Non Clinical Options for Physician Assistants

Author: Rachel Davis

There are various reasons why those in the medical field choose to move to a non-clinical position – the latter have reasonable and fixed working hours, the stress levels are lower, they don’t bring on frequent litigation and lawsuits, and they’re free of dealings with insurance companies. Some may be bored in their clinical positions because it’s not challenging anymore – they’ve achieved all that they wanted to and they now want to explore their options in the corporate world.

Physicians who have a blended career (clinical and non-clinical)

Lately, I've been speaking with many physicians who are creating blended careers. They are working in the clinical setting part-time. They're also working a non-clinical job (or two) part-time. In some cases, they are either consulting or working as independent contractors on different projects and setting their own schedules based on the workload. They continue to see patients a few days each week (or each month), so they get to maintain a clinical career while they pursue non-clinical opportunities.

Medical specialties that allow you to work shifts allow you to create these types of blended careers. What are these specialties? Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine, and Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Pediatrics (you can work as a hospitalist or you can work in an ER).

So, what's right for you? If you're feeling burned out from clinical medicine, maybe you need to take a break where you can still maintain some clinical responsibilities.

What if you knew you wouldn't fail?

You've probably heard the phrase/question, "what would you do if you knew you wouldn't fail?"  I'd like to ask you that question in context of your career. What career would you pursue if you knew you wouldn't fail?

In the field of medicine, we may face barriers that go beyond fear. The biggest barrier is probably time. For instance, we know that in order to become a neurosurgeon, you must complete medical school and residency training. There's no way to overcome the barrier of time if you're not willing to invest time into your career.

Many physicians may wish to leave clinical medicine to pursue alternative careers in business, health information technology, and consulting. However, many of them don't know how to get started. They don't know how to make the career transition. They don't know if they need to invest time into an additional degree like an MBA. They're not sure what type of income they could generate if they left clinical medicine. They may be gripped with the fear of career failure. What if you knew that you wouldn't fail? What type of non-clinical career would you pursue?

I've had the opportunity to help many physicians work through these questions and it's been especially rewarding to see how people have been able to find new non-clinical opportunities. Some have applied their creativity into their new careers. Others now have a better work/life balance. If you're seriously thinking about a career change, make sure to speak with someone who can help you through some of those difficult questions. Find a mentor. Speak with others who have made the transition.

Growing interest in non-clinical career opportunities among physicians

How many physicians do you know who have chosen to leave their clinical practice? There's no doubt that physicians are getting burned out. Many are tired of fighting insurance companies and even more physicians are getting discouraged about reductions in reimbursement. This has caused some physicians to drop Medicare and Medicaid. Others have switched to cash-only or concierge/boutique practice models. Then you have your group of physicians who have simply decided to leave clinical medicine to pursue career options in the world of non-clinical medicine.

The vast majority of physicians are actually not aware of non-clinical career options beyond common examples such as working for a pharmaceutical company, being a consultant for a major consulting firm, or reviewing medical charts. Some physicians think about "administrative medicine," and they don't envision themselves being happy spending 100% of their time with administrative paperwork. For most physicians, the administrative component is the worst part of being a physician.

The reality is that there are a host of non-clinical opportunities for physicians who have a variety of interests beyond clinical medicine. The problem is that we don't learn about these opportunities during medical school. We don't go through non-clinical rotations during our clinical clerkships. Medical students and residents don't get paired with non-clinical mentors who can teach us about career options on the "business" side of health care. They don't learn about jobs in medical writing, market research, health informatics, or venture capital. They also don't learn how to enter the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry. When they start to look at various job posts, they see terms like "2 years of industry experience required." How can they break in if they lack formal industry experience? Where do they get started? Do they need additional training and education? Many physicians seem to have a common misconception that a formal degree in business is required if they wish to be successful in the non-clinical world. Some choose to pursue an executive MBA with hopes that they may venture off into the non-clinical sector someday.

As physicians get burned out they are looking for alternatives. Physicians are hearing a lot of discussion around health care reform, but little discussion about tort reform. As a result, many are feeling discouraged because their voices are not being heard by politicians and decision makers. In the setting of major health care reform, many physicians are anticipating that their workload will increase and their reimbursement will decrease. Should these physicians leave clinical medicine and pursue non-clinical career options? Who will end up providing medical care if physicians leave their clinical practice and choose to work for some type of health care company?

