Is it possible to practice in two different countries simultaneously?

[mdebourg]

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By this I mean practicing in one country for 6 months of the year, returning to the US for the remaining 6 months and essentially holding two part time or seasonal positions.

I was playing with the idea of practicing in S.Korea and in the US in the future... Any thoughts and/or insight on this?

 

[CaptainSSO]

Unlikely, but l guess it's possible.

Try thinking about this from the perspective of the person who is hiring you....
What use would it be to hire someone who can only practice 6 months of the year?

This is just really not going to work very well. Your patients won't want a doctor they can only see 6 months out of the year.

I mean, it wouldn't be impossible to do this, but you'd probably have to be in a specialty either without patients or without long term patients, and even then, I still don't think it would work very well--you're still going to have work to do. Either they need to hire you or they don't--if they do, they need someone who is going to work there, not just for 6 months.

It would have to be in like emergency medicine or something.

 

[mdebourg]

What about the professors who lecture at multiple universities or take "sabbatical" to do research? How do they do it?

 

[mdebourg]

Professors who are both lecturing and doctoring, that is. And leaving a practice to lecture at some other university for any length of time each year.

 

[cowme]

Yes. You can always do locums (short term) work for understaffed practices. You will never get a good job that way, but it will pay the bills

 

[Sheldor]

Seems like this would definitely be possible. The important thing is for you I decide how important this is to you and then choose your specialty accordingly.

Off the top of my head your first choice should be radiology, followed by pathology followed by outpatient acute specialties like FM, IM, etc. (Urgent care work)

Since this will be having a huge effect on your specialty choice, make sure it's important enough to you to base your life around.

Good luck!

 

[IlDestriero]

What about the professors who lecture at multiple universities or take "sabbatical" to do research? How do they do it?

A sabbatical is a perk for years of service to research faculty. We offer you one every 10 years for associate professors and above. Your patients are covered by your partners while you are away. That's quite different from leaving for half the year every year. Faculty that have significant non clinical time just schedule patient care during their clinical time. Most faculty work at least 25% clinical time (usually much more), or they would just stop clinical work completely.
Lecturing at another university is usually a 2 or 3 day trip.

Cheers!

 

[cowme]

just a suggestion...why don't you work part-time, like 7 months a year? Spend 3-4 months a year in s. korea. I'd imagine you would make more in one month here than you would in 3 over there

 

[mdebourg]

Great suggestions, this website is awesome. I didn't think to consider specialty as a factor but I did want to choose something that either utilizes new technology (tech junkie) and/or a specialty demanding in both countries. Radiology and radonc both seem like good choices and I've thought about both but not in this context.

Locums work sounds interesting, but are these positions that are temporary? Meaning, would I have to find a new job every time I came back to the states in whatever state I could find a position in? If that's the case then I'm not sure I would like that.

Taking a position part time for 7 mo. a year sounds like a more viable option, has anyone ever heard of any physicians doing anything similar to this?

 

[mdebourg]

Also, I am going to do an MD/MBA so this gives me a few more options as well. Maybe it would be easier finding a position that would also utilize my MBA? I'm really grateful for any suggestions, thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Sheldor]

Great suggestions, this website is awesome. I didn't think to consider specialty as a factor but I did want to choose something that either utilizes new technology (tech junkie) and/or a specialty demanding in both countries. Radiology and radonc both seem like good choices and I've thought about both but not in this context.

Locums work sounds interesting, but are these positions that are temporary? Meaning, would I have to find a new job every time I came back to the states in whatever state I could find a position in? If that's the case then I'm not sure I would like that.

Taking a position part time for 7 mo. a year sounds like a more viable option, has anyone ever heard of any physicians doing anything similar to this?

I can't comment on all of your thoughts given my limited experience, but I did have one thought/clarification. Radiation Oncology is one of the best fields in medicine, but is a field that involves establishing long term patient relationships and is mostly a clinic specialty. So while awesome, may not satisfy the criteria that would allow you to come and go.

Locum work is definitely temporary so you would have to find a new locums position every time you come back.

Personaly, I think you're best bet is to do Nighthawk radiology. You can literally practice radiology from anywhere in the world as long as you have broadband internet and a computer. If you did this, you could keep the same job and just live wherever you want whichever months you want. Win-win.

 

[Kadava Reviva]

By this I mean practicing in one country for 6 months of the year, returning to the US for the remaining 6 months and essentially holding two part time or seasonal positions.

I was playing with the idea of practicing in S.Korea and in the US in the future... Any thoughts and/or insight on this?

Yes.

Check the criteria in the countries of interest.
First, you have to qualify in each country and pass the governing bodies' exams. Then there is a minimum amount of hours required to work in each country to maintain a license. Ongoing professional education and training can often count in both countries.

 

[michaelrack]

Locums work sounds interesting, but are these positions that are temporary? Meaning, would I have to find a new job every time I came back to the states in whatever state I could find a position in? If that's the case then I'm not sure I would like that.
?

It is easy to find locums work in certain specialties, including psychiatry.