How to Handle a Career Change: The Definitive Guide for Physicians
Browse open Physician and Surgeon Jobs
Though career changes for physicians and healthcare pros with clinical medical jobs are in some ways similar to career changes in other professions, they also differ in some key respects. Many doctors who leave traditional clinical medicine for other healthcare jobs do so in their 30s or 40s, and often because they’re disenchanted with the reality of practicing medicine.
The good news is that there are a number of terrific options for these physicians. Pharmaceuticals, health insurance, health resource utilization, non-clinical research, and consulting are just a few. Transitioning out of clinical medicine, however, can be fraught with challenges. It takes significant time, money and effort to establish a career as a physician, and exploring medical jobs in other fields can be intimidating. Here are some guidelines for handling a career change from a clinical position to something else.
5 Factors That May Prompt a Career Change
The factors that provoke a desire to change careers may be internal, external or a combination of both. Here are some of the typical factors that prompt a career change. Maybe some of them apply to you?
1. The Career Was Wrong from the Get-Go
For most medical students, taking a clinical job is simply what you do when you become a licensed physician. In some cases, taking a clinical position is also expected by parents or significant others. It makes sense as a career path that will allow you to make a living and pay back those loans you took out to go to medical school. But it doesn’t work out for everyone, and that’s okay, because there are countless medical jobs that aren’t clinical in nature and that still allow for a thriving professional life.
2. Your Career Interests and Passions Evolve Unexpectedly
Maybe you enjoyed your clinical career at first, but over the years you’ve discovered your interests and passions lie elsewhere. Maybe you participated in a research project that sparked your interest in basic research, or perhaps you find yourself envying your fellow med school alumnus who travels all over the U.S. as a locum tenens physician. It’s not uncommon for the career you like at age 27 to feel unsatisfying at age 37 or 47.
3. You Discover That Burnout Is Real
Medicine is one of the professions in which career burnout is a real risk. The hours are long, the administrative workload can be crippling, and many aspects of practicing medicine are emotionally draining. Physician burnout affects you mentally and sometimes physically. Fortunately, there are many healthcare jobs that do not involve clinical practice but still use your unique and extensive medical education.
4. Technology Changes Your Career Drastically
Technological advances are generally 
considered as positive, but major technology changes can affect the entire work experience. In medicine, of course, technology advances all the time, both in terms of clinical tools and in terms of the technology that runs the hospital, practice, or back office operations. Unfortunately, not all of these changes are great for all physicians. If the direction of technology is making your clinical career an onerous chore, then maybe it’s time to explore your other options.
5. Your Personal and Life Situation Changes
Life changes affect doctors just as they affect everyone else. Maybe you unexpectedly had twins, or got divorced or had a parent lose his or her independence. Life is going to happen regardless of your clinical career, and sometimes those life changes are enough to prompt you to make a major career change. You might need to relocate, or cut your hours or look at medical jobs that don’t have as many stressors as the typical clinical position.
How You Can Tell It’s Time for a Career Change
To get where you are, you invested a lot of resources and put a lot of yourself into your work. Maybe you tell yourself (or others tell you) that you’d be foolish to give all that up.
However, not all medical careers are clinical careers, and it may be that non-clinical work is exactly where you will shine brightest. Only you can weigh all the factors and determine whether it’s time to change careers. Here are some of the indications that maybe it’s time to explore your options.
Getting Out of Bed to Go to Work Becomes a Challenge
Everyone has days when they would rather crawl back under the covers, but if this is becoming the norm for you, then it’s a sign that something needs to change. It may be your career, or it may be something else. Physicians aren’t immune from clinical depression and easily get to the point where treatment is advised. But sometimes it is your career that’s the problem. Maybe you don’t know where to begin, but finding your starting point may be easier than you think.
You Like What You Do, but You Dislike the Environment
Workplaces that are a bad cultural fit are real, as are outright toxic workplaces. If you like your job, but not your co-workers or superiors, or if you dislike your work environment, then it may be time to explore your options. It’s possible that a management or ownership change could make things better, but if that doesn’t happen, you risk your dissatisfaction evolving into full-on career burnout, which can seriously affect your mental and physical health.
You Wonder Why You Do What You Do
Not all of medicine is saving lives and accomplishing heroic achievements. You knew that going in, but as your career moves forward, you may find it harder and harder to feel satisfaction in what you do. That doesn’t always mean that it’s time to pursue non-clinical medical jobs, but it is an indication that you need to get to the root of what’s bothering you and address it.
You Never Have Time to Get Everything Done
Enjoying a clinical career without administrative tasks and red tape is probably impossible, but sometimes the sheer volume of administrative tasks can be exhausting. If the rewarding clinical aspects of your career are no longer enough to outweigh the hassles of all the red tape you have to deal with simply to treat your patients, then it might be time to explore your options for medical jobs that will be less affected by these factors.
