A doctor has become an influencer and now makes more money on social media than her $300K physician salary — sharing educational videos online.
Dr. Fran Haydanek, 37, completed her studies at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2017 and began her career as an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN), with an annual income of $300K.
In 2021, she ventured into posting TikTok videos to address misinformation regarding reproductive health topics such as menopause, pregnancy, and birth control.
For a while, she didn’t earn anything from her social media activities, but by 2023, she began making money through the TikTok creator fund, eventually surpassing her OB/GYN salary.
So far in 2025, Dr. Fran has already earned her $300k salary from social media, and she says the extra income has allowed her to start paying off her student loan and save for retirement.
The physician, from Rochester, New York, said: “I have three young children, and a husband who also works as a physician – we have been playing catch-up in our life.
“The extra income has allowed us to have an emergency fund and start saving for our retirement.
“It has also allowed me to take two extra days off a month to spend more time with my kids.
“We are a bit more financially fine, we are working on paying off our student loans.”
Dr. Fran became a fully qualified OB/GYN in 2017, after spending 10 years — becoming qualified — racking up around $300K.
She said: “I have always been interested in medicine and science.
“This is a field that allowed me to help people while working in science every day.
“I would say we are lucky with the pay we receive compared to our counterparts in other countries.”
In 2021, Dr. Fran was scrolling through social media when she came across “a lot of misinformation around childbirth and labor” – including how brith control works, and misunderstanding around medical conditions in pregnancy
She started posting educational videos on TikTok to combat some of the misinformation she saw – including videos about medical recommendations.
Dr. Fran said: “I was spending a lot of time scrolling, I kept seeing topics about labor, delivery, and pregnancy come up.
“I saw that there was a lot of incorrect information out there, and I felt like someone should be addressing the misinformation.
“I started by correcting or giving more insight to those misinformation posts.”
In 2023, Dr. Fran started earning a “little bit of money” on social media, which she tripled in 2024.
So far this year, Dr. Fran has already surpassed her $300K salary with her social media posts – in a few years.
Dr. Fran said: “At this point in 2024, I have already made what I will make in my entire year of being a physician.
“As a physician, I am already privileged with my finances.
“The extra income has made me feel more secure, because even if I couldn’t do my job, I have a way to earn money.
“I’m always in the mindset that social media is temporary – for me, it is a nice way to bolster my income.
“This is a nice way to get ahead financially, when I have been playing catch up with money my whole life.”
Despite her financial success with social media, Dr. Fran insists that she will never quit her day job.
Dr. Fran said her patients will seek her out from seeing her social media posts
She also wants to encourage other doctors to be resourceful with their skills and earn an extra income.
Dr. Fran said: “I feel very strongly about the work that I do, and I feel a real responsibility to be there for my patients.
“I have worked very hard to get here, and I enjoy the work I do.
“My passion is social media, but I love my patients.
“The reason I started TikTok is because I want other doctors to know that there is another avenue out there.
“I want to encourage other doctors that they too can do this, and be resourceful.”
