Going to Venture Capital, Consulting, or Pharma after med school?

[deleted1014383]

So I was offered a place a really top tier med school and learned that many students go down alternate routes than pure medicine, like going to VC firms, working for pharma companies (like the CEO of Novartis went to HMS and never did residency), or go do consulting at MBB.

Does anyone know if these paths are worth it? I really love medicine and want to do something in surgery, but I guess I'm not sure if I'm up for 9 years of neurosurgery residency plus a fellowship to make less money than if I went to one of these firms in the same amount of time. Anyone have any insight here?

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[Medicine-Man]

So I was offered a place a really top tier med school and learned that many students go down alternate routes than pure medicine, like going to VC firms, working for pharma companies (like the CEO of Novartis went to HMS and never did residency), or go do consulting at MBB.

Does anyone know if these paths are worth it? I really love medicine and want to do something in surgery, but I guess I'm not sure if I'm up for 9 years of neurosurgery residency plus a fellowship to make less money than if I went to one of these firms in the same amount of tiime. Anyone have any insight here?

dude Neurosurgery makes like $800k/year. If you need more than that....

if you like surgery, do surgery. But at least wait till you're in rotations to ask stuff like this, no?

 

[deleted1014383]

dude Neurosurgery makes like $800k/year. If you need more than that....

if you like surgery, do surgery. But at least wait till you're in rotations to ask stuff like this, no?

You have to start recruiting for these first and second year summers. Any maybe I sound greedy, but a partner, which is achievable in 10 years, at these firms clears 800k easily. Thats not to mention that 800k is only for the top neurosurgeons.

 

[Medicine-Man]

You have to start recruiting for these first and second year summers. Any maybe I sound greedy, but a partner, which is achievable in 10 years, at these firms clears 800k easily.

You should care a LOT more about doing what you enjoy when it comes to this level of pay.

Also, that kind of pay always comes with strings attached, whether its high attrition rate, working endlessly (feature of neurosurgery too).

$800k is firmly in the 1% and can easily afford almost anything you want short of a yacht or private jet. If you don't care about patients, you should have gone the MBA route instead

 

[deleted1014383]

You should care a LOT more about doing what you enjoy when it comes to this level of pay.

Also, that kind of pay always comes with strings attached, whether its high attrition rate, working endlessly (feature of neurosurgery too).

$800k is firmly in the 1% and can easily afford almost anything you want short of a yacht or private jet. If you don't care about patients, you should have gone the MBA route instead

Agreed, but hey one is larger than the other. I just really want to hear perspectives of why people chose one route over the other of there are any lurkers here.

 

[Redpancreas]

So I was offered a place a really top tier med school and learned that many students go down alternate routes than pure medicine, like going to VC firms, working for pharma companies (like the CEO of Novartis went to HMS and never did residency), or go do consulting at MBB.

Does anyone know if these paths are worth it? I really love medicine and want to do something in surgery, but I guess I'm not sure if I'm up for 9 years of neurosurgery residency plus a fellowship to make less money than if I went to one of these firms in the same amount of tiime. Anyone have any insight here?

Many people have done what you are talking about and have been successful. I am truly happy for them for thinking outside the box and carving their own path but real talk...they're really ripping off whoever's paying them big $$$. All medical school teaches you is rote medical facts/definitions...hardly any perspective outside maybe a little in M3. Their core competency has not been developed yet. It's really residency training/fellowship/attending experience where you learn how to do the job, but I suppose it doesn't matter to these places who just need a person with an impressive degree to fill a title.

As for the bolded, I can not even go into how silly that thought process is. I won't rant because you're not in medical school yet and I think you'll get it somewhere in 3rd year.

 

[operaman]

It’s definitely an option but do realize that the non clinical route is also a lot of work and there’s no guarantee of success. Many big firms are on kind of an up or out system, so for every partner making bank there are countless associates that got jettisoned along the way. I’m sure most of them do fine nonetheless, but it’s certainly less predictable.

