Is Sermo Legit? Medical Surveys for Money

We’ve all seen the ads for paid surveys. They’re easy to ignore at first, but after popping up a few times, the idea of earning some extra cash becomes tempting.

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Whether struggling in residency or aiming to bolster your vacation fund, Sermo lets you make money with paid physician surveys. Sounds easy, which raises the question — is it legit?

This article will tell you:

• If Sermo is legitimate.
• How to make money from Sermo surveys.
• Alternative medical research surveys.

Read more:

• Best Paid Medical Surveys
• Physician Side Gigs to Increase Your Earnings

What Is Sermo?

Sermo is a digital hub designed for physicians, which has been on the scene for about two decades. It began with a simple idea: offering doctors paid opportunities to participate in medical surveys.

With a community of over a million physicians worldwide, the platform has since stretched beyond medical surveys. You can sign up for free and take advantage of a range of features:

• Medical surveys: Earn honoraria by completing medical research surveys and providing valuable insights.
• Social networking: Create a profile or go anonymous to discuss patient cases, share insights, and catch up on the latest medical gossip.
• Drug rating: Access the large physician drug review database with over 1,000,000 ratings to share your experiences.

But let’s cut to the chase — most come to the site to earn extra cash through the medical surveys. Sermo claimed to have dished out over $20 million in honoraria to doctors who participated in surveys in 2023.

But do these claims stack up and is it really a legit way to earn money?

Is Sermo Legitimate?

Yes, Sermo is a legitimate platform. In fact, it snagged the 2023 Scaleup Award at HealthTechX, which recognizes healthcare companies for their innovation and growth. But even legitimate companies have their issues — and Sermo is no exception.

Answer quick MicroSurveys for cash. Designed with convenience and timeliness in mind, 70% of surveys are answered on a mobile device in just a few minutes.

Physicians, Pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals are invited to join Incrowd today!

A common complaint revolves around the screening process. 

Before completing a survey, you must go through screening to make sure your insights and experiences are relevant.

Many users have reported wasting time filling out screening questionnaires only to find out they’re not eligible for surveys. You also don’t get reimbursed for your time, making the whole saga more frustrating.

Due to the number of rejections, some speculate that Sermo might be using these screenings to gather data and personal information for free.

However, Sermo claims these screeners are solely for recruitment, not data collection. They say the questions are there to qualify or disqualify respondents, and the screening will end once a respondent is definitively ruled out (I guess we’ll have to take their word for it).

Another issue that comes up is the re-verification process, which has caused headaches for some users trying to get their honorarium. Sermo explains that from time to time, they might ask members to undergo re-verification of their accounts for various reasons, which pauses their ability to collect their cash.

So, are there issues with the platform? Clearly, yes. Does this make the Sermo any less legit? No.

How Does Sermo Work?

Medical surveys are the bread and butter of the platform — if the complaints haven’t put you off, here’s how to start the process.

After signing up and verifying your physician status (more on that later), you can find the option for “Surveys” via the navigation bar on the homepage.

Studies on Sermo kick off with the controversial screener questions to ensure you’re the right fit to share your insights (they don’t want dentists answering questions about the ins and outs of eye care).

Of course, this means not everyone will get the opportunity to take the survey.

So, how many surveys will you be eligible for? Generally, most physicians can expect a few survey invites yearly — but some say they’ve never passed the screening process. It comes down to factors like your medical specialty and the specific needs of the market research companies.

Tip: If you’re keen on making extra cash, use multiple medical survey platforms to boost your eligibility chances.

Sermo might also shoot you an email with a survey tailored to your expertise.

These personalized surveys won’t stick around forever, so jump on them quickly before the slots fill up. And don’t worry about spending hours on these surveys — they usually wrap up in under 30 minutes.

Now, the reason you’re here — earning the honoraria. Once you complete a survey, the honoraria gets added to your balance. To keep tabs on your earnings, head to the Surveys section, and you’ll spot your balance in the top right corner of your screen.

When it’s time to cash out, here are your options: 

If you keep your honoraria balance at $100 or more, you earn “Sermo Preferred Status.” Translation? You’ll get first dibs on survey invitations, meaning more earning opportunities.

How to Sign up for Sermo Surveys?

Signing up for Sermo surveys is free and easy; just follow these three steps:

1. Go to the website: Head to sermo.com, and select ‘Sign Up’. Click on that, and then follow the registration steps.
2. Enter your personal information: Sermo is an exclusive community for licensed physicians, so you must submit personal details to verify your credentials. This includes your full name, date of birth, address, and government-issued ID, like your driver’s license or passport.
3. Submit your medical profession details: Send your medical or professional ID, such as your medical license, badge, or certificate that shows your specialty or profession. Make sure all the details are visible, and there’s no fuzziness or blur.

