Medical Director & Associate Medical Director

[Euphrates]

I've heard that it's possible to be a Medical Director without having an MD. I was wondering what fields or firms tend to offer these so-called Medical Director and/or Associate Medical Director positions? btw, I'm an MD, but I am not board certified/eligible. Thanks in advance.

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[Euphrates]

What, no love for Medical Directors? I see that no one wants to share the "secret" knowledge! lol
It's all good.

Perhaps this is the wrong forum?

P.S: I hear that the PEMBA program seems to have a large proportion of individuals/graduates being promoted to Medical Director positions in the real world. ( Yes, I do share "secret" knowledge!)

 

[Xardas]

what do you want to be a medical director of? if it is for a hospital or medical group that not only will you need to be an md, but you will need to be board certified, have several years of practice and experience and many organizations now will even want you doing a little practice. you are the link between administration and clinicians so y ou have to be a legitimate respected clinician.

insurance company med directors often require board certification as a pre-req for hiring and many want you to have clinical experience as well.

i have never heard of medical director not having an md or do.

having said that there are a lot of executive jobs in healthcare that do not require MD's.

 

[Euphrates]

Xardas,

Thanks for the response. I've actually heard of one MD that did become a Medical Director before she began her residency training (I think it was in the Nutrition or Wellness industry, though). And if my memory does not fail me, I also do remember reading something about different types of Medical Directors (some even without MD/DO degrees) in one of the leading non-clinical website blogs, but I'm not sure.


btw, this is a bit off topic, but do Insurance companies prefer medical doctors as their insurance sales agents? does it give the impression of greater credibility ? or perhaps there is no advantage..

 

[dancingdoctor13]

i'm interested in finding out the same thing, especially since you mentioned nutrition and wellness industry. I am not going for the MD/DO but am more interested in the PA/NP route but I would love to work in the business aspect of medicine, but don't know how many opportunities there are for these professions. Can you tell me more about the becoming a director in the nutrition/wellness industry-what type of qualifications or other medical director positions that don't require MD/DO degree?

 

[arrhythmia7]

While "medical director" for a big insurance company sounds glamorous, I can assure you it is both boring and not very lucrative. Imagine doing chart reviews all day and talking to doctors on the phone who really don't have the time/interest in detailing the reasons why Ms. X is still an inpatient. Salaries are around 150k with 15-30% bonus. If you spend years there and make it to Chief medical director, this climbs to about 230-250k. You'll never be at the core of the business. Exit opportunities are non-existent, and in less you practice part-time on the weekends, your skills will quickly fade.

 

[rysa4]

While "medical director" for a big insurance company sounds glamorous, I can assure you it is both boring and not very lucrative. Imagine doing chart reviews all day and talking to doctors on the phone who really don't have the time/interest in detailing the reasons why Ms. X is still an inpatient. Salaries are around 150k with 15-30% bonus. If you spend years there and make it to Chief medical director, this climbs to about 230-250k. You'll never be at the core of the business. Exit opportunities are non-existent, and in less you practice part-time on the weekends, your skills will quickly fade.

What about Lee Newcomer at UHC?

 

[bronx43]

While "medical director" for a big insurance company sounds glamorous, I can assure you it is both boring and not very lucrative. Imagine doing chart reviews all day and talking to doctors on the phone who really don't have the time/interest in detailing the reasons why Ms. X is still an inpatient. Salaries are around 150k with 15-30% bonus. If you spend years there and make it to Chief medical director, this climbs to about 230-250k. You'll never be at the core of the business. Exit opportunities are non-existent, and in less you practice part-time on the weekends, your skills will quickly fade.

This should be emphasized for a lot of doctors/students who want the back-up of clinical medicine, but the potential of doing "business." The truth of the matter is that medicine is a skill that needs to be constantly upkept. It's not like riding a bicycle, where you retain the skill for life once you master it. Therefore, there's really few instances where you can pursue a business career for a substantial amount of time, then simply "go back" to medicine should you fail.

 

[DrJosephKim]

In the non-clinical world, the term "medical director" is used to mean many different things. I know nurses, NPs, pharmacists, and PhDs who hold the title "medical director" in a variety of companies (pharma, biotech, medical education, etc.)

In the clinical setting (hospital, group practice, etc.) you won't find non-physicians being called "medical director."