Ultimately you have to decide both what you want to do as well as your level of risk tolerance. I would argue that the odds of making bank in clinical medicine are a LOT better than those non clinical routes, but that’s simply because clinical medicine pretty much guarantees high incomes. The safest route would be to do a short residency and then jump to a non clinical career knowing you can always fall back on your medical license.

As for incomes, a LOT of neurosurgeons clear 7 figures. Ditto for numerous other specialties. I’m currently on the job search and regularly pull 990s on prospective hospitals and there are quite a few docs taking in over a million a year. I’ve had some employed position offers in my own field over $800k, and I know plenty of private practice docs making 7 figures too. So there’s quite a bit of money in clinical practice too. Generally the high earners are either busting arse in a well reimbursed specialty, have a lucrative cash pay practice, and/or they’ve build a solid business in their area and derive revenue from other related sources. If you have the acumen to make partner at a big name consulting or VC firm, you can make bank in clinical medicine too.

 

[Musty Goose]

I'm really curious to know how the knowledge one gains from med school could be beneficial in finance? Anyone have some examples?

 

[Detailsmatter]

I'm really curious to know how the knowledge one gains from med school could be beneficial in finance? Anyone have some examples?

I think a lot of these things are for healthcare related stuff. Like OP mentioned the CEO of Novartis so I guess the thinking is that he can help have a clear goal for the therapeutics aspect? and im sure they'll have tons of financial ppl in other roles for that. idk lol that's the only thing I can think of

 

[deleted1014383]

I think a lot of these things are for healthcare related stuff. Like OP mentioned the CEO of Novartis so I guess the thinking is that he can help have a clear goal for the therapeutics aspect? and im sure they'll have tons of financial ppl in other roles for that. idk lol that's the only thing I can think of

It's also for clout. Pharma companies want doctor leadership for that reason too. Having a Harvard or stanford educated doctor makes shareholders' pps hard.

 

[M&L]

I am not sure if others said it already - if this is something you are considering , I would go through residency, work as an attending for a few years and then look into other things . The reason - the more years passed since graduation the harder it is to match, and if this plan doesn’t pan out, you will be left with nothing

 

[jamaica jan sun princess]

Many people have done what you are talking about and have been successful. I am truly happy for them for thinking outside the box and carving their own path but real talk...they're really ripping off whoever's paying them big $$$. All medical school teaches you is rote medical facts/definitions...hardly any perspective outside maybe a little in M3. Their core competency has not been developed yet. It's really residency training/fellowship/attending experience where you learn how to do the job, but I suppose it doesn't matter to these places who just need a person with an impressive degree to fill a title.

As for the bolded, I can not even go into how silly that thought process is. I won't rant because you're not in medical school yet and I think you'll get it somewhere in 3rd year.

You think the board of directors hires and pays someone 6-7 figures and they have no usable skills, just an MD behind their name? Or McKinsey is ripped off by physicians who apply to the company’s MD fellowship? The medical degree must provide some benefit to the company, industry, or consulting project. The individuals who are selected for these roles are also probably high-performing individuals who can easily pickup the financial side.

 

[Redpancreas]

You think the board of directors hires and pays someone 6-7 figures and they have no usable skills, just an MD behind their name? Or McKinsey is ripped off by physicians who apply to the company’s MD fellowship? The medical degree must provide some benefit to the company, industry, or consulting project. The individuals who are selected for these roles are also probably high-performing individuals who can easily pickup the financial side.

Yes, I think the name/degree carries far more weight than any concrete skill (financial aptitude, etc) and that we overestimate how capable someone with an MD behind their name is relative to the average joe.

There’s bound to be some correlation between a graduate of a top medical student and general aptitude. I just think you’d find an equally qualified candidate without an MD behind their name.

