Non-clinical jobs post-residency

[jwatkins]

I'm finishing training in a ROAD specialty. The work can be stimulating and I am satisfied with the conditions and pay prospects. However, there are three things gnawing at me:
1. the brief and episodic nature of the work (vs. extended projects)
2. the individual nature of the work (vs. working in small teams with smart people)
3. the lack of personal growth

Reading through the archives, I've seen a lot of accumulated wisdom on this site from people who've successfully pivoted from medicine to other careers such as management consulting. It seems that the optimal time to make this switch would have been immediately after the MD and that the advantage of completing residency is minimal. The other consideration is doing an MBA with a view to diversifying - having a hospital management role for 1-2 days a week.

Has anyone changed careers post-residency and managed to extract some value from those extra years of training?

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[LookForZebras]

I almost always recommend doing a residency, even for doctors who plan to change careers right after. It is definitely not a waste! Many jobs for doctors outside of clinical medicine require or prefer board certification. Even when a residency isn't required - such as for management consulting - having done a residency can really legitimize you. For example, if you're working on an engagement in which you're interacting with other doctors and healthcare administrators.

 

[jwatkins]

I enjoyed your website LookForZebras. What sort of exits would you point to where the residency is essential rather than just legitimising? Leafing through the bios of startup managers, it seems that the medical advisors are professors at academic centres, and the others are entirely non-medical.

 

[LookForZebras]

I enjoyed your website LookForZebras. What sort of exits would you point to where the residency is essential rather than just legitimising? Leafing through the bios of startup managers, it seems that the medical advisors are professors at academic centres, and the others are entirely non-medical.

Let's see.. I'd say the most common nonclinical jobs in which a residency tends to be essential are pharmaceutical company medical affairs roles (specifically medical directorships, not medical science liaisons), managed care medical directors and utilization management reviewers, and hospital and healthcare system CMO roles.