The pharmaceutical industry lost 6,000 jobs in September

According to this story on The Day, the pharmaceutical industry lost 6,000 jobs in September. Here are some key snippets:

• The pharmaceutical industry shed more than 6,000 jobs nationwide last month, as total layoffs in the sector across the United States reached a high not seen since May, according to new numbers released Wednesday.
• The outplacement consultant Challenger, Gray & Christmas said the 6,069 pharmaceutical jobs lost nationwide in September compares with 255 reductions in August.
• The pharma sector nationwide has seen 43,334 job losses so far this year.
• Pharma job losses accounted for 16.3 percent of all layoffs across the United States, according to the statistics.

You can read the full story here.

Tough market for non-clinical jobs

It's a tough job market all over the country. The non-clinical sector of health care has been hit harder than the clinical sector. After all, we'll always have sick patients who need medical care. Hospitals will always need workers.

Corporate jobs have disappeared as companies have merged and reorganized. More non-clinical jobs have been lost as companies close and shut their doors. Unemployment is rising and even seasoned executives are being laid off. Sometimes you may see several jobs being consolidated into a single job. Current employees are being asked to reapply for their existing positions.

There's no doubt that the clinical side of health care offers more long-term job stability. However, does it offer you job satisfaction? Are you happy with your current job?

In some ways, I see 2010 as a great year for people to transition from the clinical side to the non-clinical side. You may not get a job in 2010, but you may in 2011. This type of career transition can easily take over 12 months, so it's important to maintain a stable source of income while you prepare for the career switch. Once you leave the clinical side of medicine, it can be very difficult to re-enter. There are formal re-entry programs for physicians who have been out of clinical medicine for several years, but that requires an investment of time, energy, and money. You would not want to repeat a year of residency, would you?