 

[Redpancreas]

Could you elaborate a little why it's silly? Although I haven't gone through neurosurgery, my uncle has and my brother is going through it, and I've had my fair share of experience with it. Since I'll be going to a top top med school and step is pass fail, I'll have easy picking for my residency, especially since I've known I've wanted to do neurosurgery since I was a kid and pretty much all my activities in undergrad were focused around it; I anticipate all my med school research/activities will be focused around it as well.

Sure. I don’t want to derail the thread but the part where you reduce the choice between a corporate job and a sub specialist surgeon to a number (salary) seemed odd. Like what about what you’re good at, what you may enjoy, etc? You’ll figure that out as you go and maybe your post was trying to strictly weigh the financial aspects alone, but it just seemed like you’re putting serious consideration into that now. That said, I can totally see how that family background has influenced you and perhaps puts pressure on you to think ahead and am sorry if I upset you.

As for the medical school, congratulations! Seriously, you’ve definitely achieved more than I probably could have academically and could match NSG which is something probably couldn’t have even if I’d tried, but that doesn’t change my aforementioned opinion of your perspective.

 

[deleted1014383]

You think the board of directors hires and pays someone 6-7 figures and they have no usable skills, just an MD behind their name? Or McKinsey is ripped off by physicians who apply to the company’s MD fellowship? The medical degree must provide some benefit to the company, industry, or consulting project. The individuals who are selected for these roles are also probably high-performing individuals who can easily pickup the financial side.

Look, I know for sure that VC and consulting is some of the most shallow **** ever. Half the battle in getting the job is the name. Ther clients and shareholders care about if people went to Harvard and Stanford. Being a doctor is additional clout when it comes to healthcare-related fields. I honestly do think that any reasonably smart person (which obviously someone who goes to Harvard or Stanford for medical school is) can do the job - there's nothing super ultra special about a managing director. The whole field of finance is half optics and 40% big dicking other people. From my experience in internships, the rest was 5% excel skills and 5% smarts.

 

[deleted1014383]

Sure. I don’t want to derail the thread but the part where you reduce the choice between a corporate job and a sub specialist surgeon to a number (salary) seemed odd. Like what about what you’re good at, what you may enjoy, etc? You’ll figure that out as you go and maybe your post was trying to strictly weigh the financial aspects alone, but it just seemed like you’re putting serious consideration into that now. That said, I can totally see how that family background has influenced you and perhaps puts pressure on you to think ahead and am sorry if I upset you.

As for the medical school, congratulations! Seriously, you’ve definitely achieved more than I probably could have academically and could match NSG which is something probably couldn’t have even if I’d tried, but that doesn’t change my aforementioned opinion of your perspective.

I see what you're saying. I was really just comparing the financial aspects. If I do end up in clinical medicine, there's like an 85% chance I do NSG given I have the opportunity to, for which I think I will. I'm choosing o go to med school because I do like medicine and want to be a doctor, but I guess everyone has their number haha. I do need to have some idea of what my future path is now because I'll need to plan and chart my path n med school accordingly f want to have a career n a finance field tangential to medicne.

 

[Lawpy]

So I was offered a place a really top tier med school and learned that many students go down alternate routes than pure medicine, like going to VC firms, working for pharma companies (like the CEO of Novartis went to HMS and never did residency), or go do consulting at MBB.

Does anyone know if these paths are worth it? I really love medicine and want to do something in surgery, but I guess I'm not sure if I'm up for 9 years of neurosurgery residency plus a fellowship to make less money than if I went to one of these firms in the same amount of tiime. Anyone have any insight here?

I think your best bet is to ask the MS4s in your school. Usually, the purpose of med school is to practice clinical medicine so people typically don't start MS1 thinking about nonmedical routes. But having a strong basis of finance will probably help for VC.

 

[Splenda88]

Yes, I think the name/degree carries far more weight than any concrete skill (financial aptitude, etc) and that we overestimate how capable someone with an MD behind their name is relative to the average joe.

There’s bound to be some correlation between a graduate of a top medical student and general aptitude. I just think you’d find an equally qualified candidate without an MD behind their name.