[ Read: 4 Strategies for More Quality Care Time with Patients ]
Out-of-the-Box Career Paths to Consider
These are some, but by no means all, of your options for medical jobs that make use of your unique education and experience without tying you to a traditional practice or hospital.
Locum Tenens
The old wisdom was that locum tenens was just for retired physicians, but that’s no longer the case. Recent medical graduates can work as locum tenens to gain more experience and explore different work environments. And locum tenens doesn’t necessarily mean constant travel. Depending on where you live, you may be able to live where you are and still make a career out of locum tenens work. It’s also a terrific option for mid-career physicians who want more time with their growing families, or for late-career physicians who want to ease into retirement. It’s not for everyone, but it suits some physicians particularly well.
Telemedicine
Provision of medical care over secure video connections is growing in popularity because of its convenience and cost-containing nature. Medical jobs in telemedicine are becoming more common. Some of these jobs are with independent telemedicine providers, and others are with larger healthcare systems and insurers that provide telemedicine services to their patients who live in rural areas or who struggle with mobility or transportation. It’s a field that is expected to grow, so if you’re considering a career change that uses your medical qualifications, it’s a great one to consider.
[ Read: Practicing Medicine in the Digital Age ]
Non-clinical Positions, including Pharmaceuticals
Licensed physicians have many opportunities in discovery, pre-clinical development, clinical development, and licensing of pharmaceuticals. Small-molecule drugs, biologics, new diagnostic tests and medical devices must all be put through extensive testing before being approved, and physicians are exactly the right people for some of these jobs. Moreover, opportunities exist in regulatory affairs, safety, and commercialization of pharmaceuticals. Physicians who want a change from clinical work have pursued careers in pharmaceuticals for decades, and it’s well worth your consideration.
Healthcare Consulting
Healthcare consulting offers the trained physician the opportunity to put his or her brain to work in an entirely different way than do other medical jobs. Consultants generally work as part of a team to solve problems. They may work as generalists or as specialists and often "diagnose" client problems and help come up with solutions that work for them. Because of the problem-solving nature of healthcare consulting jobs, physicians are often remarkably well-suited for these positions, and many end up with thriving careers outside the traditional medical care setting.
5 Steps for a Successful Physician Career Transition
You can’t approach career change in a haphazard or random manner and expect to get results. Here’s how to go about career change as a physician in order to maximize your probability of success.
1. Do Your Homework First
Still not sure what field you might want to pursue? Start by talking with former colleagues who have traded clinical careers for other types of medical jobs, or look for blogs and personal accounts online.
Once you identify the industry, whether that be pharmaceuticals, consulting, telemedicine, or locum tenens work, start learning the lingo. Find industry-specific newsletters and blogs and join online professional groups. In-person networking events are also a great place to learn more and meet new contacts. Prioritize communicating with these people and building relationships with them.
2. Pick One Sector to Pursue for Your Career Change
Generally, you are better off choosing one target job type to pursue rather than multiple ones. It takes time to learn how industries work and to develop contacts in them. Plus, you’ll have the task of building your resume and online professional profiles so that they are geared toward the sector you most want to enter. When you’re first exploring options, it’s fine to look over multiple choices, since one may pique your interest more than others. But you’ll generally have an easier time with a career transition if you narrow your focus once you determine what interests you most.
3. Learn Everything about Job Requirements and Qualifications
What qualifications are required for the jobs for which you want to apply? Do you have them? Will you need to pursue additional licenses or education? How do your current qualifications align with what’s required in your desired field? When it’s time to update your CV, you’ll want to emphasize aspects of your prior work that are relevant to the companies with whom you want to apply. If you’re having trouble doing this, do not despair. Professional CV consultants are available and can help you align your CV to your dream job as skillfully as possible.
[ Read: Rules for Your Medical CV ]
4. Don’t Rely Solely on the Traditional Application Process
Of course, you want an outstanding CV and excellently tailored cover letter template, but sending out endless job applications isn’t the only way to secure a new position. Particularly with medical jobs that emphasize relevant industry experience, you’ll want to work on networking and building your contacts list. Ideally you want people who will vouch for your experience and help you past the "gatekeepers" you’ll inevitably face when you simply submit applications online. Furthermore, industry connections can connect you with medical jobs that aren’t advertised.
5. Be Committed and Be Patient
It’s important that you keep reminding yourself why you are interested in a particular industry or company. When embarking on a career change, your passion must shine through in your networking, applications, CV, and cover letter. You are essentially creating a sales pitch for yourself, so you’ve got to back that up with passion.
At the same time, you have to bear in mind that career transitions generally do not happen overnight. Career changes, even within the same industry, can take months, so don’t feel bad if the perfect opportunity doesn’t present itself right away. Also keep in mind that the bigger the gap between your experience and your career goal, the more time and passion will be required to successfully make the transition. And don’t automatically write off an opportunity that may not seem ideal, but that would set you on the right track to your dream job. Stepping-stone jobs make sense in many career transitions!
Do you have any tips on changing careers as a physician? If so, please share them in the comments.
