses during residency? Maybe that is a good goal to aim for - about $2k per month, if it isn't too hard on my body.

 

[New_Vegas]

So it basically paid for your living expenses during residency? Maybe that is a good goal to aim for - about $2k per month, if it isn't too hard on my body.

Yeah it helped with living expenses and gave me more spending money. I could have worked harder if I wanted to but I just wanted to try to keep a balance. I was happy to wake up early on Saturdays, get some work done, and then be done by the early afternoon. It helped me learn quite a bit of things along the way in terms of managing patients too. No regrets.

 

[Lemillion]

For those of you who moonlight in residency, can you please share what it was like?

1) Did you start moonlighting right when you started residency?

2) How many hours a week?

3) What was your income goal/income while moonlighting in residency?

4) Did you feel burnt out after 5 days of residency + moonlighting?

1) I started my 2nd year of residency
2) Once a month (6 hour gig) on a Saturday. Once a week (3 hour gig) covering hygiene school clinic as a supervising dentist (super chill)
3) Income: $1300-$1500 total per month. Gave me some spending money and felt less guilty eating out lol
4) Good exp but did dread it come Friday night when I knew I had to wake up early the next morning. But worth it for the experience. I think 1-2X a month is max for me while in residency.