Health care reform changes will drive more physicians to leave clinical medicine

It’s hard to find many physicians who are excited about the upcoming health care reform changes. Most physicians are complaining and some are preparing for early retirement. There are a growing number of physicians who are actively preparing for a non-clinical career transition so they can escape patient care and go into administration or business. If we could graph physician enrollment into MBA programs, we’d probably see a noticeable increase that started in 2009 or 2010. Many physicians are pursuing an MBA so they can get prepared for the non-clinical world of business.

Recently, I’ve also been speaking with a growing number of physicians who are looking for opportunities to get involved in non-clinical opportunities while they continue to practice medicine. These physicians are blending their clinical career with a parallel non-clinical career. I know some physicians who are working in business during the day and moonlighting in the ER on the weekends. Others are working part-time in the hospital and consulting on their non-clinical days.

Organizations like the Society of Physicians with Non-Clinical Careers are seeing significant growth in membership.

If you’re considering a possible career transition in the near future, I encourage you to receive our updates from NonClinicalJobs.com so that you can learn about the different types of job opportunities that are possible. Jumping out of clinical medicine isn’t an easy transition for most physicians. You probably won’t make the transition overnight, so get informed so that you’re prepared when that transition day arrives.


Before you leave clinical medicine, make sure you have a solid transition plan. Work with a career coach, counselor, or mentor so that you're not scrambling for any type of job. Plan things systematically so that you find the right job that suits your skills and talents.