New Career Path

[NateZ]

I'm in need of advice (aren't we all). I've recently reevaluated my life and what's most important to me and have decided that I want being a doctor to be what I do and not who I am. I want to be able to place my family first and my job second (at least 98% of the time) meaning more regular hours and better dependability. I've considered my options as choosing a different residency such as ER, Rad, or Derm (none particularly interest me) or a different, nonclinical career path. I'd like a career that I still feel makes a difference and a decent income so paying back loans isn't a tremendous stress.

I've been considering some of the dual degree programs such as the MD- MPH/MHA/MBA. I'd like to hear from others what are some career ideas that aren't just about making money (I've read some of the MD/MBA discussions) but offer a comparable income utilizing the MD- MPH,MHA, or MBA degrees (I'm more interested in MPH or MHA). Also, the question of residency and which residency would be best suited for something like hospital admin. I'm sorry if this is rehashing some old topics but I'd like to get thoughts all organized in one place.

Thank you all so very much.

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[old_boy]

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[OccptlMed]

Hey there,
I will be an MS1 this fall. I was a accountant and biology teacher for about 4 years each. Starting anew in my mid thirties, Im also wanting a career that can be placed behind family when wanted. Ive also been thinking EM because I want to do something practical, work with people, but not get too involved in their long term care. I like the idea that i can do a shift and go home and not worry about follow up. One can do 4 shifts a week in EM (48 hours or so)....Radiology sounds cool too - especially the technology part of it all,,,,,but not much patient contact and maybe a bit routine, maybe not...it might actually be easier to get into........

but alas, the mph..............i think it matches quite nicely with EM - and for me it leads to the possibility of international work (occasional disaster relief, or longer term programatic work) - to not get bored, do good and see the world - - - - but for a more consistent life (and less time consuming i think, and less pay) one could use the MPH to run an NGO or PH program or heading up a small clinic.....notice, i keep saying small,,,,,,i guess one can go bigger (in time and salary) but it defeats the point of the thread.

What do you all think? Am I on point? What else the the MPH useful for? or can i just rely on my 'head for figures' and accounting background, for running programs and organizations?

 

[aggernodi]

I suggest considering the following:

1) Pick a field you like.
2) Residency stinks no matter what field. It just does.
3) After residency, you make your career what you will. That's what contracts and negotiations are all about.

Given the 3 above points:

1) Small community hospitals are WAY better than city tertiary care hospitals in terms of patient acuity, call, and how busy you are during call.
2) Rural is better than suburban which is better than city in terms of cost of living.
3) In terms of money, generally speaking, rural makes more money than suburban which makes more money than city settings. Speaking from experience as a private practice ENT in a suburban setting, I make about $180,000 working about 40-50 hours per week. I can make more if I work longer hours, but I choose not to. If I lived and worked in a place like rural Mississippi or Alabama, it is not that unusual to make around $450,000 per year.

Given these general rules of thumb, if you want to make the most money for the least work and still enjoy your career, the following goes:

1) Pick a specialty you like.
2) Live in a rural place in a rural state (I'm not saying wildernesss).
3) Work in a community hospital... the smaller the better.

 

[Qafas]

I am sort of in the same boat as the OP. I have an MBA, and currently am in my first year of IM residency. I've long known that I want to do more than just traditional medicine. I am interested in the business side of life, and will explore it once I am done with residency. I became interested in subspecialties while in med school, and considered heme/onc and critical care quite seriously until quite recently. However, I've decided to go the hospitalist route of late. This is appealing for a number of reasons, including substantial time off and decent pay for the number of hours worked. Also, it is quite easy to cut back the hours even further to 3/4 or PT in this field. This, as opposed to just about any other specialty, save for EM, where it is damn near impossible to have good hours when starting out.
For the OP, I think you really do need to figure out what specialty you'll be happy in. Also, look for ones that give you options to try something different without much or any additional training if you don't like what you start out with. IM is the most flexible when it comes to this.
For non-clinical careers, I think a good place to start might be to become a practice manager. Don't know much about the field, but it is something to consider and look into.

 

[NateZ]

I wanted to thank you all for your posts. I'm still weighing my options and it's darn near impossible to come up with any conclusions. But please feel free to continue to post any advice that may come to mind. It is very much appreciated!