41% of visitors to NonClinicalJobs.com are from Internet search engines

This month, 41% of visitors were from Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Over the past several months, this number has consistently grown and I'm eager to see how this trend will change in 2010. The top keywords that people are typing to find this site are:

• non clinical jobs for physicians
• non clinical physician jobs
• non-clinical careers for physicians
• non-clinical physician jobs
• non clinical careers for physicians 

We're observing a national phenomenon of physicians looking for alternative career options. More and more physicians are becoming interest in non-clinical opportunities so they can leave their clinical practice. 

If you're not already a member, I encourage you to join our social network of Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals (http://members.nonclinicaljobs.com). We have over 1,100 members and the majority are physicians, but non-physicians are also welcome to join and participate in our discussions about non-clinical job opportunities. 

Why do I blog about non-clinical jobs and careers for physicians?

You may be wondering why I blog about non-clinical jobs and offer career counseling services for physicians. Like many of you, I went to a well-respected college and a US medical school. I studied engineering at MIT and went straight into medical school upon graduating from college. When I was a medical student, I began to meet a variety of physicians who were leaving clinical practice and pursuing other ambitions. After recognizing that clinical medicine was not the “right fit,” I went on to explore my options in different non-clinical health care industries. By that time, I had gotten to know many physicians who had left clinical medicine to pursue jobs in industries such as: pharma, biotech, medical communications, consulting, medical writing, medical devices, market research, etc. Therefore, I was able to find non-clinical job opportunities relatively quickly because I knew what types of options I had and I also knew how to find these jobs. I leveraged my growing social network and landed my first full-time non-clinical job in a consumer health company.

Over the years, I’ve worked for several different companies that have allowed me to blend my clinical background with my passion for education and technology. I’ve had experience working with small companies, medium-sized companies, and large companies. I've been a salaried full-time employee and I've also consulted for several medical start-up companies. I’ve also had the opportunity to create my own company and learn about entrepreneurship. I am currently employed full-time in a medical education company and I spend my nights and weekends blogging and working with physicians who wish to transition into non-clinical careers.

I realize that many physicians do not personally know other physicians who work in non-clinical industries. Therefore, it may be difficult to know what’s feasible. Where do you get started? What kind of income could you make? Are you even qualified for certain jobs if you don’t have additional formal education or training beyond medicine? If you’re struggling with these types of questions, I believe I may be able to help you because I’ve had the opportunity to personally work with many physicians who have transitioned from clinical practice into full-time and part-time non-clinical positions. As they have encountered various questions and barriers along the way, we’ve navigated through all types of obstacles and challenge that you may also face as you look for non-clinical jobs.

Please note that I do not claim to be an expert about all the different non-clinical industries that are available. I routinely refer physicians to “subject matter experts” within specific industry domains. For instance, if you have very specific questions about the medical consulting industry, I would introduce you to a medical consultant who is willing to work with you and answer your questions about careers in that particular industry. I’ve personally had a significant amount of experience working in the following industries: medical communications, medical writing, health education, disease management, blogging, health IT, and medical consulting. I also frequently discuss topics related to social media and technology since I find that it improves your ability to get hired if you demonstrate that you’re familiar with these topics.

I also currently serve on the MIT Institute Career Advisor Network (ICAN) and also on the MIT Educational Council. I frequently speak with prospective MIT students, current MIT students and MIT alumni about career issues in the health care industry and I hope to have the opportunity to help you make a successful transition into the non-clinical sector.

Catching up on phone calls and emails

Due to the holidays, I'm on vacation for the next week. Our company is actually closed, so everyone is on vacation. I'm taking my vacation at home since I have a newborn, but I also plan to use some of this time to catch up on some phone calls and e-mails. I've scheduled several calls with physicians who are eager to get started with an active job search in January. Others are making significant changes to their resumes and learning how to identify the right non-clinical opportunities.

If you've reached out to me and I've been slow to respond, I apologize and I hope you'll contact me again. I've had a number of e-mails go right into my SPAM folder, so it's possible I simply missed your e-mail. I'm currently actively engaged in coaching several physicians through a non-clinical career transition, so I've been quite busy. However, if you're seriously thinking about a career change in 2010 and you'd like to chat about the possibilities, I'd be glad to speak with you as my schedule permits.

Pros and Cons of using a professional resume writer

I've seen many physician resumes and I've noticed many common elements among all these resumes. Here are 3 common elements:

• First, physicians generally tend to list their positions. Who needs to provide a description if your position was: "private practice family physician" for 10 years? People in the medical community automatically understand what that means. As a result, physicians rarely provide descriptive examples that illustrate what they accomplished during their clinical careers.
• Next, physicians often do not know what to emphasize when they are transitioning into a non-clinical career since most physicians lack industry work experience. They may wish to highlight that they are effective at communication, but how to you say that on your CV? "Effective communicator?" How about "Strong communication skills?" These phrases are too vague.
  