Let's be honest here: The overage Joe has an IQ of 100. It's probably not an overestimation to assume that anyone who makes it to med school in the US is above average.

Undergrad itself already weed out a lot of people for med school, and then < 50% of the students who survive undergrad make it to med school. So if you get into a top 20 med school, you are damn smart.

 

[aldol16]

It sounds like you need to think for some time about what you want from medicine. Yes, people go from medicine to VC and other roles. Some schools are better known for it than others. For that, you'll have to think about schools with strong MBA programs that really allow you to pivot effectively into those roles that you want. But then the question is, why go to medical school? Why not go to business school and use that to launch your career in VC? What is the value add of medical school for you?

 

[deleted1014383]

It sounds like you need to think for some time about what you want from medicine. Yes, people go from medicine to VC and other roles. Some schools are better known for it than others. For that, you'll have to think about schools with strong MBA programs that really allow you to pivot effectively into those roles that you want. But then the question is, why go to medical school? Why not go to business school and use that to launch your career in VC? What is the value add of medical school for you?

Because you don't need an MBA. That's one of the biggest bull**** lies I've been told. MBA is also literally just for clout. The MD is a higher prestige, esp for VC in medtech and healthcare.

I have a medical device startup, and from many of the specific healthtech firms we are trying to raise from, the MD is just an MD, no MBA.

I do want to do medicine and help people. I don't think it's bad to also have fiscal considerations. It seems like talking about money is such a taboo among med students. Not to mention, doctors can be good for society and use their medical knowledge not just in clinical practice.

 

[deleted1014383]

Let's be honest here: The overage Joe has an IQ of 100. It's probably not an overestimation to assume that anyone who makes it to med school in the US is above average.

Undergrad itself already weed out a lot of people for med school, and then < 50% of the students who survive undergrad make it to med school. So if you get into a top 20 med school, you are damn smart.

I also don't think even top 20 schools do this. It's really only top 5 or top 3.

 

[Banco]

Had a few people in my class do this. They all did a 5th year MBA after MS3 though.

 

[deleted1014383]

Had a few people in my class do this. They all did a 5th year MBA after MS3 though.

In my eyes that is the biggest waste of time. An MBA helps you if you want to shift careers from an already established one. If you go out of med school with the goal of doing finance, an MBA is worthless.

 

[shouldvestudied]

I honestly do think that any reasonably smart person (which obviously someone who goes to Harvard or Stanford for medical school is) can do the job - there's nothing super ultra special about a managing director. The whole field of finance is half optics and 40% big dicking other people. From my experience in internships, the rest was 5% excel skills and 5% smarts.

I do want to do medicine and help people.

I really love medicine and want to do something in surgery....

You already know that finance and VC is mostly bull**** that doesn't require exceptional aptitude and you also know that you want to "do medicine and help people."

So what are you actually debating here?

If you go into VC you won't be practicing medicine. You'll be funneling capital to promising companies but you, yourself, won't be doing any of the scientific work. And if you go the VC route without doing a residency then you won't even have a good knowledge base from which to evaluate the companies your fund would be considering.

It seems like you know that you really want to be a surgeon but the prestige of working in VC is clouding your judgement. The VC route MIGHT make you more, but the extra money will not make up for a lack of enjoyment in what you're doing.

 

[Lawpy]

In my eyes that is the biggest waste of time. An MBA helps you if you want to shift careers from an already established one. If you go out of med school with the goal of doing finance, an MBA is worthless.

Yeah i agree with this

 

[Detailsmatter]

id also add that you'll be much more "legitimate" in other fields as a physician if you complete residency. We all know no ones really a doctor after MS4 lol

 

[deleted1014383]

You already know that finance and VC is mostly bull**** that doesn't require exceptional aptitude and you also know that you want to "do medicine and help people."

So what are you actually debating here?