How do you submit these documents? The easiest method is snapping a photo with your phone. Just make sure it’s a clear image with no blur or glare. You can also scan your documents, ensuring everything is crystal clear.

Medical residents are also welcome to join Sermo. You’ll be registered as a General Practitioner until you get your shiny medical license. Once that happens, you can easily update your specialties.

How Much Can You Make with Sermo Surveys?

The million-dollar question — how much can you really make with Sermo surveys? The answer depends on a few factors. Your specialty, experience, the specific market research company behind the survey, the survey’s length and complexity, and how many surveys you complete all play a role.

Your honorarium for each survey can range anywhere from $5 up to $500 if you’re lucky. Of course, the lengthier and more complex the survey, the higher the potential payout.

Sermo claims (with dedication) you could earn anything from a few hundred bucks to several thousand dollars in extra income each year — though the latter feels like a stretch.

Tip: Be honest but strategic with your screening questions; let them know you’re flexible and how far your expertise reaches. The more surveys you qualify for, the more opportunities you have to rake in the cash.

Sermo Reviews: What Do Users Have to Say?

Experiences with Sermo are well and truly mixed. And while many are quicker to protest than praise, there’s no denying that Sermo has received its fair share of complaints.

I’ve scoured online forums to see what users say about the platform — but whether it’s worth the time and effort comes down to you.

Most were critical of the screening process: 

“The problem I faced was there are certain subspecialties they want surveys from, so if you aren’t in one of those fields (ortho, cardiology, GI, pain) then you won’t have many available. But what made me stop was they would ask 15 mins of questions and then tell you you were ineligible for the survey.”

“I think it’s half legit and half scam. The scam part is they will ask for lots of answers before rejecting you, so I think they’re collecting valuable data for free. It’s legit in that I did get $150 and then closed my account, so the money eventually made it (cashed out via Amazon gift card — took 2 weeks).”

Others say they were able to earn some solid cash with the platform:

“I made $50 on it. I feel like most of the surveys won’t take responses from people less than five years out of training.”

“Sermo is legit. They’ll directly deposit into a linked bank account through Wise. Survey frequency varies depending on specialty, and it’s not a stable way to generate income every month. I’ve probably gotten around $300 over the last few months.”

“I’ve had good success. Surveys pop up randomly and if you check, some have low barriers (5-15 minutes) asking basic questions for market research for prescribing habits, theoretical drugs, or tech.”

Are There Alternative Medical Surveys for Doctors?

Serma isn’t the only platform offering medical surveys; check out these alternatives:

• MDForLives: Offers paid online surveys, interviews, group discussions, and market research initiatives. Verified healthcare professionals can participate and help shape healthcare with their feedback.
• Opinion Site: Welcomes all physicians to share professional healthcare opinions, contributing to the social science industry. Your insights help shape upcoming products and services so businesses can better cater to patients’ needs.
• InCrowd: Utilizes micro-surveys with speedy completion times (less than 5 minutes) to deliver market insight solutions to the life science industry. They have a panel of over two million healthcare professionals and a skilled team of life science experts making up the platform.
• ZoomRx: Enables healthcare providers to engage in studies and influence the pharmaceutical industry’s future. Serving pharmaceutical companies, ZoomRx gathers valuable insights, boosting decision-making and ultimately benefiting patient outcomes.

Take a look at the best paid medical surveys to score extra cash.

FAQs

Is Sermo a scam?

Sermo is a legitimate platform that allows physicians to earn extra income while contributing to medical research and knowledge-sharing. However, the platform has received complaints about the lengthy screening process, which often results in the Sermo saying you’re not eligible.

How to make money on Sermo?

You can earn money on Sermo by completing surveys, which pay between $5 to $500 per survey. Earning rates depend on how many surveys you do and if you’re eligible, which can come down to your expertise and experience. Cash out your honorarium via methods like direct deposit, PayPal, or gift cards.

Who uses Sermo?

Sermo is primarily used by physicians, including medical doctors, specialists, and healthcare professionals worldwide. The platform caters to those seeking professional insights, second opinions on patient cases, and opportunities to contribute to medical research and industry discussions.

How many members does Sermo have?

Sermo claims to have a community of over 1.3 million verified physicians and healthcare professionals. This network of members provides a pool of expertise and perspectives for contributions to medical research, discussions, and surveys on the platform.