• Finally, many physicians are simply not effective when they are writing about their skills, talents, and capabilities that are relevant for specific non-clinical careers. They may be extremely intelligent and eloquent speakers, but their writing skills often need improvement when it comes to their resumes.
  

I've clearly made some gross generalizations here, but I think you get the idea. So, should they work with a professional resume writer?

Here are some of the Pros and Cons of using a professional resume writing service (this is not meant to be exhaustive):

Pros:

• Organization and format. A professional resume writer may help them improve the organization and the format of the resume.
• Effective communication. A professional can help them effectively communicate skills and capabilities in writing.
• Content. A professional can help you focus on relevant content and filter out content that may not be relevant.
• Efficiency. A professional will probably save you time since they are more efficient. If you're too busy to rewrite your CV, then maybe you should pay someone to do it for you.
  

However, here are the Cons:

• Cost. A professional resume writer can be very expensive. On TheLadders.com, you can expect to pay around $700 for professional resume writing services if you enroll in their premium UpLadder services (which runs around $15-30/month). Other professional resume writers may charge $500 to over $1,000 for their services.
  
• Limited experience with physician career changers. A professional may not be experienced working with physicians who are changing careers. They may be great for physicians who are looking for other types of medical jobs, but the minute you switch gears into the non-clinical world, it's a totally different game when you're working with career changers.
• Uncertainty about the return on your investment. The term "professional" can mean different things when you're a resume writer. How will you be able to judge the effectiveness of the professional you hire? After all, they won't be providing any type of guarantee that you'll get a job if you use their services.
  
• A single perspective. A single writer will give you a single perspective and you may end up focusing on the wrong elements if you rely on a single writer.

Resume writing is an art, and I've found that some of the most effective ways of revising a resume is to receive some coaching from HR (human resources) professionals who evaluate resumes on a routine basis. If you don't have the communications skills to rewrite your CV, then you should definitely get some professional help. Otherwise, you may wish to invest your time to get some personalized career coaching so that you can focus on finding the right types of non-clinical job opportunities that best fit your career goals. A mentor could really help you tailor your CV for each non-clinical opportunity that you wish to pursue.

If you've had positive or negative experiences working with a professional resume writer (or writing service), then I'd welcome your comments on this topic.

How many non-clinical physicians do you know?

I've met many physicians who don't personally know any physicians who have left clinical medicine (I'm not counting those who've retired). Do you know many physicians who are now working in different health care industries? The list is very long: pharma, managed care, consulting, medical communications, legal medicine, etc. How strong is your social network?

There are some physicians who start embarking on some entrepreneurial projects and then they eventually leave clinical medicine to devote their time 100% to non-clinical work. Others make a clean break and look for something new in their lives.

When I was in college, I knew a handful of physicians who had left clinical medicine to pursue careers in industry. Then, when I was in medical school, several of my college friends decided that clinical medicine wasn't the right fit, so they left medicine to pursue other careers. Over the past several years, I've had the chance to meet so many physicians who have ventured into different non-clinical industries. Some now run their own companies. Others are full-time independent consultants.

The value of social networking simply can't be underscored enough. The insights you gain by meeting others and exchanging ideas is invaluable. If you're considering a transition out of clinical medicine and into the business side of health care, then expand your social network and get to know other physicians who have pursued similar paths. You never know what types of opportunities you'll find through other people within your social network.

Jobs for Physicians with No Residency Experience

Updated: Jan 15, 2011

I've met many medical students considering the non-clinical path. They're thinking about alternative careers because they don't want to practice medicine. The infamous question that always seems to come up is: "What types of non-clinical jobs can I get if I don't do a residency?" You see, some medical students simply don't want to even try residency. I'm not referring to MD/MBA grads who are set on consulting, finance, etc. I'm referring to the "average" medical student who discovers that clinical medicine simply isn't the "right fit."

The answer to this question really depends on many other factors. The question is not a simple one, since if you're interested in the business/finance side of the world and have an MBA with some real-world work experience, then you may be fine without doing a residency. In fact, many very successful people have gone that direction.