If you go into VC you won't be practicing medicine. You'll be funneling capital to promising companies but you, yourself, won't be doing any of the scientific work. And if you go the VC route without doing a residency then you won't even have a good knowledge base from which to evaluate the companies your fund would be considering.

It seems like you know that you really want to be a surgeon but the prestige of working in VC is clouding your judgement. The VC route MIGHT make you more, but the extra money will not make up for a lack of enjoyment in what you're doing.

I think you hit the nail on the head here haha. I guess I was having pre-FOMO for those different fields. Maybe I just need to take it year by year. I feel like I have this golden opportunity for having gotten into Stanford and am just afraid I'm not going to use it as best as possible.

 

[7331poas]

You think the board of directors hires and pays someone 6-7 figures and they have no usable skills, just an MD behind their name? Or McKinsey is ripped off by physicians who apply to the company’s MD fellowship? The medical degree must provide some benefit to the company, industry, or consulting project. The individuals who are selected for these roles are also probably high-performing individuals who can easily pickup the financial side.

...yes? Do you know who Michael Burry is? Pretty sure he finished intern year then got out of medicine.

 

[aldol16]

Because you don't need an MBA. That's one of the biggest bull**** lies I've been told. MBA is also literally just for clout. The MD is a higher prestige, esp for VC in medtech and healthcare.

I have a medical device startup, and from many of the specific healthtech firms we are trying to raise from, the MD is just an MD, no MBA.

If your goal is to go into VC or private equity, there is no need for the MD. If you're smart enough, you would get an MBA from an M7 and pivot into those fields. Going the MD route is overkill for what you want to do.

If you want to start a healthcare/health tech company, then maybe having the MD would help.

 

[deleted1014383]

If your goal is to go into VC or private equity, there is no need for the MD. If you're smart enough, you would get an MBA from an M7 and pivot into those fields. Going the MD route is overkill for what you want to do.

If you want to start a healthcare/health tech company, then maybe having the MD would help.

Of course the MD is overkill haha. I'm not doing an MD for the sole purpose of going to VC. It's just something that now I can can do, even if it wasn't the primary objective. All I was saying is that if you have an MD, there's actually no need to go get an MBA unless you want to go to private equity or investment banking. Just having an MD from a top tier school will give you the opportunities that an MD MBA will have if you want to go to VC, consulting, or pharma.

 

[DrOngoGablogian]

Going into VC out of med school has much less to do with the school and much more to do with knowing the right people/actually wanting to do that. Mainly the former. That is VC in a nutshell even from a normal path. Seems like networking at a top business school or law school would be an easier path/higher probability of success if that is your goal. Consulting/PE probably the same holds, although some firms do have specific positions they recruit physicians for. Regardless, they have many more MBAs/JDs than they do MDs. Guess med school gives you 2 good options. But if you have the connections there are easier paths, and if you don't have the connections-- networking to make them would be a lot easier down different paths. Pros and cons all around I suppose. Plenty of time to figure it out though.

 

[aldol16]

Of course the MD is overkill haha. I'm not doing an MD for the sole purpose of going to VC. It's just something that now I can can do, even if it wasn't the primary objective. All I was saying is that if you have an MD, there's actually no need to go get an MBA unless you want to go to private equity or investment banking. Just having an MD from a top tier school will give you the opportunities that an MD MBA will have if you want to go to VC, consulting, or pharma.

I don't think that's the case. If you want to go into consulting or pharma in some sort of clinical advisory capacity, you'd have to actually have clinical experience. That's not to say it's not possible (McKinsey has MD internships) but it will depend on who you know. VC is definitely going to depend on who you know. You can't just walk into a VC firm and get hired just because you have an MD. You have no experience that is valuable to them as just an MD without other experience. Now, if you're an MD who started a start-up and understand the world of business, then yeah, that'll be great. But if you're an MD who doesn't want to do medicine but also has no business experience, you might think about launching your career by pivoting into the VC roles via an MBA.

