Friday, April 2, 2010

How to explore alternative physicians careers

What's the best way to explore your options if you're thinking about an alternative physician career? Should you search on the Internet? I'm not sure that you'll find much. Should you read books? Books can be helpful, but I've found that most books tend to focus on only a few realistic options.

One of the best ways to learn about alternative physicians careers is to speak with other physicians who have successfully made career transitions. This way, you can get a sense of what ought to be realistic for you. Additionally, you'll learn about some of the obstacles and roadblocks you may face as you try to make a career transition. Perhaps after speaking to several people, you'll decide that you really don't want to pursue an alternative physicians career. It's better to know that before you leave medicine since it may be difficult to go back if you've been gone too long.

I'm constantly speaking with physicians about their desire to leave clinical medicine. They want to pursue other options. Many are not aware of the alternatives and even more physicians don't know many doctors who've successfully left clinical medicine. How do you find these people? A good place to start is LinkedIn. You can find many physicians who are currently working in different types of industries ranging from the pharmaceutical industry to managed care. Some work for medical device companies. Others are medical writers. Some have consulting experience and others have worked for venture capital firms. You don't need an MBA to find an alternative career, but you need to outline a plan so that you can make the transition successfully. There are so many different types of careers you could choose, so make sure to learn about your options before you leave your clinical job.

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