However, if you don't have an MBA and you don't have any real-world work experience, then it may be more difficult (but certainly not impossible) to find some really promising careers that align with your goals and interests. This will largely depend on your geography (and your ability to relocate), your flexibility with work hours, and your willingness to learn new things and to explore your talents and capabilities. If you really feel lost, then a mentor or career coach/counselor may be invaluable.

Ask yourself a few things:

• Are you absolutely certain that you don't enjoy clinical medicine? It may be much more difficult (practically impossible) to go back to a residency later in your life if you simply graduate and enter the working world. Have you explored Preventive Medicine/Public Health? Have you considered part-time clinical work? To get to some of the best non-clinical career opportunities, you may need to start in a clinical career, get some experience, and then transition out of clinical medicine.
  

• How important is salary? I realize that people don't like to talk about salary, but it's very practical if you have student loans, a family, etc. If you have another source of income or if you're married and your spouse makes plenty for both, then you're in a totally different category when you're looking for work. This is why some people love part-time or even freelance jobs where they can work from home. I hate to also mention that some couples end up getting separated and then one person finds him or herself in dire need for work (but I hope that never happens to you).
  

• What do you really enjoy? Some love/hate business. Some love/hate writing. At the end of the day, your work/life balance may be the most important thing to you. After all, if you have the opportunity to pursue a clinical career, the main reason driving you away from that must be because you don't enjoy that type of work.

If we were to drill down and consider some practical possibilities, here are some of the jobs that some medical school graduates were able to obtain:

Medical communications (including continuing medical education, promotional education and marketing, etc.): medical writer, medical journalist, grant writer, new business development, medical strategy, CME director, and much more.

• Find physician writing jobs here. 

Consulting companies: business analyst (another name for consultant)

• Find physician consulting jobs here.

Pharma/Biotech companies: medical science liaison (MSL), medical writer, sales representative (I think you get the idea)

• Find drug safety officer jobs here. 
• Find medical director jobs here.

Clinical research organizations: medical writer, research coordinator or manager, drug safety monitoring, research associate, and more.

• Find physician research jobs here.

Market research: research analyst, writer,

• Find market research jobs here. 

Health information technology: medical consultant, sales consultant, program manager, and more.

• Find medical information jobs here. 
• Find director of medical informatics jobs here. 

Health care/medical recruiting: physician recruiter

• Find physician recruiter jobs here.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. Instead, this is meant to give you a glimpse of some alternative career possibilities. It's important to do your research and to learn about the possibilities that may be appropriate for you.

Make sure to read this article:  Non-Clinical Medical Opportunities for Physicians and Other Clinicians

If you're interested in finding a mentor, then I hope you'll look here: Find a Non-Clinical Physician Career Coach who can mentor you through the process.

Chatting with a CNNMoney.com reporter

The other day, I was chatting with a CNN/Money.com reporter. This reporter was looking for physicians (or medical students) who have transitioned entirely out of the world of medicine. I mean physicians who have decided to go into something completely unrelated to the healthcare industry. Real estate. Computer sales. Artistry. Poetry. Community college teacher. Interior designer. Becoming a lawyer (not to practice medical law). Day trading. Professional poker player. The list goes on, but you have to be really creative.

I don't qualify because I work in health education, so although I work in a non-clinical setting, my work is related to healthcare. Most of the non-clinical physicians I know also don't qualify because they work in some type of company or setting that is related to the healthcare industry.

Do you know any physicians who have entirely switched gears to do something entirely different? I know one person who graduated from medical school and decided to become a Christian pastor. There are physician authors out there who are writing novels that have nothing to do with medicine. I know of a family physician who is now teaching biology at a local community college. And of course, many physician moms end up being a full-time stay-at-home mom. Some of them may end up finding something to do on the side (such as selling things on eBay or becoming a day trader). I know one woman who stays at home and keeps a "mommy blog." Since mom's tend to act as caregivers (administering medications, treating illness, changing wound dressings, etc.), she tends to provide healthcare related advice on her blog.

Don't forget to register for the Medical Fusion conference

Don't forget to register for the Medical Fusion conference this November in Las Vegas. If you're not familiar with it, make sure to read this post:

Medical Fusion Conference

Who's speaking at this event? Here are a few names:

• Josh Resnick, MD, MBA, Venture Capitalist, Partner at Prism Ventures
• Maria Simbra, MD, Medical Journalist, KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
• Joseph Smith, MD, PhD, VP of Emerging Technologies at Johnson & Johnson
• Michael VanRooyen, MD, MPH, Co-Founder of Risk Management Consortium, LLC
• Mike Woo-Ming, MD, MPH, Entrepreneur and Internet Marketing Consultant Entrepreneur and Internet Marketing Consultant

To learn more and to register for this event, go here: https://www.medfusionconf.org
Register online as a reader of this blog and enter the code "JKBLOG" to receive a $25 discount on the registration fee.