 

[deleted1014383]

I don't think that's the case. If you want to go into consulting or pharma in some sort of clinical advisory capacity, you'd have to actually have clinical experience. That's not to say it's not possible (McKinsey has MD internships) but it will depend on who you know. VC is definitely going to depend on who you know. You can't just walk into a VC firm and get hired just because you have an MD. You have no experience that is valuable to them as just an MD without other experience. Now, if you're an MD who started a start-up and understand the world of business, then yeah, that'll be great. But if you're an MD who doesn't want to do medicine but also has no business experience, you might think about launching your career by pivoting into the VC roles via an MBA.

maybe you're right for most schools. But when t comes to Stanford and Harvard, the connections are there. The students get blast emails all the time about some firm or another hiring all the time at VC firms. And Mckinsey, BCG, and Bain all have MD recruitment programs, whether you do their summer program or year-long program or not. Plenty of people from Stanford and Harvard go straight to consulting. Lastly, there are plenty of examples of people going to the industry like pharma, right out of med school without residency. As discussed, when you come from Harvard/Stanford, they're hiring for the name, not because you can advise on clinical things more so than some other hire. It's because of your potental. Look at CEO of Novartis, as an easy example that comes to mind. MBA simply isn't necessary.

 

[aldol16]

maybe you're right for most schools. But when t comes to Stanford and Harvard, the connections are there. The students get blast emails all the time about some firm or another hiring all the time at VC firms. And Mckinsey, BCG, and Bain all have MD recruitment programs, whether you do their summer program or year-long program or not. Plenty of people from Stanford and Harvard go straight to consulting. Lastly, there are plenty of examples of people going to the industry like pharma, right out of med school without residency. As discussed, when you come from Harvard/Stanford, they're hiring for the name, not because you can advise on clinical things more so than some other hire. It's because of your potental. Look at CEO of Novartis, as an easy example that comes to mind. MBA simply isn't necessary.

I wasn't aware we were talking exclusively about the two schools that are arguably the two top schools in the country. If you're talking only about that very limited set, then sure you can probably get away with being hired to consult without clinical experience. You're also talking about the guy who spent a year at the WHO after graduation before being hired into McKinsey which kickstarted his career.

I can also pretty much guarantee you with arbitrary uncertainty that students at those two places don't get blast emails "all the time" about VC firms. VC firms don't hire like that. Either you have a very naive view or you're talking out your ass.

 

[deleted1014383]

I wasn't aware we were talking exclusively about the two schools that are arguably the two top schools in the country. If you're talking only about that very limited set, then sure you can probably get away with being hired to consult without clinical experience. You're also talking about the guy who spent a year at the WHO after graduation before being hired into McKinsey which kickstarted his career.

I can also pretty much guarantee you with arbitrary uncertainty that students at those two places don't get blast emails "all the time" about VC firms. VC firms don't hire like that. Either you have a very naive view or you're talking out your ass.

Yeah, I am talking about that level, since I got into Stanford. And yes, they do send email blasts for recruiting to the MD class all the time. I was on a similar listserv at Harvard and saw this for myself and have heard this from students at both schools. And with the case with the Novartis CEO, his path is not uncommon for people from these schools. That's my whole point. A good chunk don't go to residency and go to Mckinsey or cushy fellowships to industry rather than residency.

 

[DrOngoGablogian]

I wouldn't put too much stock in that. You can go on linkedin and see that these companies hire people from a wide spread of schools, lot's of foreign schools even. The key is most folks going to med school have 0 interest which makes sense. These aren't exactly cushy jobs--the couple guys I know work like animals and spend a good chunk of their time on planes. Most folks don't want to put in residency hours their entire career. There are plenty of opportunities if someone wants to actually pursue them though. I wouldn't worry about timeline so much either because plenty of folks wander over mid/after residency too. A better gig IMO would be actually practicing for awhile and then later on joining at the SME SD/partner level, then you get the best of both worlds.

