Betsy Hiebert is a wife, mom and grandmother in Manitoba, Canada. She holds several part-time jobs, but the oddest one is an acting gig (of sorts). Hiebert plays a patient at a teaching hospital, reports WalletPop.
I’m given a script to follow,” says Hiebert. “I have to act as a patient with specific ailments, and I get paid. I’ve worked with pharmacy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and medical students.”
Pay scales depend on what the actor is willing to go through, says Hiebert. “I personally don’t participate in anything invasive. But some people do, and of course, they make more money than I do.”
The downside: It’s not steady work. Patient actors are only needed during the school months and the work is sporadic. To help keep the money coming in, Hiebert has branched out. She sometimes works as a patient recruitment coordinator, helping to pair medical students with real patients on the wards.
Photo by saintclares.org.