SEAK: Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians

As we enter the month of September, I wish to remind you that there's a conference coming up in a few weeks titled, "SEAK: Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians." This year, the meeting is in Chicago and I know a handful of people who will be attending. I'd love to be there, but I'll be busy moving, so I won't be attending, but you'll meet some great people while you're there.

Here are the details:

Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians 2009
Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center
Chicago, IL
September 12-13, 2009

You also have the opportunity to register for some pre-conference workshops:

Negotiating Skills for Physicians
September 10, 2009

How to Find and Land High Paying Non-Clinical Jobs
September 11, 2009

To find out more about the SEAK conference, visit: http://www.seak.com

Should you quit residency?

I get this question all the time: "I hate residency. I know that I want to pursue a non-clinical career in medicine. Should I quit residency?"

I always try to encourage people to endure the hardships of residency and persevere until completion. Of course, at the end of the day, I know that some people quit and drop out of residency programs. As a result, they burden their colleagues to cover their call schedules and this becomes especially problematic when you're in a small program.

My wife was a chief resident and she used to tell me all sorts of stories when her residents would quit. She was in a small program, so the impact was significant on the other residents. Fortunately, they didn't seem to have problems filling those vacant spots.

If you're thinking about a non-clinical career in medicine, remember that you'll have many more opportunities if you complete a residency. It's not essential for your success, but it will definitely open up many more doors for you if you're board certified in a recognized specialty.

Expanding my network to connect with executive recruiters

Over the years, I've met many executive recruiters who work on filling non-clinical positions in pharma/biotech, consulting, research, medical communications, market research, health IT, and other healthcare industry segments. I've been in regular touch with some of them, but I'm now working on actively expanding my network so that I can help other physicians who are actively looking for non-clinical jobs.

If you're an executive recruiter and you work on placing physicians into non-clinical positions, please connect with me on LinkedIn and let's start working together. I currently have a list of over 50 physicians who are actively looking for non-clinical jobs and on average I am getting contacted by 2-4 physicians each day. Some of them are making the transition into the non-clinical space while others have been working in different healthcare industries for several years.

Overwhelmed by people looking for mentors

Several days ago, I had posted something to see who wanted to find a non-clinical mentor (Find a Non-Clinical Mentor). The response has been overwhelming and I'm still sorting through all my e-mails, so please be patient while I work through this. On top of that, there was a strong interest in health IT and several mentors were at AMDIS. So, if you're still interested in finding a mentor, expect to see a survey from me over the next week. Also, make sure that you're a member of the Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals network (free to join). I will be using that to broadcast messages. Finally, if you know others who may also be interested in this type of mentorship program, please have them contact me.

I'm trying to collect some more information so that we can launch an effective mentorship program (and please keep in mind that this will not be a free program, but we are working on keeping the fees as reasonable as possible).

Why Pursue a Non-Clinical Career?

I've met many people over the last several years who have decided to pursue a non-clinical career in medicine. Why do people choose not to practice medicine? I'm writing about these things in my new book (which is in process), but I thought I'd highlight a few things in this blog.

Here are some of the most common reasons why physicians (and other healthcare professionals) choose to pursue various types of non-clinical jobs and opportunities:

• Scheduling flexibility. You'd be surprised to know how many people work from home and maintain very flexible schedules.
• No malpractice headaches. Enough said.
• Family obligations. The world of clinical medicine can put a severe strain on families and relationships. I know - my wife is a physician.
  
• Obstacles with licensure. This is particularly true for foreign medical graduates who are unable to obtain a U.S. license. Also, licensed U.S. healthcare professionals have various reasons why they may face obstacles with their professional licenses.
  
• Pressured into medicine. I know many medical students who were pressured into medical school. They don't enjoy clinical medicine but many of them feel "stuck."
• Burnout. Physicians may experience severe burnout and they may need a break (sometimes a permanent break) from clinical medicine.
• $. It's true, many choose the non-clinical route because there are more lucrative opportunities.
• To expand their creativity. Some people simply want to have a career in music, art, teaching, or something that is totally different from the clinical world. That's their passion, so consider the transition a second career.
• Less stress. For some, a non-clinical career is less stress compared to the clinical setting. For others, it may be more stress. In any case, it's certainly a totally different type of stress.
• Personal development. Many seasoned clinicians may pursue opportunities in healthcare administration so that they can make an impact on a larger scale.
• To improve public health. Instead of making a small difference on an individual level, they recognize the greater potential of making differences on a population health level.
• To escape boredom. Yes, clinical medicine can become very boring and mundane. Maybe you chose the wrong specialty.
  
