Over time I’ve received a smattering of messages asking about using a medical degree outside of clinical medicine (i.e. in a work domain where you don’t see patients). These questions reflect a range of experiences, from mild curiosity to those trying to escape burnout. Of late though, these have been more frequent - probably in line with tougher job market conditions and medical posts that simply aren’t being funded by the DoH. Writing a post serves my time a little better and spreads the info around - so here are some thoughts.
Group 1: Doctors who are doing community service or have just finished their time
One doesn’t really have the luxury of looking around anymore only once you’re done with community service. There’s simply too much competition to not have started career positioning during your internship years. We (our graduate group) had the benefit of still being able to easily access locum jobs in the private sector once we finished our government time - and this was a handy buffer while mapping out our next career steps.
With even locum positions now receiving over 50+ applications at a time, there’s simply no security here. I’m certainly not saying don’t try - spread that CV far and wide, but statistically it is unlikely you will readily acquire a post. There are a host of directions you can move in - and I’m a believer that the medical field does equip you with transferrable skills - but the key is convincing prospective employers in other fields that you can add value. Doctors tend to not interview well outside of medicine - and subsequently don’t always make a strong business case for their employment.
I could compile an arbitrary list of jobs that leverage your medical degree, but Amy Louise Collyer has already put together a wonderful carousel linked here - What can I do with a Medical Degree. She’s listed the fields where you’re likely to have some degree of success, and this should spark some ideas based on your individual circumstances.
Key thoughts
- If you don’t plan to continue as a medical officer or specialise, start planning for a career shift during your service years and upskill towards that
- Keep debt low - doctors are notorious for poor financial savvy, and with the typical high burden of debt - it’s difficult for doctors to change roles into lower paying positions that may set them up for future success on a different career track
- Save as much as possible during your service years to have a buffer when you do eventually make a switch. A career that doesn’t directly leverage your medical degree will most likely have an associated pay drop, and reasonably so because you aren’t skilled in that domain (yet). You’ll need to climb the ladder again
- Look at the suggestions linked above for some possible alternatives - it’s never one size fits all and you’ll likely have to find something unique to your situation and network
Group 2: Contracted doctors who are looking to change careers
This is a bit simpler because (usually) you have time on your hands. The assumption is that you have a permanent contract in place which affords you some breathing room to think about what you want to do and how to get there. In some form you’re going to have to upskill. Whether it’s doing a part time internship, diploma or Udemy courses - you’re not going to migrate out of clinical medicine with nothing to show but your MBChB.
Let’s say you’re interested in data science. For a company to look at your CV, and perceive that there is value in adding you to their ranks - there need to be items listed that demonstrate interest and personal application to learning. Start small - free online courses - whatever you can leverage - and move on from there. You’ll be up against interviewees who have studied data science and who may have work experience in the field. It’s a stark contrast from the guaranteed employment (well not so guaranteed anymore) that we enjoyed during our government service years.
Your best bet is something that gives you practice in your chosen domain and allows you to sample a more corporate flavoured environment. Which I don’t need to mention is vastly different from the hospital wards. So back to our data science example - there are companies like ExploreAI which offer part time internships, give you a bit of team context, projects, real world application etc. It’s like on-the-job experience - while you’re still handling your main job, which is medicine. There is a cost, and that is your time. It’s effectively back to what time management was in university - judicious scheduling of your evenings and weekends to meet course deadlines and still maintain your required level of performance at your job.
There’s always the possibility of a spontaneous opportunity arising - a colleague mentioning a job opening; someone introducing you to someone - and your personal network plays a massive role in this. Keep your ears and eyes open. Talk to people. Listen to people. Be ready to mobilise when the window opens for you to make a shift - because typically that window doesn’t stay open for long. Again - a low burden of debt means you can make riskier career shifts.
It’s prudent to mention that aiming for something adjacent to medicine is always easier because then it’s simpler to justify why you’re valuable to your prospective employer. For example, clinical research is a great bet because units need practicing doctors to assist with trials and serve participants. However, this is far more of a ‘corporate’ flavoured job, with the opportunity to write grants and proposals, drive research and sharpen business skills. It often allows for a bit of job crafting and upskilling - which is awesome if you have a field of interest you want to grow. Then, after a few years of growing in an adjacent space, you could feasibly take the next step even further away from medicine if you wanted to.
Key thoughts:
- Direct shifts from medicine into unrelated fields - while they do happen - are rare. Aiming to move into something more adjacent to medicine is more realistic, and then perhaps making the next move thereafter
- Upskilling in some form, while you continue working in medicine, is fairly standard. Realistically I’d say commit to a minimum two years of upskilling
- Don’t agonise excessively over what exact resource or course you need to start with - decision paralysis will likely amount to another five years spent in medicine. Find something that broadly ticks the boxes and just start
- Things don’t happen quickly. It takes a while to study something new. It takes a while to crack an interview. It takes time in a new position to find your feet. Give yourself some grace
- Be cognisant of the current job market. There is a massive demand for jobs. It’s not unheard of for candidates to send out 15 or so applications, with only 3 callbacks. This is a real example of a highly accomplished colleague - so remember rejection isn’t personal. Keep your chin up and keep tactfully applying
Some of the questions I’ve received relate more specifically to clinical research and quality assurance. I’ll pen something down relating specifically to these topics in the next few weeks.