 

[ArdorAyurveda]

Many ways to skin a cat. Look into the McKinsey and Bain internships. I would recommend doing a residency just in case things don't work out in the financial field.

At the end of the day, it's about doing what you want...do you actually want to practice clinical medicine ever? If so, do a residency, and then transition from clinical role -> administrative leadership (medical director, etc.) -> VC/Consulting/PE.

If you have no interest in clinical medicine, I'd probably just complete the MD degree, then do the McKinsey/Bain consulting gigs immediately after graduating.

I've only read about this on the internet so take my advice as a grain of salt. Personally, I plan on opening my own private practice and then selling it to private equity so that I have both clinical and business experience. If that doesn't work out, you can always do an executive MBA at Harvard/Wharton/Stanford after residency. Going to a high prestige medical school and residency will help in this regard.

Don't let other people shame you out of this path though. Think big and let your dreams guide your path.

 

[aldol16]

Yeah, I am talking about that level, since I got into Stanford. And yes, they do send email blasts for recruiting to the MD class all the time. I was on a similar listserv at Harvard and saw this for myself and have heard this from students at both schools. And with the case with the Novartis CEO, his path is not uncommon for people from these schools. That's my whole point. A good chunk don't go to residency and go to Mckinsey or cushy fellowships to industry rather than residency.

Lol, you have a lot to learn.

 

[ingobingo]

I wouldn't put too much stock in that. You can go on linkedin and see that these companies hire people from a wide spread of schools, lot's of foreign schools even. The key is most folks going to med school have 0 interest which makes sense. These aren't exactly cushy jobs--the couple guys I know work like animals and spend a good chunk of their time on planes. Most folks don't want to put in residency hours their entire career. There are plenty of opportunities if someone wants to actually pursue them though. I wouldn't worry about timeline so much either because plenty of folks wander over mid/after residency too. A better gig IMO would be actually practicing for awhile and then later on joining at the SME SD/partner level, then you get the best of both worlds.

Just wanted to underscore this comment.

 

[sloop]

I was going to write about how it’s probably best to do residency and at least get a license first because it becomes increasingly difficult to do this the longer you have been out of training.

But you know what? OP’s attitude in this thread has changed my mind. They should definitely not do clinical medicine.

 

[RangerBob]

I really can’t think of any reasons to go to med school if you know ahead of time you won’t be doing residency. Any alternative option is probably better served by a different training program, since the MD is so specialized and specific. Research? Better off with a PhD (unless you plan to do clinical research, but then you’ll need a residency)? Advocacy/policy? Probably MPH, maybe even political science or law. Venture capital? Probably biotech among countless others.

I guess all I can think of is TV doctor. Where you can call yourself doctor and put the MD after your name, and count on everyone to be oblivious to your lack of qualifications.

Most people I know that went from medicine into another field did it because either a new opportunity came up, or doors were closed to them at residency and they were stuck with the MD but an inability to use it. I mean it’s better than no degree, but once again if you don’t get to residency, I think there are much more valuable degrees out there.

 

[mcat_taker]

Yeah, I am talking about that level, since I got into Stanford. And yes, they do send email blasts for recruiting to the MD class all the time. I was on a similar listserv at Harvard and saw this for myself and have heard this from students at both schools. And with the case with the Novartis CEO, his path is not uncommon for people from these schools. That's my whole point. A good chunk don't go to residency and go to Mckinsey or cushy fellowships to industry rather than residency.

If you want to do VC or finance after medical school I would finish a residency first. An M.D. without training is just a useless degree. People graduating med school know very little relative to those who have finished a training program of some sort.

It won't give you additional skills or knowledge for non medical career maths. Finish a residency. If you don't like clinical medicine then make the pivot. At least you will have a full medical license at that point. Much more prestigious to a firm to hire someone who has actually worked as a doctor and has a medical license rather than someone who just got an M.D. and never practiced.

Just my two cents coming from someone with brothers who worked in consulting at BBM and then did VC