• To find a better fit. Many physicians find that clinical medicine simply isn't the "right fit" for their personality, skills, family life, etc. It could be a combination of several of the reasons listed above. For them, the transition into the non-clinical world is a logical step towards finding something that is a better fit.
  

My intent is not to create a comprehensive list here, but to open up some discussion about some of the common issues that clinicians face. I've met people from every single category listed here and I've learned something new each time I've interacted with someone from a different background. I'm currently in the process of compiling personal stories so that I can share them on this site (and in my new book).

Women in Medicine Having Kids

Many people wonder how my wife and I balance work and family. My wife is also a physician, but her work schedule is quite different from mine. We are currently fortunate enough to have family close by, so they help with the kids while my wife and I are at work.

The reality is that you will probably need to make some sacrifices during those early years when your children are very young. I know many women physicians who choose to do some non-clinical work from home during those years when their children are young. This gives them the flexibility to still do some work and maintain a meaningful income while their children are babies. They may even keep up with their clinical skills by moonlighting in the ER and/or urgent care clinics during the weekend. Some find time to do a bit of teaching at local medical schools and others may precept one day a week at a teaching hospital. Then, once their kids get older, some women physicians choose to go back into a clinical practice where they can balance work/family according to their needs. Others build a successful career in the non-clinical side of medicine and even maintain their living by even working from home.

Public Health Jobs in California

Here are a few examples of some current public health job openings in California (they are all related to HIV and AIDS and you must pass a civil service exam). Healthcare professionals who are looking for a transition into the non-clinical world of medicine may find some of these positions to be quite interesting. You can see that the salary range is also listed for each of these civil service jobs:

California Department of Public Health: Office of AIDS

Chief of the Surveillance, Research, and Evaluation Branch
Civil service classification: Public Health Medical Administrator I
Location: Sacramento, California
Salary range: $136,800 - $162,468 annually
This position is a California civil service position. In order to be eligible, a candidate must first apply for the Public Health Medical Administrator I civil service exam. Once the candidate has successfully completed the exam process, he/she can be considered for the Branch Chief position.

Medical Director
Civil service classification: Public Health Medical Officer III
Location: Sacramento, California
Salary range: $112,776 - $154,716 annually
This position is a California civil service position. In order to be eligible, a candidate must first apply for the Public Health Medical Officer III civil service exam. Once the candidate has successfully completed the exam process, he/she can be considered for the Medical Director position.

Chief of the HIV Prevention Research and Evaluation Section
Civil service classification: Research Scientist Supervisor II
Location: Sacramento, California
Salary range: $90,864 - $109,872 annually
This position is a California civil service position. In order to be eligible, a candidate must first apply for the Research Scientist Supervisor II civil service exam. Once the candidate has successfully completed the exam process, he/she can be considered for the Section Chief position.

Chief of the HIV Prevention Branch
Civil service classification: Public Health Medical Administrator I
Location: Sacramento, California
Salary range: $136,800 - $162,468 annually
This position is a California civil service position. In order to be eligible, a candidate must first apply for the Public Health Medical Administrator I civil service exam. Once the candidate has successfully completed the exam process, he/she can be considered for the Branch Chief position.

If you'd like more information about any of these job opportunities, please contact me.

Social Networking Tips to Help You Find Non-Clinical Opportunities

If you plan to transition to a non-clinical career, start building your social network now. It's so critical to grow your network so that you can get your foot into doors of potential opportunity. It can be very difficult to go straight from clinical medicine to your "dream non-clinical job" unless you know some really influential people. Many clinicians ease into the transition by finding a job that may act as a stepping stone or a jumping board. After gaining a few years of non-clinical experience and really getting familiar with corporate policies, you may gain the necessary skills to springboard into a much better opportunity.

So how do you "break into" non-clinical opportunities? For many people, it starts through their social network. Do you use Facebook? LinkedIn? Twitter? Plaxo? Ning? Reach out to the people within your professional social network and you may find some incredible opportunities out there. It's so critical to build a strong social network when you're transitioning from the clinical to the non-clinical world of medicine.

Maybe you should start by joining the free social network called "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals." There, you can meet others who can provide you with career advice.